Hilandar Hegumen Receives Serbian State Award

THESSALONIKI — The abbot of one of the most prominent Serbian Orthodox monasteries was formally presented with a high Serbian state decoration during a ceremony in Thessaloniki on June 17, recognizing the monastery’s longstanding spiritual and cultural contributions.

Serbian Ambassador Nikola Nedeljkovic presented the Medal of the Order of Sretensky, 1st Class, to Archimandrite Methodius, Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Hilandar. The award recognized the Holy Imperial Serbian Lavra of Hilandar for its contribution to the spiritual life of the Serbian people and for its efforts in the restoration and renovation of the historic monastery.

Although the decoration was originally scheduled to be presented in 2025, Archimandrite Methodius was unable to attend the earlier ceremony. As a result, the presentation took place during the “Serbia Calls 2026” event at the facilities of the Holy Monastery of Hilandar’s charitable organization, Theophilos, in Thessaloniki.

Several Serbian officials attended the ceremony, including Djordje Milicevic, Serbia’s minister responsible for relations with the diaspora, Consul General Jelena Vujic-Obradnovic, and Jelena Jovanovic, head of the Delegation of Republika Srpska to Greece. The event also highlighted summer camps in Serbia for children of the diaspora, along with ongoing educational, cultural, and charitable initiatives.

Previously, the UOJ reported that a museum honoring St. Nikolai Velimirović was under construction in Serbia.