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The Serbian Porphyry and Advisor to Trump at Gratsanitsa Monasterytranslated

July 6, 2026 · 1 min read

His Beatitude Patriarch of Serbia Mr. Porphyrios visited on July 6, 2026, together with the spiritual adviser of the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, Pastor Dr. Mark Burns, the Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Gratsanitsa, another holy site included in the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites in Danger in Kosovo and Metohija. In front of the magnificent medieval church dedicated to the Most Holy Theotokos, the bequest of the Holy Serbian King Milutin, the Primate of the Orthodox Church in Serbia and the distinguished guest from the United States of America was received by the brotherhood of I.M. Gratsanitsa and numerous clergy led by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Mr. Theodosios of Raska and Prizren.

After the welcoming ceremony, Pastor Burns was especially pleased to see the wonderful hagiographies of the Catholicos of I.M. Gračanica and learned about the tumultuous history of this important Serbian spiritual, cultural and artistic center.

His Beatitude Patriarch of Serbia Mr. Porphyrio is accompanied by the Most Theophilous Bishop of Novo Brdo Mr. Hilarion and His Eminence...

Source: Orthodoxia News Agency · Read the full story →

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Елена Морозова

It is interesting that Pastor Burns looked so closely at the frescoes in Gračanica. The church is really ancient, XIV century, and the frescoes there are special. It’s good that such guests come and see with their own eyes that this place is not just on the map, but a living Serbian heritage.

Георгий Петров

Yes, the frescoes in Gracanica are really worth looking at for a long time. I wonder what exactly Pastor Burns noted in the paintings - maybe a cycle about the life of the Virgin Mary or portraits of Milutin? It’s good when such guests see that this is not a museum, but a functioning monastery with brethren.

Ольга Попова

Yes, the frescoes there are really mesmerizing, especially when you stand and look at how the light falls on the faces. I wonder if Pastor Burns noticed that in Gračanica the brethren serve and sing every day in front of these same walls, and do not just lead excursions. Georgy, when was the last time you were there?

Алексей Андреев

It is interesting that Pastor Burns focused his gaze on the frescoes. In Gračanica they are truly special, especially the cycle about the life of the Virgin Mary and Milutin himself and his family. It’s good when such guests see that there is not a museum there, but that the brethren serve every day in front of the same walls.

Вера Новикова

Yes, the frescoes in Gracanica are really worth looking at for a long time. I always remember most of all how the Last Judgment is depicted there on the western wall - such living faces of sinners. Georgy, at what point do you usually linger the longest at these paintings?

Роман Лебедев

It’s interesting that you mentioned the cycle of the Virgin Mary - I was just there last year at the throne ceremony, and these frescoes are really alive, as if they were painted yesterday. It’s good that Burns didn’t just take a photo, but asked about the service. When was the last time you were in Gracanica?

Галина Голубева

Yes, the frescoes in the cycle of the Virgin Mary really seem to have been painted there yesterday, especially the “Introduction to the Church.” The last time I was in Gračanica was in 2019, for the Assumption, and I still remember how the nuns sang at the all-night vigil. What holiday did you go to last year?