An Orthodox Church in the Evening… exterior and interior

Here are two photos from Sasha of one of our churches in the evening, as many of the Lenten services are held at night during the week. The above is an exterior shot.

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This is an interior shot, showing one of the fresco icons.

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Grisha and Sasha… two of a kind, one in heart, one in soul!

The Cossack on the right is my cyber-friend Sasha Ressetar, gentleman, balalaika maestro, and general good fellow, whom you can thank for the lovely Lenten photos. This has been such an addition to my site; it is an illustration of the Russian word sobornost in action. It is often translated “conciliarity”, but it means so much MORE than that. It is what happens when people join efforts together; labouring as one, instead of working at cross-purposes, and the total is so much more than the sum of the parts.

With such men in our church, I have no misgivings about the future. We shall do well enough, thank you very much, and we shall pass on our proud traditions to yet another generation.

Do remember Sasha’s mom Matushka Theodora in your prayers, she is in pain from an illness.

KEEP IT UP, YOU TWO!

Beautiful Zlatibor: A Blessing from Orthodox Serbia. Part 1. music by Enrique Granados

This is the beautiful land that our Serbian brothers are defending from Albanian misrule. A look at the wonders of the their countryside is enough to convince one of the intensity of the Serbian love for such a motherland. To those with eyes to see, the beauty of the Serbian soul is as evident as is the beauty of the Serbian landscape. The music is by Enrique Granados, played by the incomparable father-and-son team of Celedonio and Angel Romero. May God preserve Serbia through its time of trial. To my Serbian co-religionists, I pray for you daily. We won’t forget you.

BMD

Beautiful Zlatibor: A Blessing from Orthodox Serbia. Part 2. music by Pyotr Ilyich Chaikovsky

This is Part 2 of a video triptych of the beautiful region around Zlatibor in Serbia. Serbia is one of the loveliest regions in the Balkans, certainly more so than Albania, a sad and decrepit place. The music is the scherzo from Chaikovsky’s Symphony nr 4 in F minor, op 36 played by the Vienna Philharmonic under the direction of Claudio Abbado.

Keep the Orthodox Christians of Serbia in your prayers. May God preserve them!

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