Thanks to deep historical ties dating back to the monastic days of Saint Sava on Mount Athos, the most revered relic of Mount Athos, the Belt of the Mother of God, will arrive in Belgrade today. It will travel from the Vatopedi Monastery on the invitation of Patriarch Porphyrios, accompanied by Igumen Efrem and nine monks, marking the second time in history the most valuable relic has left Greece for Serbia.

Through the heavy doors of the Vatopedi Monastery, which have been open since 1186, Saint Sava passed. He became a monk in the Russian Panteleimon Monastery and was enchanted by the brotherhood of 800 monks, the largest library, and miraculous relics, staying for over twelve years. In 1197, he was joined by his father, Saint Symeon, and together they expanded the monastery, leaving a lasting legacy, as reported by RTS.

“These are the Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian and the tower, which were built by Saint Sava and Saint Symeon. The tower was built in 1197 when Sava and Symeon completed the upper part of the monastery. These two saints also built the hospital, in which this church is located,” said Hieromonk Timotheus of the Vatopedi Monastery.

The Vatopedi Monastery houses the most revered relic of Mount Athos — the Belt of the Mother of God, which is a source of miracles and healing for the faithful, both physically and mentally.

“The Belt bears a special, supernatural blessing of the Mother of God. It is not a mere blessing received through icons but a blessing of a piece of clothing, precisely because it was made by the Mother of God herself. You can see the golden threads that Empress Zoe, wife of Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos, wove, having been healed by the Belt from a serious illness. Archaeologists now say that these golden threads are the reason it has been preserved for two thousand years. The hair-like wool would not have survived to this day otherwise. This was done with the Mother of God's intent,” emphasized Archimandrite Efrem, the abbot of Vatopedi Monastery.

Part of the Holy Belt was gifted to the Vatopedi Monastery by the Byzantine Emperor John Kantakouzenos, while another part was a gift from Prince Lazar.

“These are holy relics with ties to Serbia and Prince Lazar, who suffered a martyr's death at the hands of the Turks. In the first reliquary is a piece of the Holy Cross, surrounded by relics of known saints: Saint Procopius, Saint Euphemia, Saint Cosmas and Damian. In this small reliquary next to it is a piece of the Mother of God's Belt, which was also a gift from Prince Lazar to the holy Vatopedi Monastery,” emphasized Hieromonk Cyril from Vatopedi.

The elders of the Vatopedi Monastery presented Saint Sava with an old beehive that was near the small Hilandarion Monastery. In 1198, Emperor Alexios III Angelos entrusted Hilandar to Sava and the Nemanjić dynasty. On these strong foundations, the bond between the two monasteries is nurtured today.

“In fact, the entire monastic population of Mount Athos is one brotherhood, divided into twenty monasteries. However, the relationship between Vatopedi and Hilandar Monasteries has been nurtured for centuries, and this brotherly love that exists between our two monasteries begins with the monastic feats of Saint Symeon and Saint Sava in Vatopedi,” said Monk Eliseus from Hilandar Monastery.

On these strong foundations, the love between the Serbian and Greek peoples is cultivated and nurtured. Therefore, for the second time in history, the most revered relic of Mount Athos, the Belt of the Mother of God, will leave the Vatopedi Monastery in Greece for Belgrade.