Century since the death of King Petar I Karadjordjevic: Patriarch serves liturgy

Photo: Wikipedia/unknown author

The marking of the 100th anniversary of the death of King Petar I Karadjordjevic began today in Oplenac with a liturgy, and then with a memorial service in the Church of St. George. The liturgy and the memorial service were served by the patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Porfirije, along with Bishop Jovan of Sumadija, Arsenije of Nis and retired Bishop Georgije.

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After that, a wreath-laying ceremony followed, with state representatives led by Minister of Labor, Employment, Veteran Affairs and Social Affairs Darija Kisic Tepavcevic, as an envoy of the president of the Republic.

Besides her, wreaths will be laid by delegations from the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Army, the Karadjordjevic family, representatives of Serbs from the region, representatives of the municipality of Topola and the King Petar Endowment.

According to announcements, Minister Kisic Tepavcevic and member of the Crown Council Dragomir Acovic will then open an exhibition dedicated to King Petar I Karadjordjevic in front of his house in Oplenac.

King Petar I Karadjordjevic was born in 1844, and because of his merits in the Balkan Wars and World War I, he is remembered by the Serb people as King Petar the Liberator.

He was Karadjordje's grandson and the third son of Persida and Prince Aleksandar Karadjordjevic, who was forced to abdicate.

After the May coup and the assassination of King Aleksandar Obrenovic in 1903, he became King of Serbia, and was crowned a year later in Belgrade.

Three towns are named after him - Mrkonjic Grad in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1924, in Petrovac na Moru in Montenegro since 1919, and Petrovaradin in Vojvodina from 1935 to 1946.

Among numerous recognitions, King Petar received the highest Russian decoration, the Great Ribbon of St. Andrew with Swords, an order that was before him given only to Tsar Aleksandr I, who defeated Napoleon.

He died on August 16, 1921 in Belgrade.

He was buried in his endowment in Oplenac.

(Telegraf.rs)