Montenegrin nationalists opposed the revival of the Orthodox shrine
The so-called “patriots of Montenegro” held an action against the intention of Metropolitan Amfilohije of the Montenegrin and Littoral SOC to restore the chapel of Metropolitan Peter II Njegos, demolished by the communists, in Lovcen.
In doing so, the nationalists demonstrated not only the anti-Serbian, but also the anti-Orthodox nature of their movement, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“We want to restore the church in Lovcen,” said Bishop Amfilohije. “We will return to this, I hope, next year...”
However, the intentions of the Metropolitan of the Serbian Orthodox Church provoked a sharply negative reaction from the so-called “Montenegrin patriots,” which include nationalists who support the regime of Montenegrin dictator Milo Djukanovic, his Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) and the schismatic Montenegrin Orthodox Church.
The day before, in Cetinje, the residence of the Montenegrin Metropolitan, they lit false fires and set up a banner “As long as the earth moves around the sun, Cetinje will not allow this!” Judging by messages on social networks, the nationalists planned to organize a gathering in the city on this occasion, but abandoned this idea due to the epidemiological situation.
Interestingly, Peter II Petrovich-Njegos is one of the representatives of the famous dynasty of theocratic rulers of Montenegro, which combined spiritual and state titles. He was also known as a poet and a great ally of Russia, in every possible way strengthening the ties between the Montenegrin and Russian states. He never separated himself and his people from the Serbian nation; on the contrary, he emphasized in every possible way the Montenegrins’ belonging to the Serbs, in particular in his poems.
Njegos Chapel
In his will, Peter II Njegos asked to be buried on Mount Lovcen in the chapel he established. After his death in 1851, they were afraid to carry out the deceased’s will for fear of attack from the Turks, but in 1855, when the danger had passed, they carried it out.
In 1942, the chapel was damaged by Italian occupiers. In 1951, the communist authorities of Yugoslavia decided to demolish the chapel, building in its place a mausoleum designed by the Croatian architect Ivan Mestrovic in a style combining motifs of ancient paganism and monumental socialist realism.
Mausoleum of Negosh
Montenegrin nationalists opposed the revival of an Orthodox shrine.