33-meter tall cross placed on Mt. Stolovi near Kraljevo: It will be visible from half of Serbia

"Wherever the cross is thought and spoken of, it is a great deed, for the cross is a symbol that connects God and humans"

An Orthodox cross 33 meters tall and weighing 16.5 tons has been installed on the Stolovi Mountain near Kraljevo, on the Usovica peak, at an altitude of 1,375 meters. It is a steel construction financed from donations, while the blessing was given by the Diocese of Zica. The fact that it will be visible from half of Serbia shows what an imposing structure it is.

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Almost 13 years since the launch of the PSD Gvozdac initiative, a cross 33 meters tall (symbolizing the number of years spent on Earth by Christ) and weighing 16.5 tons, has been placed on Stolovi; its lighting and consecration are next, writes the Krug portal.

"On May 30, workers from Kraljevo's Amiga company erected the construction of a monumental cross at 1,375 meters above sea level on the Stolovi Mountain, above the Zica monastery. The construction of the cross, which, as announced when the initiative was launched more than 12 years ago, will be visible to half of Serbia, has not been completed yet, because lighting and some minor works are still pending. The official 'opening' and consecration of the cross will be a feast day," says Milutin Vukosavljevic Vukas from the committee for the raising the cross on Stolovi, who recalls that the initiative came from the Mountaineering and Sports Association Gvozdac.

He was still on Stolovi today, where, as he told the Krug portal, they set out to take more pictures of what it all looks like and to make preparations for the completion of the entire undertaking:

"We are finishing this work with God's help, financed from donations, salaries, pensions, with the help of engineers, several companies. The state did not set aside a penny for this," says Vukosavljevic.

The foundations alone consist of 5.5 tons of iron and 1,900 bags of cement, which have been consecrated by the Bishop of Zice, Justin, on June 2, 2018. The cross itself is a four-belt hot-dip galvanized steel lattice construction, basically four by four meters. The construction, 33 meters talls, symbolizes the earthly number of Christ's years, weighs 16.5 tons, while the span of the "wings" is 21 meters.

The cross on Stolovi will be seen from many parts of Serbia, from Jastrebac, Rudnik, Kopaonik, and even from Prokletije and Sar mountains, and it will also be illuminated. The electricity that will illuminate the cross will be obtained from solar cells that will be placed on top.

The idea dating back to 2007 to build a cross on Stolovi was slowed down by the earthquake in Kraljevo in 2010 and the floods in 2014. However, with the work of PSD Gvozdac and members of a committee set up to build the cross, the works slowly progressed thanks to the understanding of the City Administration and the help of public utility companies, private companies and citizens of Kraljevo, the surrounding area, and some from the diaspora.

The foundation and pedestal for the cross - located at an elevation of 1,375 meters above sea level, from where a large portion of the territory of Serbia is visible - was built in 2017.

In his speech at the consecration of the foundations, Bishop Justin said that "wherever the cross is thought and spoken about, it is a great deed, because the cross is a symbol that connects God and humans."

(Telegraf.rs)