PART OF ZAVALA MONASTERY'S PROPERTY REGISTERED AS PROPERTY OF RAVNO MUNICIPALITY

TREBINJE, JANUARY 30 /SRNA/ - A part of the property of the Zavala Monastery near Trebinje was illegally registered as the property of the municipality of Ravno without notification, the monastery’s abbot Vasilije told SRNA, announcing that they will legally and in court fight for their property, for which they have evidence that it belongs to the monastery.

"There is also a problem at the Zavala Monastery because some monastic property was registered as the property of the Municipal Council of Ravno. The Zavala village cemetery and the foundations of a nearby church were transferred," Father Vasilije stated.

He explained that this monastic property, after nationalization, was registered as the property of the Popovo Polje Work Organization, and afterward was illegally registered as the property of the Municipal Council of Ravno.

"Those from the Federation of BiH registered it as the property of the municipality of Ravno without any consultation with us and without any notification. They did this almost 20 years ago and have constantly been trying to separate individual monastic parcels bit by bit," Abbot Vasilije emphasized, announcing that he will take the case to court.

Abbot Vasilije also points out that, in addition, they have other monastic parcels located about 200 meters from the Zavala Monastery, which the Federation of BiH /FBiH/ registered as their property and sold as building land where they are attempting to construct motels and hotels.

"They are forcibly trying to take over these parcels, even though we have informed them and sent documentation proving that they belonged to the monastery. We have already submitted this to the court, and since that court is slow, we are waiting to see what will happen," Father Vasilije said.

He emphasized that the Zavala Monastery has evidence proving that all of this is monastic property, dating back to 1890, then 1923, and again 1959.

Abbot Vasilije expressed hope that the institutions of Republika Srpska will also assist the Zavala Monastery in reclaiming its property, which was illegally taken from it.

The Zavala Monastery is a national monument of BiH and is located on the edge of Popovo Polje, at the foot of Mount Ostrog. The establishment of the local Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin is linked to the first Christian Emperor, Constantine.

The oldest written document dates back to 1514, and the interior of the church was decorated with frescoes in 1619 by the great 17th-century Serbian painter, the Hilandar monk Georgije Mitrofanović.

Saint Basil of Ostrog was once a novice at the Zavala Monastery; he was born in the nearby village of Mrkonjići, near Trebinje.

The Zavala Monastery now belongs to the municipality of Ravno in the Federation of BiH.