ШИПТАРСКИ ГЕНОЦИД НАД СРБИМА У 20. ВЕКУ Документа...

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With the blessing of His Grace ArtemijeBishop

of Ras-Prizrenand Kosovo-Metohija

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ALBANIAN GENOCIDE OF THE SERBS IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURYDocuments of the Archives of the Diocese of Ras-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija

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e-mail: [email protected]

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500 2011.

Published by agor5 Knez Miletina Street, Belgrade, Serbia

Cover design by Sanja PopoviPrinted and bound in Serbia by Zuhra, Belgrade

2011

ISBN 978-86-85323-28-7

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ALBANIAN GENOCIDE OF THE SERBS

IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

Documents of the Archives of the Diocese of Ras-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija

Translated from the Serbian by

Kosara Gavrilovi

AGOR BELGRADE

2011

/ Original title

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FOREWORD

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9The appearance of this unusual book was made possible in the first placeby the Divine Providence made manifest through an extraordinary and mostglorious miracle of God. After the tribulation of the Serbian people and theSerbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo-Metohija in June 1999 when togetherwith our people we were banished from our Episcopal Palace and our diocesewas occupied by the German KFOR, which took upon itself a written obligationto defend the Palace, the premises of the Orthodox Theological Seminary andthe Monastery of the Holy Archangels. We left the Episcopal Palace leaving be-hind all of its furniture, furnishings and fittings, as well as the extensive andvery valuable diocesan archives, and temporarily moved the See of our dioceseto the Monastery of Graanica.

In 2004, without any forebodings about things to come, we felt an innerurging to move our Archives from Prizren to Graanica. We accomplished thison March 15, 2004only a day before the appalling March Pogrom, perpe-trated by Albanian criminals in the presence of international KFOR troops. Thebrunt of the pogrom was borne by Prizren. On March 17, all holy places inPrizren were torched, among them the Episcopal Palace. Had the Archives notbeen moved on the very eve of the assault, they would have been consigned tothe flames and lost forever in the conflagration. With them would have perishedalso all records and documents which testify to the suffering of the Serbian peo-ple and the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo-Metohija during the entiretwentieth century.

The Archives were put in order and catalogued by Slavica Radomirovi,staff member of the Coordinating Center for Kosovo-Metohija, and her assis-tants in consultation with us. The examination and organization of theArchivesa veritable sea of documentsrevealed moving testimonials to thesuffering of the Serbs and of our Church, in times of war and in times of peace,in the period between two world wars. These testimonials describe continual at-tacks of the Albanian national minority against the Serbs, their lives, their faith,their dignity and honor, assaults upon their churches and monasteries and, es-pecially, upon monastic property.

We are dealing here with nonsense, with a historical paradox where anethnic minority of a country can be allowed to endanger the safety of the na-

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tional majority after which that country is named. Who could describe thecrimes committed by Albanians against the Serbs in the course of the twentiethcentury? Who can descrtibe them, who can quantify them? This book makesno such claims. This book cites only the crimes, the cruelty of which has im-pelled those who have witnessed them to leave a written record of them with theDiocese of Ras-Prizren. All these crimes have a common denominator: theyrepresent a unique genocide of the Serbian people committed repeatedly, notonly during the miseries of wars and foreign occupations, but also in times ofpeace, a fact which has no precedent in the history of the world.

Article 2 of the UN Convention on Genocide states: In the present Con-vention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to de-stroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, such as:

(a) Killing members of the group;(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated

to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.All these types of genocide listed in the UN Convention but one, the excep-

tion being the last on the listand of these we found no written recordwere com-mitted against the Serbs of Kosovo-Metohija in the course of the twentieth century.1

Methods of pressure, intimidation, persecution, murder, rape, robbery,lying to authorities in those rare cases when identified suspects were broughtbefore them, symbolic penalties, unheeded warnings, not guilty verdicts, ascri-bing crimes to small children for children will be children, all these are repe-ated, day after day, month after month, year after year. When reading officialreports of the clergy and the administrators of monasteries, submitted to suc-ceeding ruling bishops of the Diocese of Ras-Prizren between 1919 and 1989 and,especially those after World War Two, one gets the impression that these reportsdescribe events which have taken place in the last eight years in Kosovo-Meto-hija under the Protectorate of the UN. Everything is reproduced with the fideityof a photograph. The criminals are the same; only their names change, exceptthat sometimes the names are missing. The victims are the same; and the vic-tims always have Serbian names and surnames. The drama is reenacted countlesstimes, always following the same plot. Only actors and locations may change.

1 This state of affairs reached its culmination on the threshold of the twenty-first cen-tury, specifically in June 1999. It continues even to this day. Moreover, it does so in thepresence and under the protection of the UN itself represented by its civil and military au-thorities, UNMIK and KFOR respectivelythe very authorities which came to Kosovo-Metohija to offer protection and provide peaceful and safe existence for all. Other bookshave dealt, and new ones will deal, with this topic in greater detail.

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The numerous selected materials, 215 documents included in this book,are divided into five parts and three special addenda (see Table of Contents)according to the communality of topics, the topics with which the documentsthemselves deal, or according to specific periods of time which they cover, suchas, for instance, World War Two (between 1941and 1945). Care was taken topresent all the documents in a form as faithful to the original as possible. So, ifthe reader occasionally finds spelling mistakes or typographical errors, let himbe assured that they are not there as a result of the editors or the publisherscarelessness; they are there precisely because of our desire to the stay as closeas possible to source documents.2 This is amply attested to by the number of fac-similes of more important documents included in this book.

The compilation of this book has taken three years to complete. Muchwork and much good will but also considerable resources have been invested init. It was not easy to decide on the scope and the contents of this obviously un-usual book. We tried to keep its scope within reasonable boundaries withoutdoing harm to the truth to which it testifies. We chose only those documentswhich testify unequivocally and speak to all for whom they are intended aboutthe monumental dimensions of the crimes committed against the Serbs inKosovo-Metohija, against their spiritual and cultural heritage, their personaland real estate throughout the twentieth century.

It may appear strange that this book contains no documents which speakof the most recent crimes, which are still being perpetrated in Kosovo-Metohijaby Albanians under the protection of UNMIK and KFOR, and that it does notmention the forcible severance of Kosovo-Metohija from Serbia. It must bepointed out that the period of our episcopacy in the Diocese of Ras-Prizren,which began in 1991, is not covered by this book in its entirety for obvious rea-sons. That may be done as an annex to this book, compiled and published bysomeone else as part of the literature on the dissolution of the former SocialistFederal Republic of Yugoslavia and on the rule of UNMIK and KFOR overKosovo-Metohija.

The appearance of this book at this precise time, when the high andmighty of the international community are intent on rewarding these Albanianatrocities and the more recent crimes perpetrated since June 1999 against theSerbian people and its holy places (destruction and desecration of over 150churches and hundreds of cemeteries and monuments) by giving independenceto Kosovo-Metohija, or rather by forcibly separating it from Serbia, thereby cre-ating a second Albanian state in the Balkans, represents the voice of conscienceand of justice laid low calling to heaven. It is another powerful reminder and asign to those who have eyes but do not see and have ears but do not hear (Ps.

2 Translators note (TN): Unfortunately it was not possible to carry out this idea intranslation.

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135: 16-17) to come to their senses (Luke 15:17) and to cease adding lawless-ness to lawlessness and crime to crime by tearing the heart out of Serbia and re-warding her by admitting her corpse into Europe. The message of this bookto all who are trying to sever Kosovo from Serbia can be reduced to one singlesentence: there is no price at which Kosovo can be bought, nor is there a trea-sure which can replace Kosovo for the Serbs.

Gratitude for this book is due to all who have labored on it and by theirlabors helped the truth to see the light of day. Their greatest reward will be theknowledge that through their labors they have contributed to the defense ofKosovo-Metohija precisely in the final phase of the battle which began in 1389and will end in our lifetime. Those who come after us will know how to expresstheir gratitude for their efforts and God will know how to reward them.

ARTEMIJEAt Vidovdan 2008 Bishop of Ras-PrizrenIn the Monastery and Kosovo-Metohijaof Graanica

1941.

PART ONEALBANIAN CRIMES AGAINST THE SERBS

BEFORE 1941

001. 1915.

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001. Massacre of Serbs in the Monastery of Saint Mark of Koria in 1915

Executed on July 23, 1920 in the Office of the Prefecture in Tetovo.

On orders of the investigating judge of the court of original jurisdictionin Prizren, No. 42 dated April 26 and No. 2410 dated July 17, of the current year,Mihailo J. Alimpijevi [Antonijevi], secretary at the Prefecture of the Districtof Tetovo, submits this complaint: .

Before submitting the complaint, I beg to be excused for the delay of thissubmission which was made necessary by the need to gather as much evidenceas possible, and having done this to the best of my ability, I now submit thecomplaint.

At the time of the retreat of 1915, being the clerk at the Prefecture of theDistrict of Poarevac, I joined the retreat with my family consisting of my fatherJovan Antonijevi, now deceased, retired borough prefect, and my sister Kata-rina who lives with me. In Crnoljevo, because of extreme cold and otherweather conditions, my father fell seriously ill and, as no medical care was avail-able, I was forced to interrupt our journey and rest for a while. We stopped inthe village of Koria, right below the Monastery of Saint Mark, in the vicinityof Kaba. As at that time the Elder of the monastery was my good friend, Hi-eromonk Danilo Poali, I complained to him about my fathers illness and heinvited us to stay at the Monastery, so that my father could rest a while beforecontinuing on our journey. This took three to four days, and on November 14I went to Prizren to find out in which direction and on what date the retreatwould resume. In Prizren I got the travel papers for my family from the thensecretary Mr. iv. Milivojevi, who told me that we should have two to threedays time before we left again as the enemy had not taken Suva Reka yet. Thefollowing day, on November 15, I returned to the Monastery of St. Mark whereI found a group of soldiers mostly last call reservists, a majority of them sick,and with them there were people from Luiki district, and, as I used to be thedistrict clerk there 12 years ago, many people recognized me. And so did Stanko

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Petrovi of Graanica who was the mayor and at the time I am speaking aboutCaptain First Class and in charge of the company of last call reservists in theMonastery. People complained that they were weak, old, naked and barefoot,which indeed was the truth, and that it was hard for them to join the retreat asthey would all die of hunger and cold, it seemed to me they were leaning onStanko to let them stay, that is to say to surrender, I dont know what they de-cided because I went to the room where my family was. About four oclock inthe afternoon there was loud gunfire from the guns up on Prizren fort, whichwas defending the city from the enemy. Then from the Monasterys bell-towerwe saw shrapnel fall in the field below the village of Koria and immediatelyafterwards there appeared a line of enemy riflemen and we saw immediatelythat we were surrounded, and, to avoid being killed for nothing, Danilo theElder, now deceased, raised a white flag on the church steeple. That was about5 oclock in the afternoon. The dusk was falling but still we could see. Then twoAlbanians came into the Monastery courtyard and said that we were sur-rounded and that, unless we immediately laid down arms, leaving a short timefor the surrender, they could not guarantee what would happen to us. After afew minutes of consultation and upon hearing the soldiers declare that theywould not fight (quite a few of them were shivering with fever) we agreed to sur-render on condition that they release us the following day. Barely a few minuteswent by when an Albanian mob, some 40 or 50 fully armed men, entered theMonastery and started taking away our arms which everyone surrendered volun-tarily seeing no other way out.

Three Albanian leaders gave us their word of honor that nothing wouldhappen to us. They were: Jusuf Aga N. of Kaba, whose house was just acrossfrom the Monastery; Redep Alit of Kaba, whose brother is Mahmut Alit; andanother older, well-built Albanian whom I would know if I saw him, but that wasnot to be! As early as seven oclock, immediately after the miserable supper, theystarted the search. As is well known, at that time St. Marks Monastery had about100 guest rooms. For greater convenience, the Albanians disposed their sol-diers placing a guard in front of every room, and inside the rooms our wretchedsoldiers waited to hear what their fate would be.

In our room, I with my father, my sister and Danilo, now deceased,waited to see what would happen. At about 8 oclock, Jusuf Aga came into ourroom with Redep and another Albanian and said that we must all give somemoney, as was the custom, and that officers also must do so. I immediately tookout 200 dinars in banknotes, which was all I had in my wallet, and gave themto Jusuf who laughed and put the money in the pocket of his jerkin. My fatherlay on the sofa just watching and thinking that no good would come of all this.Then Jusuf told me to hand over all the weapons we had with us as he knew thatI was not unarmed. I gave him a new revolver; one smaller one which my father

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carried; two sabers, which were hanging on the wall. One of them was quitevaluable. It had been given to me by a cavalry officer, MILORAD MILIVOJE-VI, now deceased, who was a police officer in Poarevac and died there. Onhis deathbed, he asked that the saber be given to me which his wife did after hisdeath. It had cost him more than 200 crowns. It had a silver hilt and was engra-ved all over. Milivojevi had bought it for his wedding in Budapest. Then Jusufforced the Elder Danilo and me to clean the bullets for his bandolier and with-out any preliminaries or courtesies he took my fathers amber cigarette holder,his watch and chain, two silver cigarette cases and removed two gold rings frommy fathers fingers. From me he took a diamond ring, a gold watch and chainwhich my father had given me when I got my commission seventeen years ago.Then he ordered Danilo and me to go to Danilos room immediately which wedid leaving my father and my sister in our room. Later on I learned that theyhad brought to that room also Baba Mitra3, an old cleaning woman who workedin the Monastery and stayed there overnight.

We spent the entire night in Danilos room which was in a separate smallbuilding. All we could hear was banging, groans, sounds as if a search was beingconducted, things, furniture and other possessions being taken out.

At about five oclock in the morning two Albanians came to fetch us andtook us into the yard. As my fathers room was close by I called him and hecame out with my sister. He was wearing only his underpants and a shirt. Mysister also wore only her bed-jacket and her skirt. We just looked at each otherand I understood: they had been robbed. I saw their tear-stained faces. I wentto my father and kissed his hand. I could not do the same for my sister as I wasyanked away by Albanians and taken to the next yard. There I saw some 26 28soldiers standing in a file which Danilo and I were told to join and which wasthen led up the hill towards Kaba. We had not yet left the Monastery gardenwhen I saw two Albanians leading my father, who had a coat thrown over hisshoulders. They took him in the direction of Koria. He had hardly taken 50steps when we heard gunfire, and I saw my father fall headlong down the hill.Immediately afterwards we were taken up the mountain. We were made to walkin such a fashion that each man had an Albanian armed with a rifle walking di-rectly behind him. They stopped us every so often, probably intending to killus there and then, but finally they led us to Kaba and into an old Albanianshouse which I would recognize even today. The old man was blind in one eye.They kept us there locked up and under guard which changed often. Amongothers, with us was Uncle Kosta, the Monasterys verger, who had gathered fromtheir conversation that we would all be killed. When asked what they were goingto do with us, they replied that they would send us all to the Bulgarian Com-

3 TN: baba literally old woman or grandmother but in rural areas and small townsused as an affectionate honorific.

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mander. At about 2 oclock in the afternoon they brought us some hot cornbread.Everybody ate except me and as soon as a soldier had eaten he would fall asleep.Danilo also fell asleep only I pretended to sleep and watched to see what wouldhappen. Outside, in the yard there was suddenly a terrible noise and shoutingof Allah! Allah! And just before dusk some 7 to 8 younger Albanians and theman who was blind in one eye ran into our room. Among them I saw Sulja N., theMonasterys watchman who was one of those who had given his word to Danilothat they would not kill us. Then they ordered us to get ready, they were takingus to the Commander! The wretched soldiers were happy to hear this butDanilo told me with his eyes only that we were finished. Then a few more Alba-nians came in with bayonets on their rifles and ordered us to form a double fileand told us that every three to four minutes a pair of us was to go out into theyard. The wretched soldiers filed out and finally only three of us were left behind,me, Danilo and the old verger Uncle Kosta. Uncle Kosta, who could speak Alba-nian, turned to a large Albanian begging him for something, but the Albaniantook out a curved knife and, I remember it well, said Shut up, you! His sleeveswere rolled up and as soon as Uncle Kosta went out we heard a horrible scream.Even before this, at intervals, I had heard muffled blows and groans but notsuch a loud scream, the scream of a wretched victim being slaughtered and thenthrown into a chasm as I saw later by daylight.

Then only Danilo and I were left. He also begged, but in vain. He wasdragged out, and he tossed to me his tobacco tin with his name on it. This tin waslater taken away from me by the Bulgarians when they searched me. Seeing thatthere was nothing for it, I started walking out of my own accord when suddenlysomeone coming through the door hit me so hard and sent me flying into a cornerto the left of the door leading to the corridor. Partly because of the force of theblow, partly because of the grizzly sight I was half unconscious and when I came toI found myself in the same room, next to a fire which the Albanians had builtand was lying there while some ten or so of them were sitting in a semicircle smok-ing. One of them had a bloodied hand (bandaged). They offered me tobaccoand ordered me to keep quiet about what I might have seen. We stayed there likethat for another hour, and then they set off taking me with them. We stopped at ahouse and they had dinner there, then the brothers Mahmut Alit and Redeptook me to their house and told me not to be afraid since I was their guest now.There I spent the night with grandmother (mother) and 2 to 3 male children.

In the morning I asked what had happened to my sister, and, finally, oneof the children told me that she had survived and that they would bring her tome. So about 2 oclock in the afternoon they brought my sister and Baba Mitrawas with her. There, in the house of these two brothers my sister, Baba Mitraand I stayed for eight days. It would be pointless to describe my misery and thepain in my soul when I heard from Baba Mitra that more than one half of the

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soldiers were slaughtered and that my group, together with Danilo and UncleKosta, was most probably also slaughtered and thrown into the chasm. It wasthen that I learned of the unhappy lot of my father who had not been killedoutright but was riddled with bullets and left on the road to die. Baba Mitrafound this out from Sulja who came to see and comfort them.

My sister came in her clothes which were in tatters and told me of themiseries she had sufferedphysically assaulted, tortured for money, searchedtime and time again until her very soul stood naked. She came to me in her under-wear and stockings. Everything else was taken off her and stolen.

Eight or nine days later, after ceaseless begging on our part, they decidedto let us go on condition that we would not return either to Prizren or Kosovobut go home to Serbia or Bosnia. We agreed, and one night they gave us someAlbanian rags and took away the rags we still had on. So, disguised as an Alba-nian and his sister, with an escort of two boys we set off through the woods.We walked from midnight till ten oclock the following morning without stop-ping but were halted several times by military sentriesBulgarian or Germanand always released. When we reached the highway at Suva Reka, we saw agroup of our refugees and among them a wounded officer. Not being able tocontain myself I ran to them and taking off my head the kerchief, which I havekept to this day, told them that I was a Serbian civil servant and asked them tolet me join their group, which they did. The two boys, our escort, looked ateach other, turned around and fled in the direction they had come from. Etc.

Mihailo J. Antonijevi, manu propriaSecretary of District Prefecture

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Reconstruction of Monastery of St. Mark of Koria. Photographed at the beginning of the twentieth century.

002.

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002. Albanian assaults on Devi Monastery

Administration of Devi MonasteryDistrict of Devi, Region of RakaConfidential No. 499November 7/October 25, 19334Devi

To the Ecclesiastical CourtPrizren

In accordance with the approval of the Diocesan Board of ManagementNo. 260 of the current year, the Administration requested the services of theDistrict Clerk for the purpose of marking the trees in our woods. The Clerkcame on the fifth day of this month and marked up to 400 standing trees in theplace named Topola, for which services he received his daily allowance and waspaid for the mileage covered.

For this purpose, the Administration needed to obtain the necessary certi-ficate from the commune regarding the ownership of the woods and the permitfrom the Banovina5 Administration for cutting marked trees in accordance withthe new law on forests. The Administration of the Monastery requested andduly received the said certificate from the Court of the Commune of Laua.However the entire Court consists of Drenica Albanians, most of them beingparties to outstanding lawsuits involving this Monastery.

For this reason we are petitioning the Court to intervene, urgently if pos-sible, with the Banovina Administration in Cetinje to permit the Administra-tion of the Monastery to cut the marked trees.

At the same time, we wish to inform you of the following: this Admi-nistration has come to the conclusion that the only way to save the property ofthe Monastery (i.e. the woods) would be to have a special commission ap-pointed by higher government authorities, otherwise few persons could befound to survey the Monastery woods because of anonymous or open threatsfrom the Albanians. As we have seen, these threats have succeeded in puttingoff anyone from cutting marked trees for any price.

We respectfully inform you of this and request your intervention alsowith the Minister of Justice to help us establish clear boundaries between the

4 The double date represents the difference between the Julian and the Grego-rian calendars, the former being used by the Church and the latter by the state.

5 Between two world wars Yugoslavia was administratively divided into a num-ber of regions which were each governed by a Ban and therefore called Banovina.

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property of the Monastery and of its neighbors so that the Monastery can begiven clear title to its property. Otherwise, a hundred Albanians will be foundwilling to swear that the Monastery owns nothing, on the basis of which theCourt in the Commune of Laua will grant them the title to the property, becauseour few witnesses will not prevail over theirs as the law treats everybody equally.

I think it would be unjust that today Albanians from Drenica of evil reputeshould share in the property of this our sacred place. Moreover, it is unjust thatthey should do it during the life time of our beloved King Aleksandar whoknows full well what misery they have caused his people. I also believe that ifhe knew to what harsh treatment the property of this Monastery is subjected bythose who had treated us thus for over 500 years, they would, without a doubt,become more tractable. If I had done wrong, by writing this last sentence, I askfor forgiveness, but there is no peace, no hope of survival for this Monastery un-less the status of its property is quickly regularized.

In the hope that you will not fault me for being inept in this petition, Irespectfully remain

Your obedient Elder of Devi MonasteryHieromonk Simeon Milosavljevi

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Monastery Devi, photographed at the beginning of the twentieth century

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003. The Memorial Church in Djakovica

Under the August Patronage of Her Majesty Queen MarijaTHE COMMITTEE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THEORTHODOX MEMORIAL CHURCH DEDICATED TO FREEDOMNo. 17.February 8, 1941Djakovica

Mr. Minister,

In 1936, Her Majesty Queen Marija graciously agreed to extend her au-gust patronage to the construction of an Orthodox Church Dedicated to Free-dom with a Memorial Ossuary in Djakovica. This Church is dedicated to theservice of God and to the service of the nation. It is dedicated to the service ofGod because our five hundred year-old foe had destroyed all the holy places ofdivine worship in this region, leaving the growing Orthodox population of thisdistrict with no place where to gather and worship. It is dedicated to the nationbecause the bones of our heroes, who did not spare their lives when called onto save their Fatherland, still lie scattered in the forests and ravines of Metohija,Kosovo, Sandak and northern Albania. For this reason the Committee thoughtthat these relics should be placed in the ossuary which is being constructedunder the Church itself.

The Committee has been engaged on this project since 1928, but the actualwork began in 1936 when Her Royal Majesty graciously consented to be itsAugust Patron.

Having invested a considerable effort in the project, the Committee hasso far been able only to roof the structure, as you can see on the photograph, butnot to go any further because of the lack of funds.

It is a RELIGIOUS and even a greater NATIONAL imperative for thisChurch to be completed, for the Serbs of this region to gather together in jointprayer to the Lord and for the earthly remains of our war martyrs to find a placefor their final repose which would be worthy of them and which they haverichly deserved. Those who fell defending the Fatherland deserve it, and theyounger generations would know that the Fatherland cares for those who dieddefending it and would be willing to emulate their example.

For us to accomplish the goal of completing the Church, we would needfinancial assistance in the amount of 300,000 dinars.

We have appealed for help to the following ministries: Justice, Finance,Agriculture, Public Works, Foreign Affairs, Army and Navy, as well as to His

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Holiness the Patriarch and the Ban of Zetska Banovina. We fear, however, thatlittle attention will be paid to our appeals.

This is why we turn to you, as the Minister of Court, asking you with allour hearts to appeal on our behalf to the above mentioned Ministries and in-stitutions urging them to furnish us with the necessary means to complete theChurch.

Her Royal Majesty has promised us an iconostasis, but we cannot expectto receive such an important gift before other works on the Church are com-pleted.

At the same time we beg you, Mr. Minister, to have the kindness of in-forming Her Royal Majesty about the progress of work on the completion of theChurch of which Her Majesty is the gracious Patron.

Enclosed, please, find a photograph of the Church

Radovan J. Milutinovi, teacher Fr. Slobodan A. PopoviSecretary of the Committee Chairman of the Committee

Mr. Milan AntiMinister of CourtBelgrade

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Memorial Church Dedicated to Freedom in Djakovica during reconstruction

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001

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003

PART TWO

DESTRUCTION OF SERBIAN CHURCHES BY ALBANIANS IN WORLD WAR TWO

004.

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40

004. Crimes against the Monastery of Saint Mark of KoriaExecuted in 1941 in the Ecclesiastic Court in PrizrenThere appeared before this Court, without being summoned, Hieromonk

Gedeon aka, Superior pro tem. of St. Marks Monastery, and deposed as follows:After the arrival of the Italian Army in Prizren and in this region, the

servants of the Monastery declared that they could not stay one day longer inthe Monastery because they are afraid of the villagers of Kaba. Immediatelyafter this, the Albanian villagers of Kaba started bringing their livestock in tograze through the woods and the meadow and into the Monasterys yard itself.When I intervened asking them to move away from the Monastery and to taketheir animals to graze wherever they used to graze before, they replied thateverything belonged to them and that no one could keep them away.

They began to steal our livestock and so, seeing that I could not survivethere on my own, I informed competent authorities that I was forced to leave theMonastery. All the more so, because the former servants of the Monastery, whowere Muslims, had rejected the offer of competent authorities to continue work-ing in the Monastery and protect it because they were afraid of villagers ofKaba.

When I moved out, I took some more valuable things with me andbrought them to the Ecclesiastic Court. Other things were left in the Monasterybecause they were impossible to move being too heavy or unwieldy. While I wasstill in the Monastery, some Kaba villagers broke into a shed and took the ploughand the bedding which belonged to the keeper of the Monasterys livestock.

Of my own knowledge, I cannot tell what happened to the Monasteryafter I was gone, but I have heard others say that the Church itself was pillagedand that the trees in the woods are being cut down every day and that we cantake it that the woods are completely destroyed.

The tenant farmers of Muslim faith, namely Ali Gegi, Velija Uka, AbazSejza and others, have given nothing that was due to the Monastery of the wheatfrom our land.

I am literate. Hieromonk Gedeon akaElder of St. Marks Monastery

CERTIFIED BY:edomir M. Simi

41

005.

. 1.-1. 1942. .-

. , .

- - . 267 3 1942- . , , :

1.) 10.000

2.) , 1941 1942 5 ....................................... 2.000

3.) - .... 15.000 .

4.) .............. 2000 ,

29.000 ( : ) .

.

, ,2 1942 . .

42

005. Destruction of churches in the District of Djakovica

SERBIAN ORTHODOX PARISH OF PONOEVAC No. 1September 1, 1942PONOEVAC

Petition of the Church of The Holy Trinity in eremet, District of Dja-kovica concerning war damaged property

TO THE ECCLESIASTICAL COURTPRIZREN

Regarding the order of the Orthodox Bishop of Ras-Prizren, His GraceSerafim E.No. 267 dated August 3, 1942-XX, I have the honor to submit to youthe Petition concerning the Church of the Holy Trinity in eremet, CommuneJunica, District Djakovica, which was damaged as follows:

1) The Church was demolished and completely destroyed with all furni-ture , furnishings and fittings in the value of 10,000 frangs6;

2) Harvest from 5 hectares of parish meadowlands used by parishionersand not gathered in 1941 and 1942 in the value of 2,000 frangs;

3) A completed but not yet consecrated church in Donji Nec in the samecommune damaged to the point of being in danger of immediate collapse while allits furniture and fittings are completely destroyed in the value of 15,000 frangs;

4) A not completed church in Smonica sustained damage in the value of2,000 frangs.

In all, therefore, this church, which is the central church in the parish ofPonoevac, has sustained damage in the total amount of 29,000 (twenty ninethousand) frangs.

In compliance with the order of the autocephalous Orthodox Church inShipnia7, I have the honor of sending to you the aforesaid submission and re-spectfully request your disposal of same in accordance with the terms of yourjurisdiction.

In Djakovica Slobodan A. Popovi, priestSeptember 2, 1942 Rector of the Church

6 TN: Albanian currency used Kosovo-Metohija during the occupation.7 TN: Name given to the region of Kosovo-Metohija by the Axis occupying forces in

WWII.

43

006.

. 50.-1. 1942- - .-

. , .

, .

.

- - .. 267 3 1942- . . :

1) 400-2) 1000.-3) ( ) 2400.-4) 400.-5) 4000.-6) 5,95 -

1941 1942. . 4000.-7) 220

4780.-8) ........................................................... 300.-9) ...................................................................... 800.-10) , ... 20000.-

38080.-( )

44

006. Destruction of the church and the Serbian cemetery in Djakovica

SERBIAN ORTHODOX PARISH OF DJAKOVICA No. 50September 1, 1942DJAKOVICA

Petition of the Church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God inDjakovica concerning war damaged property

TO THE METROPOLITAN OF THE AUTOCEPHALOUS ORTHODOXCHURCH IN IPNIJA HIS EMINENCE KRISTIFOR

TIRANA

Regarding the order of the Orthodox Bishop of Ras-Prizren, His GraceSerafim E. No. 267 dated August 3, 1942-XX, we have the honor to submit toyou the Petition concerning the war damaged property of the Church of theDormition of Holy Mother of God in Djakovica which was damaged as follows:

1) Walls surrounding the yard and other areas surrounding the Church in the value of 400.00 frangs2) Church stable in the area surrounding the Church 1,000.003) Barbed wire fence around the Orthodox Cemetery 2, 400.004) Damage to a hearse 400.005) Cemetery Chapel completely destroyed 4,000.006) Harvest from 5.95 hectares of parish meadowlands used

by parishioners and not gathered in 1941 and 1942 4,000.007) 220 cubic meters of stone prepared for the completion

of a new church in Djakovica 4,780.008) Damage to the lightening conductor 300.009) Tin guttering 800.0010) Woodwork, tools and construction materials 20.000.00

TOTAL in frangs 38,080.00 (Thirty eight thousand and eighty frangs)

May I respectfully remind you that all monuments in the Orthodoxcemetery have been destroyed but their value cannot be shown here because Iconsider them property of private individuals at whose cost they were erectedover the graves of deceased members of their families, and I am not in posses-sion of information detailing the actual value of these monuments.

45

.

- ,

1 1942. . . I

. .

46

Following the order of the Presidency of the autocephalous OrthodoxChurch in ipnija, I have the honor of sending to you the aforesaid submissionand respectfully request your disposal of same in accordance with the terms ofyour jurisdiction.

Slobodan A. PopoviParish priest of Djakovica Parish District I

In Djakovica Rector of the Church September 1, 1942

47

48

007.

. 4230VIII1942

, -, 3 1942 . 267, , :

1) 1941 . , .

2) , - . : 17 , 7 2 . , , , -, .

3) , -. 24. 1941 ., .

, , .. , , .

- .

- ( 1 ,

49

007. Assaults on Monastery Draganac

SERBIAN ORTHODOX MONASTERYNo. 42August 30, 1942DRAGANAC

To the Ecclesiastical CourtPrizren

Regarding the order of the Orthodox Bishop of Ras-Prizren, His GraceSerafim No. 267 dated August 3, 1942, I have the honor to submit to you in-formation concerning the war damage done to the Monastery in my charge,which damage being as follows:

1) In our woods in the month of October 1941, unidentified thieves stolethe oxen owned by the Monastery, the current market price of which is seventhousand lek8.

2) The field called Pluina, which is inscribed in the property deed ofthe Monastery as belonging to the Monastery, is now regarded by the membersof the family of ukrija Ibrahimovi, sandal maker residing in Gnjilane, as theirown. This year, members of the Ibrahimovi family have taken from theMonastery on the principle that might is right one quarter of grain, namely: 17buckets of barley, 7 buckets of wheat, and two buckets of rye. They took thegrain without violence and gave us a proper receipt leaving the matter to theCourt to decide. If the Court rules that the field in question is the property ofthe Monastery, they will be obliged to return the grain taken in kind or pay forit at market prices.

3) A quantity of wood from the Monasterys old plantation and a largerquantity from the newly planted wood was cut and taken for fuel by Bey ZegiriEmini from Gnjilane. An official complaint was made by me to the Prefect onSeptember 24, 1941 without any results so far.

Both in the case of the field Pluina and the theft of wood it is essen-tial to submit to the Civil Court with your authority a complaint containingprecise information about the damage sustained and our demands that Mr.Ibrahimovi and Bey Emini appear in Court and give proof of their right to theMonasterys property, which they have been making use of, in view of the factthat these gentlemen have informed the Administration of the Monastery thatthey are in possession of Turkish titles to the property in question.

8 TN: See footnote 6 above.

26 ), : ,

e

50

51

In other respects, I have managed by the grace of God to preserve the Mona-stery which is in good condition.

In view of the fact that, at the request of the people, Monastery Draganacserves also the parish of Straa, (Straa is located at a distance of one kilometerfrom Draganac, while other villages in the vicinity are located at distances of 2to 6 kilometers) I take this opportunity to inform you that I have managed topreserve all parish property and that I carry out Gods work punctually andpunctiliously just as in peacetime.

Respectfully yours,Abbot Grigorije

Elder of Draganac Monastery

1.

2.

3.

4.

-

1 . . . 108

. :10 ,

3 ,1 ,4 , ,8 ,2 ,2

, 500

: . . . .

.,, , ,, ...

, ,, ,, . .:2 , , 2 , 6

,

:

5. IV.1941.

100.000.-

50.000.-

10.000.-

160.000.-

1.500.000.-

500.000.-

50.000.-

52

008.

, ,

.

No.

1.

2.

3.

4.

Type of demaged

institution

Church Community-Pe

Church Community-Deani

Church Community-Djakovica

Church Community-Vitomirica

Object damaged

1 house in Kr. Aleksandra street 108

Officefurniture: 10 modern chairs,

3 tables, 1 typewriter, 4 cupboards, heating

stove, 8 ordinary chairs, 2 writing desks, to

shelves for files, etc.

Library of the ChurchCommunity (500volumes)

Two churches in villages Rastavica andRatite newly built in formerYugoslavia ofdurable materials

Materials for buildinga new church inDjakovica: stone, tiles,lime, iron, beams

Church: roof, windowpanes, doors, rugs,censores, vestments,furniture Church Community: 2 cupboards, 1 heatingstove, 2 tables, 6 chairs

Cause of damage

Bombardment

Bombardment

Bombardment

TOTAL:

Demolished by Occupying Forcesand their henchmen

Occupying Forcestook them away

Occupying Forcestook and turned the Church intoprison

Value in dinars up to Apr. 5, 1941

100.000.-

50.000.-

10.000.-

160.000.-

1.500.000.-

500.000.-

50.000.-

53

008. Eradication of churches in Metohija

THE LISTof war damaged Church institutions with monetary value expressed in

prewar dinars

5.

: 4 , 10 ,4 , 1 , . .

50.000.-

54

. 114 , , 16/3 1945 . , :

. .

5. Church Community-Istok

All furniture and fittings of the Churchand the Church Community: 4 tables,10 chairs, 4 rugs, 1 setof vestments, silver artoclasia etc.

Occupying forcestook them away andturned the Churchinto prison 50.000.-

55

Reg. No. 114 This List, based on reports received fromPe, July 16/3 1945 above listed Communes, was compiled and verified by:

Vasilije St. Kilibarda, priestEpiscopal Regent

009.

. 4111VIII1945.

. 40 7. 1945 , , , .

, , -, , .

, , - .

56

009. Monastery Draganac threatened

SERBIAN ORTHODOX MONASTERYNo. 41August 11, 1945DRAGANAC

To the Diocesan Board of Management, Diocese of Ras-Prizren

Prizren

As a supplement to my report No. 40 dated August 7, 1945 regarding thedamage sustained by the Monastery, I am forwarding to you the original of thecomplaint lodged with the Prefect Mehmed Ali Bey Emini against HamdijaIbrahimovi, Hatem and Redep Radenan who stole our Monasterys oxen.

This complaint was forwarded by the Prefect, together with his opinion,to the Commandant of the Italian Carabineers, who not only did nothing aboutit but, to the contrary, called me and the lawyer azim Makre to his office,swore at us and threatened us with arrest.

The thieves were immediately released because azim Makre and I wereforced to withdraw our complaint as we were harassed by the occupying forcesand their faithful and devoted henchmen brothers Ibrahimovi of Gnjilane.

Respectfully yours Abbot Grigorije


57

010.

. 6513I1945 .

3I1945 . . 63, - . . , -, 7 - 1945 40, , - 11VIII1945 41 6 1945 . . 40, 16/VIII45 3I . 68.

( ).

58

010. Damage done to Monastery Draganac

SERBIAN ORTHODOX MONASTERYNo. 65September 13, 1945DRAGANAC

To the Diocesan Board of Management, the Diocese of Ras-Prizren,

Prizren

In accordance with your order No. 63 of September 3, 1945, it is myhonor to report on the damage done to Monastery Draganac using the appro-priate form. The data listed in the form are true and confirmed as such by thePeoples Committee of the Commune of Bostan. I also enclose a drawn, de-tailed and documented report of the entire damage done to the Monastery fromAugust 7, 1945 (No. 40), the original of the complaint lodged with the PrefectMehmed Ali Bey Emini against Hamdija Ibrahimovi, Hatem and RedepRadean who stole our Monasterys oxen on August 11, 1945 (No. 41) and copyof the protocol of August 6, 1945 (No. 40), all in accordance with yours of Au-gust 16, 1945 No. 68, 3IX.

In a separate matter, through the Peoples Committee of the Communeof Bostan I have lodged a claim for war damage sustained by me personally inthe amount of thirty one thousand and two hundred fifty prewar dinars (dur-ing the occupation I did not receive my salary as Monasterys Elder and had topay court costs defending the Monasterys property in the amount of 200napoleons.

Respectfully yours Abbot Grigorije


59

011.

. 3622/9 1942.

29, 13 1942 , :

- :

1) ( ) . (, , , .) 150.000.- ( ..)

2) ( ) , . . 75.000.- ( ).

3) - . 35.000.- ( ).

4) ( ) . 20.000.- ( ).

, . - . .

.

.

.

60

011. Destruction of churches in the Episcopal Regency of Pe

ORTHODOX EPISCOPALREGENCY OF PENo 36April 22/9, 1942PE

TO THE DIOCESAN BOARD OF MANAGEMENT,PRIZREN

In accordance with your order No. 29 of April 13, 1942, it is my honor toinform the Board of the following:

The list of churches robbed and/or destroyed in the Pe Episcopal Re-gency is as follows:

1) The church in the village of eremet (Prefecture of Djakovica) is com-pletely destroyed and robbed of all its movable property. The value of the churchand its movable property (crosses, the Gospel, vestments, the bell etc.) in todaysYugoslav currency is about 150,000 dinars (one hundred and fifty thousanddin.);

2) The church in Donji Rati (Prefecture of Djakovica) has been brokeninto and its roof removed. The walls are still standing. All its movable propertyhas been stolen. The value of the stolen property and the roof is about 75,000dinars (seventy five thousand dinars).

3) The roof of the church in Rastavica has been removed so its walls alsohave been damaged by rain. The value of materials taken is 35,000 (thirty fivethousand) dinars.

4) The church in Vitomirica (Prefecture of Pe) has been broken into androbbed of all its movable property valued at 20,000 (twenty thousand) dinars.

I must point out that Monastery Devi is located on the territory of thePrefecture of Pe but not on the territory of this Regency. That Monastery isdestroyed with all its auxiliary buildings and robbed of all its movable prop-erty. I cannot even guess at the value of damage sustained.

I have the honor of presenting to you the above report and await yourfurther instructions.

Vasilije St. Kilibarda, priestEpiscopal Regent

61

012.

. 1682/.307 26 1961

,

, .24/.47 19 1961 , :

- .

.

, , .

,

, ,

-

62

012. Gathering of information on destroyed churches

THE HOLY SYNOD OF BISHOPSOF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCHNo. 1682/Zap. 307May 26, 1961Belgrade

Your Grace,

The Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church adoptedDecision AS No.24/Zap. 47 on May 19, 1961 which reads as follows: The HolySynod of Bishops shall intervene with peoples authorities requesting thatOrthodox war-damaged churches be not demolished but be protected and givenassistance for their rehabilitation.

At the same time it shall require the diocesan authorities to provideconcrete information regarding churches which were destroyed or damagedduring the war.

Pursuant to the above Decision of the Holy Synod of Bishops, we havethe honor to inform you thereof and request from you the information referredto therein.

I remain Your Graces brother in Christ,

For the President Of the Holy Synod of Bishops

Hrizostom, Bishop of Branievo,

Member of the Synod

TO HIS GRACE PAVLE, BISHOP OF RAS-PRIZRENPRIZREN

63

013.

. 5215 1961

. 727/61 . 1 1 , . , .

.

64

013. Churches destroyed in the Episcopal Regency of Prizren

ORTHODOX EPISCOPAL REGENCY OF PRIZRENNo. 52July 15, 1961PPIZREN

To the Diocesan Board of Management,

Prizren

In regard to the announcement No. 727/61, I have the honor to informyou that on the territory of the Prizren Episcopal Regency one church wasdestroyed in the village of Gradi on the road between Prizren and Djakovicaand one chapel in Prizren, to the left of the entry to the gorge of the riverBistrica, was badly damaged during the war. This chapel was repaired after theliberation but was subsequently destroyed.

Milan Dj. Trifunovi, archpriestEpiscopal Regent

65

014.

. 129I1961

.

.57 8I61., :

. , .

1932 . , , , , , -, , .

, , , - , , . .

.

.

66

014. Church in Prizren destroyed

SERBIAN ORTHODOX PARISH OF PRIZRENNo. 12September 9, 1961PRIZREN

TO THE EPISCOPAL REGENTPRIZREN

As requested by yours No. 57 dated September 8, 1961, I have the honorto report as follows:

With the exception of the Chapel of the Holy Prophet Elijah in Prizrenno other churches were destroyed or damaged in the parishes which I service.

The chapel in question was built in 1932 but was badly damaged dur-ing World War II and now, after the liberation, it was nearly completely de-molished by the Muslims, located as it is in a Muslim quarter outside the town.

As, in the first place, the Church in Prizren has no financial means withwhich to rebuild this chapel, and, secondly, it would be pointless to rebuild itand then leave it at the mercy of the irresponsible Muslim mob, which wouldmost certainly demolish it again, all plans for the rebuilding of the Chapel of theHoly Prophet Elijah have been set aside for the time being.

Respectfully awaiting further instructions,

Boko Popovi, archpriestParish priest of Prizren and Gornje Selo

67

015.

. 41111 1961 .

. 1991/ . 357 20 1961 . 779 2 1961 , - , :

. 779 2 1961 ,, :

.. . 30 5 1961 :

, , , , .

, , 1938/39. 1941 , , . . 1942. , , 2 . .

, , . . , .

. ., .. 1959.

68

015. Destruction of churches in the Episcopal Regency of Pritina

ORTHODOX EPISCOPAL REGENCY OF PRITINANo. 411September 11, 1961Pritina

To the Diocesan Board of Management,

Prizren

As instructed by the Holy Synod of Bishops in its request No. 1991/zap.357 dated June 20, 1961and Your order No. 779 of July, 2 1961, requestingreports on churches which were damaged or destroyed during World War II;I have the honor of submitting this humble report:

In regard to No. 779 of July 2, 1961 I received a report from the actingparish priest of Gole, No. 30, dated September 5, 1961to the effect that:

During World War II, in the parish of Gole the church of Pomazatin,district of Pritina, was damaged and the parish church in Novo ikatovo,district of Pritina, was razed to the ground.

The church in Pomazatin, district of Pritina, was built in 1938/39. Thechurch was never consecrated. The church, which was to be consecrated in1941, was intended to serve the faithful of the following villages: Pomazatin,Veliki Belaevac, Mali Belaevac, Kuzman and Velika Slatina. The church wasbuilt of hard materials; it was actually built of stone. The church was damagedin 1942. Albanians Shqipetari from the surrounding area damaged theroof breaking the tiles; removed and destroyed the iconostasis and icons, leav-ing only two icons behind. Using some sort of blunt object, they made holes inthe walls making it necessary to replaster and repaint them.

All windowpanes were broken. Some window frames were removed asthey were made of iron, the Holy Table was demolished and the top of the HolyTable broken. The Albanians took down the bell, damaged it and later buriedit.

A parishioner, a Serb from Pomazatin, accidentally found the bell as hewas ploughing his field. The church was repaired in 1959 by the acting parishpriest of Gole, archpriest Trajko Z. Trifunovi. The roof was replaced andcovered with tiles.

69

. .

, . .

, , 3. -.

5.00.000.- . 75.000.- . , , . , . 22 4 , .

. 1937/38 - .

3.000.000.- 1961 . - . . . . : , , , , , , . 3 .

. 68 31 1961 : . 308 24 VII 1961 II . . , 1935 , .

70

The only thing left to do was to cover the roof over the sanctuary withconcrete and tiles. Because of the lack of funds, the Church Community couldnot complete the repairs of the church and make it usable again as a place ofworship.

The repairs were paid for by the Gole Church Community in Batuse.That is to say they were paid for by the Agricultural Cooperative in Veliki Be-laevac which was ordered by the District Court in Pritina to pay restitutionto the Church Community in lieu of rent for using the church as a granary with-out authorization. The court case was brought by Archpriest Trajko Z. Tri-funovi.

To bring the church back to its original state and make it fit again to beused as a place of worship would cost 500,000 dinars. The Church Communityhas only 75,000 dinars on deposit with the Episcopal Board of Management inPrizren. But the rehabilitation of this church is also threatened by another veryserious matter: the Serbs are leaving Pomazatin for Serbia, as they are leavingother villages here. The church should be rehabilitated, but it is not at all surethat a single Serb will stay in Pomazatin. In the neighboring village of VelikiBelaevac, of the original 22 Serbian households only 4 are left, and these fourare planning to leave.

During World War II, the parish church of Novo ikatovo was razed tothe ground. This church was built in 1937/38 and served as the parish churchfor the parish of Drenica on the territory of the Zvean Episcopal Regency.

The church was built of hard material; it cost 3,000,000 dinars to buildand the Albanians demolished it in 1961. The Albanians took away the bell andsold it, but we do not know to whom. The church is razed to its foundations, butthe foundations are still there. Nothing was done in terms of rehabilitating thischurch because the Church Community is unable financially to do it. For theirspiritual needs the faithful go either to Pritina or to Monastery Devi. As theSerbs are leaving the parish of Drenica, specifically the villages of Komoran,Vukovac, Donji Zabeo, Poklek, Glogovac and Novo ikatovo, while theirhouses and lands are being bought up by Albanians, it is not likely that thechurch will be rehabilitated. It may well be that within less than three years,there will be no Serbs left in these villages.

The parish priest of the Uroevac parish in his No. 68 of July 31, 1961 re-ported as follows: In regard to the announcement No. 308 of July 24, 1961, Ihave the honor to inform you that during World War II, in my parish, com-mune of Kaanik, the Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah was destroyed. Thischurch was built in 1935. Before the war and during the war divine serviceswere held in it.

Now it has neither windows nor doors. Only the walls and the roof areleft, and the roof is badly damaged. We could do neither partial nor complete

71

. . . 5.00.000.-.

I .90 31 1961 :

.85/61 . . 308 21 VII 1961 . .

. . . . .

150.000.-2.00.000.-. 80.000 , . . .

1931. . . .54 31 1961

: .308 24 1961 - . . . , , , . . .

: , , -,, , I, II III .

. ..779/61.

72

repairs because there are no funds. The rehabilitation of this church wouldrequire 500,000 dinars.

In his No. 90 of July 31, 1961, the parish priest of the First PodujevoParish District reports as follows:

As a supplement to the report I sent in No. 85/61 in reply to yours No.308 of July 27, 1961, which I received only today and which must have wander-ed all over the place or was stuck somewhere in the Post Office, I wish to informyou of the following:

The church of St. Andrew in Podujevo was exposed to artillery fire inthe last war and hit several times by grenades. Immediately after the liberation,with the help of authorities and the faithful, the church was repaired to the pointwhere it was possible to hold services in it. But these repairs were done in hasteand not thoroughly.

For it to be properly repaired we would need a sum of 150,000 200,000dinars. As the Church Community is not able to bear this cost, having only80,000 dinars of ready money, this general overhaul cannot be undertaken at thistime. All our efforts to collect the money by asking the faithful to contribute vol-untarily to the repair of the church failed because the response was poor.

The church was built in 1931. Requesting further instructions.The parish priest of Sirinika upa in his No. 54 of July 31, 1961 reports

as follows: In regard to yours AN No. 308 of July 24, 1961, please be informedthat no churches were destroyed in the parish of Sirinika upa in World WarII. Only the Chapel of Sts. Peter and Paul in Fireja sustained minor damage tothe mortar. However, the church is in good enough condition for liturgy to beserved in it. All other churches are as they were before. We report this for yourinformation and await further instructions.

In the parishes of Laplje Selo, Lipljan, Donja Guterica, Nerodinje,timlje, Graanica and in Pritina parish districts I, II and III no churches weredamaged during World War II.

I have the honor of submitting the aforesaid report and request furtherinstructions.

Ref. No. 779/61

Trajko Trifunovi, archpriestEpiscopal Regent

73

016.

. 1214I1961

.57 21 1961 II :

1/ . , , 1935 ; 1941 -, - ;

2/ . , 1467 ; , - ; 800.000 .

.

II

74

016. Churches destroyed in the vicinity of Prizren

SERBIAN ORTHODOX PARISH OF PRIZRENNo. 12September 14, 1961PRIZREN

To the Episcopal RegentPrizren

In regard to your request No. 57 of July 21, 1961, I have the honor of sub-mitting this report on churches destroyed during World War II in the parish ofPrizren

1) Destroyed the Church of St. Peter of Koria in Koria, district ofPrizren. The church was built in 1935 and served all parochial needs. In 1941the church was razed to the ground by Albanians of the same village and has notbeen repaired or restored because of the lack of money.

2) Destroyed the Church of St. Mark in Kaba, district of Prizren. Thechurch was built in 1467 and served all monastic needs. The church was re-stored with the funds of Sima Igumanov Foundation, Orthodox Serbs in Amer-ica and the Diocesan Board of Management. The restoration costs amounted to800,000 dinars.

I have the honor of submitting the aforesaid report and request furtherinstructions.

edomir . Simi, archpriest Parish priest of the Prizren Parish District II

75

017.

. 2415I1961

. 57/61 , . . . , .

. ,

76

017. Church destroyed in Muutite

SERBIAN ORTHODOX PARISH OF MUUTITE No. 24September 15, 1961MUUTITE

To the Episcopal RegentPrizren

In regard to yours No. 57/61, please be informed that on the territory ofthis parish no churches were destroyed during World War II, with the excep-tion of the Chapel St. Kyriokia in Trnje. There is no need to restore the saidchapel as most of the faithful have left and moved to other regions.

Cv. Kampereli, priestParish priest of Muutite

77

019.

. 83/210. . 1961

. 727 779 / 61, , , , .

()

80

019. Report on churches in the Episcopal Regency of Gnjilane

ORTHODOX EPISCOPAL REGENCYOF GNJILANENo. 83/2October 10, 1961GNJILANE

TO THE DIOCESAN BOARD OF MANAGEMENTPrizren

In regard to yours No. 727 and 779/61, I have the honor to report that onthe territory of this Regency there were no instances of damage or destructionof churches in World War II.

Archpriest [signature illegible] Episcopal Regent

81

020.

. 5723. 1961

. 779/61 . , , .

.

82

020. Church destroyed in the parish of Orahovac

ORTHODOX EPISCOPAL REGENCYOF PRIZREN No. 57October 23, 1961PRIZREN

TO THE DIOCESAN BOARD OF MANAGEMENTPRIZREN

In regard to yours No. 779/61, I have the honor of informing you thaton the territory of the parish of Orahovac and Velika Hoa there were no in-stances of destruction in World War II with the exception of the church inGradite close to the vanjski bridge on the Prizren Djakovica road.

Milan Dj. Trifunovi, archpriestpiscopal Regent

83

021.

. .233291961. .

. 179/61., . 1019 2I1961 , , II .

205/61 20I1961.

84

021. Churches destroyed in the parish of Devi

THE ORTHODOX EPISCOPAL REGENCYOF KOSOVSKA MITROVICANo. 233October 29, 1961Kosovska Mitrovica

T the Diocesan Board of ManagementPrizren

As a supplement to report No. 179/61 and pursuant to your request inNo. 1019 of November 2, 1961, in reference to said report, please be informedthat churches in Rudnik and Banje in the Parish of Devi were damaged inWorld War II and have not been repaired to date because of the lack of funds.

A more detailed report No. 205/61 was sent to you on November 20,1961.

Milan Popovi, archpriestEpiscopal Regent

85

022.

. 9211. I 1962

. 1219 26 1961, . 727 779 /61 :

:

1/ 1912 .

2/ .

. .

3/ , , . .

86

022. Destruction of churches in the Episcopal Regency of Pe

ORTHODOX EPISCOPAL REGENCY OF PENo. 92January 11, 1962PE

TO THE DIOCESAN BOARD OF MANAGEMENT

PRIZREN

Regarding yours No. 1219 of December 29, 1961, as well as previous announcements nos. 727 and 779/61, please be informed that:

Churches were destroyed in this Regency during World War II as fol-lows:

1) The newly built church in Rati a memorial church dedicated to those who were killed in the Balkan War of 1912 fighting for the liberationfrom the Turks;

2) The newly built parish church in Rastavica was entirely demolished. Both of the above-mentioned churches are located in the district of

Djakovica. Nothing has been done so far about restoring them, nor will any-thing be contemplated in this regard because of the lack of funds.

3) In Ljubovo, near Peka Banja, in the Parish of Istok, an uncompletedchurch was damaged, and nothing has been done about its restoration andcompletion. There are no prospects or possibilities of contemplating therestoration of the above-mentioned churches.

Bjelanovi, archpriestEpiscopal Regent

87

88

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

;

;

;

;

, ?

;

?

.

.

1938/39

. .

1942 .60% . . 3 () . . .

. . 1959.. , . , . . .

-, 17

8.00.000.-

75.000.-

- . 17.

023.

( )

023. Churches destroyed in the Episcopal Regency of PritinaL I S T

of places of worship (churches, monasteries, chapels) in the Diocese ofRas-Prizren damaged during WWII to be repaired

89

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Place and district where shrine located

Year when it was built

For what purpose used before WWII

When and who by and to what extent wasit damaged

Has it been repaired, partially/completelywith what funds and with whose assistance

If partially repaired, why not completely

If not repaired at all, why not

Rough estimate of full restoration cost

To what extent, if at all, can Church Com-munity cover the cost

Are there reasons why shrine should notbe restored

Pomazatin, district Pritina

1938/39

Unconsecrated church of Proph. Elijah

The church was damaged in 1942 by localAlbanians. 60% of roof construction destroyed; tiles broken; all windowpanesbroken; iron frames removed from 3 windows, the Holy Table and Iconostasiswith all icons destroyed and materials therefrom taken away; inside walls greatlydamaged.

Acting parish priest had the church repaired in 1959. Roof construction was repaired and roof retiled and is in goodcondition now. Restoration paid for by theGole Church Community in Batuse, actingparish priest and the faithful of Pomazatinprovided labor

The Church Community had no fundsand all 17 families which constitute the congregation of Pomazatin are poor

800,000 dinars

The Church Community in Batuse has75,000 d.

There are reasons why the church shouldnot be restored as the villagers are leavingof Pomazatin, moving to Pritina andother areas of Serbia. For the time beingthere are still 17 households in Pomazatin.Some people have sold their lands, and ina very short time there will be no Serbsleft to protect the church.

90

1

2

3

4

5

46

7

8

9

10

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

;

;

;

;

, ?

; ?

.

.

;

;

;

, ?

;

?

.

.

1935

.

5.00.000.-

.

1930.

1944 .

1945 . 1962 .

91

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Place and commune where shrine located


What purpose used before WWII






To what extent, if at all, can Church Community cover the cost






Has it been repaired, partially/completely with what funds and withwhose assistance






Kaanik, commune Kaanik

1935

Place of worship - Church of HolyProphet Elijah

During and after WWII

Partially repaired with financial and otherassistance of the Uroevac Church

For the lack of money

For the lack of financial resources

500,000 dinars

The Church Community to which thechurch belongs has no money.

There are reasons why the church couldnot be restored: There are no Ortbodoxleft and there is no one to protect thechurch

Podujevo, Commune

1930

Parish church

In 1944 by Bulgarian and German artilleryfire

The church was repaired in 1945 with thehelp of the peoples authorities and the re-sources of the Church. In April repairswere made with resources of the ChurchCommunity of Podujevo

92

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

;

;

;

;

, ?

;

?

.

.

1930.

. III

1942. , .

1960. , . .

. 21323 1962 .

93

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10




When and who by and to what extent was it damaged







Donja Brnjica, commune Pritina

1930

Place of worship Church of Holy Trinity.It was the parish church of Pritina parishdistrict III

In 1942 the roof collapsed because it hadnot been built properly

In 1960 the church was completely restoredwith its own money and with financial assistance of the Pritina Church Commu-nity as well as the work and commitmentof Jordan Milanovi, church warden andbuilder from Donja Brnjica

ORTHODOX EPISCOPAL REGENCY Trajko Trifunovi, archpriest OF PRITINA Episcopal RegentNo. 213May 23, 1962Prititina

94

( )

()

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

.

.

.

, .

1937/38

.

1941

0,40

: , , , , .

95

L I S T

of places of worship (churches, monasteries, chapels) in the Diocese of Ras-Prizren damaged during WWII to be repaired

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Place and communewhere shrine located




What is the present condition of the ruins

Have any steps been taken for the restoration of the church

Do alternative accommodations for holding services exist and are they adequate

Are there realistic prospects for therestoration of the church, if so give roughestimate of restoration costs and statewhat resources the owner of the churchhas for this purpose

Village of Novo ikatovo, Commune Glogovac

1937/8

Church of Holy Trinity. It was the parishchurch of the parish of Drenica

In 1941 the church was destroyed and allfurniture and fittings of the church andparish office were taken away by Albanians from neighboring villages

The foundation remains up to the heightof 40cm

No

No

There are no prospects because the faith-ful of Novo ikatovo, Trajkovo, Glogovac,Donji Zabel, Poklek and Komorane con-tinue to leave steadily and there will beno Orthodox left to protect the church

96

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

.

.

.

, .

1934

. .

1946 .

.

:

. 21323 1962 .

97

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

Place and communewhere shrine located




What is the present condition of the ruins

Have any steps been taken for the restoration of the church

Do alternative accommodations for holding services exist and are they adequate

Are there realistic prospects for therestoration of the church, if so give roughestimate of restoration costs and statewhat resources the owner of the churchhas for this purpose

Village Doganjevo, commune Uroevac

1934

Unconsecrated Church of St. Nicholas

In 1946 the church was destroyed by theresidents of Doganjevo

Not even the foundations remain

No

None

None

Certified by:

ORTHODOX EPISCOPAL REGENCY Trajko Trifunovi, archpriest OF PRITINA Episcopal RegentNo. 213May 23, 1962Prititina

98

024.

. 17 1972

. 24 28 1972 . 667 191971, (4) . , (5) ( - ) . , , .

, , . , .

: 9 .

I .

.

99

024. Churches destroyed in the parish of Gole

SERBIAN ORTHODOX PARISH OF GOLENo. 1 September 7, 1972Batuse

To the Episcopal RegentPritina

In regard to yours No. 24 of January 28, 1972 and pursuant to the orderof the Diocesan Board of Management in Prizren No. 667 of October 19, 1971,it is the honor of this parish priest to present you with 4 (four) copies of thephotograph of the foundation and surrounding grounds of the Church of theHoly Trinity in Novo ikatovo of the former parish of Gole, which church wasdemolished during the last war, as well as 5 (five) copies of the damaged Churchof the Holy Prophet Elijah (with particular emphasis on the interior of thechurch) in Pomazatin, also of the former parish of Gole. I respectfully requestfurther instructions.

Prior to demolition, or damage, these churches were in perfect condi-tion, except that the Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah was not yet consecratedby the ruling bishop.

Enc.: Nine photographs

Gligorije D. TrajkoviParish priest of the Pritina parish district I

Protoregent

100

.

Exterior of the damagedChurch of St. Elijah in Pomazatin

. :

Interior of the Church of St. Elijah in Pomazatin showing damage to

frescoes and iconostatis

.

Surrounding grounds of the demolished churchof Holy Trinity in Novo ikatovo

101

004

102

007

103

018

104

024

19411945.

PART THREE

Albanian atrocities and eradication of Serbs and of all things Serbian in the

1941 1945 period

106

025. -

. . 780/. 140 1947.

, 1941 , , :

1) , , .2)

, .3)

.4) , -

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6) , .

107

025. Instruction of the Holy Synod for gathering information on the suf-fering of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian people duringWorld War II

Ad. Sin. No. 780/Zap 140 for 1947

INSTRUCTION

With a view to gathering information on persecution and suffering ofthe Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian people starting with the begin-ning of the occupation in April 1941, you are asked to give as brief, concise andclear answers as possible to the following questions:

1) When did the occupation begin in your town, parish, district etc.?2) The general attitude of the population to the coming of the authorities

and troops of the invader?3) What was the attitude taken by the invader towards the Serbian

Church and the Serbian people? 4) When did the martyrdom of the Serbian Church and the Serbian peo-

ple begin and what was the immediate cause of its beginning? Are forms ofmartyrdoms and identities of victims known? Give precise names of towns/vil-lages, counties and districts and descriptions of events about which you write.Specify, if possible, the time of their occurrence. If you personally experiencedany unpleasantness, or spent some time in any place of imprisonment, intern-ment or prisoner of war camp, describe the same in all necessary detail.

5) How many Serbs were killed in your town when, how and at whosehands? Who gave the orders for executions? Do you know the instigators andactual perpetrators of these executions?

6) How many Serbs were forcibly taken from their homes, sent to con-centration camps within the country or outside of it and when?

108

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7) , .

8) , , , , .

9) : , , , - , , .

10) , , , , . .

11) , , , , , .

12) , , , , .

109

7) How many Serbs from your town or district perished at home, in con-centration or prison of war camps?

8) Were there instances in your district or parish where whole villages,settlements or individual houses were torched or destroyed, if so when, in whatmanner, for what reason and who were instigators and perpetrators?

9) What instances of persecution and harassment were the SerbianChurch, her priests, monks, monasteries, churches, parish halls and cemeteries,as well as various economic, cultural, and social institutions and associations,subjected to?

10) Did you witness any pillaging or seizure of private property, if sowhen, in what manner, for what reason, on whose part. Were their instances ofblackmail or other types of extortion?

11) In addition to the Serbs, did other nationalities live in you town,parish or district, if so what was their attitude to the Serbian Church and theSerbian people? Particularly, what was the attitude of their leaders and intelli-gentsia; please give names.

12) Please send us any materials such as photographs, posters, announce-ments, various flyers and the like from the time of occupation, should you haveany.

110

026. -

-. 50515 1947 .

. 780/. 140 19/6 1947. :

. :

- . , . - , . , , . . . . - .

111

026. Decision of the Holy Synod on the gathering of information on thesuffering of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian peopleduring World War II

THE ECCLESIATICAL COURTOF THE DIOCESE OF RAS-PRIZRENC No. 505May 15, 1947Prizren

TO ALL EPISCOPAL REGENTS IN THE DIOCESE

In its No. 780/Zap. 140 of March 19/6, 1947 the Holy Synod of Bishopsannounced the following:

Having considered the reports submitted by the Commission on gatheringinformation about the suffering of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the clergy andthe Serbian people, in its session held on the date indicated under reference num-ber indicated above, the Holy Synod of Bishops decided as follows:

To take cognizance of the reports submitted by the members of the Com-mission on gathering information about the suffering of the Serbian OrthodoxChurch and the persecution of the Serbian people. With a view to enabling theCommission to continue its work in the most effective manner, to instruct theOffice of the Holy Synod of Bishops to examine its financial possibilities to pro-vide the Commission with resources necessary for the continuance of its effec-tive work, both as regards the services of current members of the Commissionand recruiting other necessary staff. The Commission is to remain under the su-pervision of His Grace Nektarije, Bishop of Zvornik-Tuzla and member of theHoly Synod; it is to retain its current name, under which it has operated so far,and for the time being limit its activities to the processing of materials gathered

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