Donor Evening for the Restoration of the Hilandar Metochion Kumica—A Future Children’s Recreation Center

Organized by the Royal Foundation of His Royal Highness Hereditary Prince Filip Karađorđević and Her Royal Highness Princess Danica Karađorđević, a donor evening dedicated to the restoration of Kumica—a metochion (estate) of the Holy Monastery of Hilandar near Mount Athos—was held at the Royal Palace in Dedinje on Saturday, May 16.

In addition to HRH Hereditary Prince Filip, HRH Princess Danica, and their son HRH Prince Stefan, HRH Crown Prince Alexander and HRH Princess Katherine Karađorđević also attended the ceremony.

The event brought together numerous figures from public life, culture, and the business sector, united in their support for the restoration of one of Hilandar’s most significant properties, which will, after necessary reconstruction, take on a new purpose.

On behalf of His Holiness, Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, His Grace Bishop Dositej of Lipljan, and Military Bishop attended the gathering. Accompanying the Very Reverend Archimandrite Methodius, abbot of the Holy Imperial Serbian Lavra of Hilandar, were Archimandrite Gerasim and the Hilandar monk Jelisej.

The evening began with a prayer and a memorial service for the soldiers of the royal army, marking the 110th anniversary of their suffering in the Great War. The service took place in the Palace chapel dedicated to the patron saint of the royal family, St. Apostle Andrew the First-Called. It was presided over by His Grace Bishop Dositej, with the concelebration of the Very Reverend Archimandrite Methodius and the participation of several priests and deacons. Members of the Hilandar choir, ‘Saint Simeon the Myrrh-flowing,’ enhanced the beauty of the liturgical ceremony.

Following the memorial service, organizers presented the Kumica restoration project in the cinema hall of the Royal Palace, placing special emphasis on the numerous initiatives within Hilandar’s outreach to children and youth, titled ‘Hilandar Lighthouse.’ They then hosted a formal dinner for all participants of the charitable event in the Royal Dining Hall.

As is customary, the hosts, HRH Crown Prince Alexander and HRH Hereditary Prince Filip, welcomed the guests with warm remarks. The gathering was blessed and addressed by Archimandrite Methodius, abbot of the Hilandar Monastery, who took the opportunity to express sincere gratitude—first to the members of the Karađorđević royal family, and then to all those who gathered with the genuine wish to contribute to the mission initiated at Hilandar by its founder, Saint Sava, and which continues today through the efforts of the Hilandar brotherhood.

As a remembrance of this charitable event held under the vaults of the Royal Palace in Belgrade, Abbot Methodius, on behalf of the monastic brethren of Hilandar, presented commemorative gifts to the hosts: a framed photograph of HRH Crown Prince Alexander II with the Hilandar brethren taken during his visit to Mount Athos in 2023, and an icon of the Holy Hieromartyr Charalambos, the patron saint of the Kumica metochion, painted by the brethren of the Hilandar monastic cell of Saint Nicholas of Myra ‘Burazeri’. All donors received specially created albums featuring authentic photographs from King Peter I Karađorđević’s 1910 visit to the Hilandar Monastery.

The Hilandar metochion Kumica, with the Church of St. Charalambos dating from 1867, is one of the most historically significant monastic estates. For centuries, it served as a livestock-breeding area, with vineyards and olive groves. It is located 4.5 km east of Nea Roda and 2.5 km west of the border of Mount Athos, in a unique Mediterranean landscape along the very edge of the Garden of the Most Holy Theotokos.

The Holy Monastery of Hilandar intends to restore the Kumica metochion and establish a Children’s Recreation Center with accompanying infrastructure for group stays of children and youth, including accommodation for a specified number of children with special needs.

Photo by: Nemanja Petrović