'Christian Heritage of KiM' presented at Library of Congress

BELGRADE - An English-language monograph titled "The Christian Heritage of Kosovo and Metohija: The Historical and Spiritual Heartland of the Serbian People" has been presented at the U.S. Library of Congress, the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) has stated in a release.

The book promotion was held at the U.S. Library of Congress in Washington, during which head of the European Division Grant Harris said that the library is honored to have such a rare artistic and historical monograph.

The book was published by the Sebastian Press, the publishing house of the SPC Western American Diocese, the Institute for Balkan Studies of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) and the Faculty of Orthodox Theology at the University of Belgrade, the SPC stated.

Speaking about the book, Bishop Atanasije Jevtic of Herzegovina underlined that the spiritual, historical and artistic heritage of Kosovo-Metohija (KiM), 1,400 churches and monasteries, and especially dozens of them dating back to 12th-14th century are among the greatest achievements of Christian civilization.

Unfortunately, instead of being recognized as the world's cultural heritage, the Orthodox and Serb monuments, except few of them, have been subjected to demolition, and even devastation, reads the release issued on Thursday evening.

This gives the SPC a reason for concern in relation to the fate of the Serb people in Kosovo-Metohija and its heritage, out of which 150 churches and monasteries were torn down in the period from 1999 to 2003, and 35 more in the 2004 pogrom.

At the book promotion held on February 10, Bishop Atanasije called for protection of basic human rights and religious freedoms, the SPC said in a release, stressing that it is inapprehensible...