Page 997 - Kosovo Metohija Heritage

collateral damage. at the same time, this flash can give truth to life as a blessing of freedom, and unity to everyone on planet earth, and even in Kosovo, which is the Serbian terra sacra.
inasmuch as we identify St. Vitus’ day with St. Paul’s “strength in weakness,” so it is possible to live our personal Vidovdan in a way that offers hope. Nicholas Cabasilas, the saint of Thessaloniki (and also an excellent diplomat of his time), said that “we win when others win,” which is an ex- pression of a new mode of existence, a self-emptying ap- proach to being that sees its identity in others — so that it rejoices in the victories of others. We do not want to win by making the other suffer, but we want to live with the joy that lifts everyone from hopelessness: “When i am weak, then am i strong. and when i am failing, then i can firmly standonmyfeet.”SerbianhistorianVladimirĆоrоvićwrote: “He who sings of his defeat is not convinced that the defeat is final. He dwells on his defeat believing he can atone for it and, no matter how painful, to him it is, by virtue of the honorable, great effort invested therein, at once both con- solation and motivation.”
This ethic is a paradox: an unforgettable memory, a new creation at rest, a joyful sorrow, moving while standing still, a humble elation ... not complete answers, but per- spectives. in other words, Vidovdan offers us the spiritual, cultural, and ecclesial conditions for breaking the impasse.
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The editors and publisher of this book wish to express gratitude to all the participants in this work and to those who, in many special ways, helped. We have benefited from the assistance of many people and the support of many institutions. The editor-in-chief is extraordinarily grateful for the discussions he has had with and the help he has received from many people, especially Bishop atanasije, nun irina Petrović, Prof. Dejan Ristić, and Živojin Rakoče- vić, who were particularly generous with their time and assistance.
We would like to acknowledge our benefactors: Ljubo- mir Krstajic and Ron Radakovic, and gold, silver and plati- num sponsors.
The editors have benefited immensely from the com- ments by andrew Middleton, jeff Gifford, Bogoljub Šija- ković, julija Vidović, aleksandra Stojanović, abbot Dama- scene and the St. Herman Brotherhood in Platina, Ca, and Fr. Gregory edwards; each has generously contributed re- actions and suggestions.
We are grateful for receiving permission from Bishop Teodosije of the Diocese of Raška and Prizren to republish photographs from the diocesan press department.
epilogue
Though it is not possible to list all of those who have in some way influenced this project, special mention goes to the collaborators from The institute of Balkan Studies, the Serbian academy of Sciences and arts, Gojko Subotić, aleksandar V. Stefanović and Monacelli Press, Slobodan Ćurčić, Predrag Puzović, Nenad Vukićević, Fr. Stamatis Skliris, Fr. Savo jović, Gordana Kelić, Radoš Mladenović, Zoran and Nada aleksić, Nenad Djordjević, Ljubica Milj- ković, Bojan Popović, Mirjana Menković, Miloš janjićijević, Vladimir aćimović, Vladan Radovanović, jovan Katanić, ana Denker, Fr. Milovan Katanić, Fr. Bratislav Kršić, Mano- lis Velitzanidis, Djordje Čeperković, Mikica Djošović, Petar Šerović, and last but certainly not least, Ljubiša Čeperković and his wonderful assistants in interklima-Vrnjci who have been a constant source of support and inspiration.
The outstanding illustrations in this book have been chosen to mirror the full grandeur of this glorious age in every medium of art and in every corner of Old Serbia. The high points are undeniably the glittering painting in the Patriarchate of Peć and the soaring architecture of Grača- nica and Dečani. Yet, the true artistic wealth of Old Serbia becomes ever more apparent when one considers the abun- dance and variety of the lesser-known treasures included among the reproductions. Therefore, for the photographic embellishment of this monograph, we thank: jovan Stojko- vić, Branimir Strugar, Nikola Dudić, Dragomir Todorović, Ljubiša Folić, Slobodan Ćurčić, and many others...
We would like to extent our heartfelt thanks to all our readers for their insightful comments; needless to say, the faultsthatremaininthefinaltextaretheeditors’.
Many questions were not possible to be addressed in The Christian Heritage of Kosovo and Metohija. Foremost, the volume of the book demonstrates the limitation of space for all that would and should be included in it. However, given the fact that it is being published in the second decade of the third millennium, the assumption is that the need for books about Kosovo, and our need of Kosovo, have yet to be fulfilled. Reporting on endangered Serbs and Serbian Christian heritage in Kosovo and Metohija, we were com- pelled by our conscience to raise up our voice in defense of the spiritual and physical existence of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija.
The Christian cultural heritage of Kosovo and Metohija
deserves attention and a longer lasting record. if we have made by this work even a modest contribution to this end, we shall be content.
The list of names on the page of gratitude to the spon- sors contain only the institutions and those individuals who responded to the editing Committee’s plea to submit donations in order to prepare the manuscripts for publica- tion. They, as a result, are in fact co-publishers as well.
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