RUSSIAN FILM ABOUT SAINT BASIL OF OSTROG STRENGTHENS COOPERATION BETWEEN TWO NATIONS

FOČA, SEPTEMBER 19 /SRNA/ - The Russian documentary Saint Basil of Ostrog titled "The Book of Miracles" contributes to strengthening and deepening the cultural and spiritual ties between the Russian and Serb people, united by their common Orthodox saints, it was emphasized during the screening of this film in Foča.

The Russian state Orthodox television channel Spas has produced two documentaries on great Serbian saints - Saint Basil of Ostrog and Saint Sava - bringing to the Russian audience the tradition, culture, and steadfast faith of the Serb people.

The author of both films is journalist and presenter Anzhelika Karetkina.

The film on Basil of Ostrog, shown at the cinema of the Foča Center for Culture and Information, besides key parts of his hagiography, presents testimonies of believers and clergy about miraculous healings before the saint's relics at the Ostrog Monastery.

In addition to the healings of severe illnesses beyond the reach of medicine, the film also depicts as great miracles of St. Basil the astonishing pilgrimages of the faithful, who walk hundreds of kilometers to bow before his relics at Ostrog.

The liturgical procession in Nikšić for the feast day of the Cathedral dedicated to St. Basil, attended by tens of thousands, as well as the major processions in Montenegro in 2020 that defended Orthodoxy in that country, are also presented as great miracles of St. Basil.

This Serbian saint lived in the 17th century, when, apart from Ottoman rule, an even greater threat to Orthodoxy in Herzegovina came from the attempts of the Roman Catholic Church to impose union on Orthodox Christians - something to which St. Basil resolutely opposed, often clashing even with his superiors, as shown in the film.

He persevered in defending Orthodoxy, so much so that the people revered him as a saint even during his lifetime. The film recalls that his testament to safeguard monastic lands gained renewed relevance during the 2019-2020 attempts by the authorities to seize church property, which sparked magnificent processions.

Before the screening, author Anzhelika Karetkina addressed the audience via video link, saying it had been an immense honor and joy to visit Ostrog and pray before the relics of St. Basil.

"To see with my own eyes the Serbs celebrating the feast of St. Basil of Ostrog, gathering together - for all of us, it was a great revelation. It is a great joy that the film now continues its life," said Karetkina, who after this project also filmed Saint Sava - Russian Colors on the Serbian Flag.

Representative of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in BIH Denis Mašanov emphasized that at a time when both Russians and Serbs face major challenges, such films are of great importance for strengthening spirituality and cooperation between the two nations.

"Our desire is to deepen cooperation with the Serb people, and we will certainly give our utmost. We see that people here are inclined towards Russia, which pleases us, and we are taking steps to strengthen our ties, for the Serb and Russian Orthodox peoples are brothers, united by our saints," said Mašanov in Foča.

Post-production team member Željko Stojanović stated that Spas TV, broadcasting from Moscow, has a daily viewership of 6.7 million, that before being banned on YouTube had over one million subscribers, and that they now have 800,000 followers on social media, a number that continues to grow.

"It is the largest Christian TV channel in the world. They have the world's largest library on God, the Church, and man before God," said Stojanović.

He emphasized that the film about St. Basil is a missionary work wherever it appears, led by the saint's hand - and Foča could not be bypassed.

"The Russian film crew retraced the steps of the young Stojan Jovanović - his hiding from the Turks in the monasteries of Zavala and Tvrdoš, his journey to Mount Athos, his visit to Russia, and finally - the Patriarchate of Peć and Ostrog Monastery. The trials endured by St. Basil during his earthly life reflect the history of the Serb people both then and now. I knew he was a revered saint among the Serbs, but I did not know until this film that he ranks among the 10 to 15 most venerated saints in all of Orthodoxy," said Stojanović.