Witness of the Serbian cultural wealth

"If KFOR had wanted to protect the monastery, the terrorists would not have robbed us, they would not have destroyed the frescoes and icons, they would not have beaten us, they would not have raped…", says Mother Anastazija, the prioress of the monastery to a group of journalists and adds, "but, they did not think of the violence against the Serbs, of our sacred places, the reminders of the cultural wealth and centuries old existence of Serbs on this territory".

The monastery property is less than a kilometer away from the Visoki Decani monastery. "The terrorists have robbed even the monastery agricultural economy, took three tractors, two passenger vehicles, cattle…", says the prioress.

Eight nuns and one priest live in the Devic monastery at the moment. The monastery is 6 km away from the Kosovo municipality of Srbica which was and still is a center of ethnic Albanian terrorists.

Apart from Serbs, the monastery was once visited by ethnic Albanians, Turks and Muslims from the neighbouring villages, says Mother Anastazija.

Terrorist attacks on the Serb villages near the monastery have started in November 1997, and for this reason the monastery had been in isolation for almost three years, while the nuns and the priests live fear of the terrorist actions. They have only the necessary foodstuffs, says Mother Anastazija, stressing that it is easier to be without food than to endure this isolation.

"Closed in the circle with the diameter of some 300 meters, surrounded by barbed wire, armored personnel carriers and KFOR troops, we feel safer, but not safe enough", says the prioress, adding that "safe is the man who can move where he wants without the fear of being in a danger".

The believers do not go to the monastery today, since the closest Serb-populated villages are Banje and Suvo Grlo, and they live in isolation themselves. The residents of the village Banje visited the monastery only once in last nine months and they were escorted by KFOR troops.

The reconstruction of the monastery was started three years ago, but was stopped because of the terrorist actions, says Mother Anastazija and adds:

"Our lodgings are ruined because our roofs leak, river is destroying the property which is less than a kilometer away from the monastery and we cannot protect it. Water swept the bridge on Lausha River which runs through the property, tells the prioress Anastazija to a Tanjug agency reporter.

Though negative events took place in Serbia over the last couple of years, Mother Anastazija hopes for better future days and says: "We remain here hoping that someone thinks of Kosovo sacred places and the roots of Serbian nationality".

"Recently I have heard that the process of the return of the expelled Serbs was announced and I look forward to that. I send word to the Serbs in refugee that I would return to Kosovo and Metohija if I were in their shoes, but I cannot make them come back. I know they were often mistreated, but Serbs should return, not only those who left last year, but also the ones who went away earlier", says Mother Anastazija.

The prioress says that all the Serbs, wherever they live, should think of Kosovo and make a maximum effort to make the Serbs return to their roots, to their century-old homes, to the sacred Serbian land - Kosovo and Metohija.

Prioress Anastazija praised the Russian KFOR troops protecting the monastery, saying that the Russian army is similar to the Yugoslav one. The prioress added that some 30 Russians were baptized in this sacred Serbian place over the last four months since the Russian KFOR troops protect the monastery.