The Raška-Prizren Diocese Condemns the Burning of Crosses at the Ulpiana Fest

The Raška-Prizren Diocese has expressed deep concern over the disturbing news that this year’s Ulpiana Festival, held in the archaeological park of the ancient Roman city of Ulpiana near Gračanica, began with a neopagan performance in which three large crosses were set on fire.

This unprecedented and dishonorable act represents a grave insult to all Christians, particularly to our community in the predominantly Serbian municipality of Gračanica, where this archaeological site is located. The burning of crosses evokes memories of the horrific times of pagan persecutions of Christians, as well as the systematic destruction of Serbian Orthodox sanctuaries in Kosovo and Metohija in recent times. During the wave of vandal attacks by Kosovo Albanian extremists, dozens of churches were destroyed and burned, with crosses being set on fire and demolished. Crosses were also desecrated and broken at many Christian cemeteries. The burning of crosses near Gračanica Monastery is not only an affront to the Christian faith but also a direct threat.

This tasteless and deeply vandalistic act has no connection to the heritage of Justinian’s Ulpiana—Justinian Secunda—where remnants of an early Christian basilica and baptistery can still be seen, erected on the very site where Saints Florus and Laurus, the first Christian martyrs of this region, suffered and were crucified.

In the predominantly Muslim-inhabited territory of Kosovo and Metohija, such public desecration of the most sacred Christian symbol under the guise of perverse art shows astonishing irresponsibility on the part of those who organized this event and raises serious doubts about their ability to care for the ancient Christian heritage.

The legacy of ancient Ulpiana continues to be upheld by the nearby Gračanica Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which for 700 years has stood close to ancient Ulpiana site as a testament to the Christian faith.

Gračanica, September 1, 2024