St. Savvas School inaugurated in Thessaloniki – A gift from Hilandar Monastery to Serbian Community

The sanctification and the inauguration services attended by Serbian officials and clergy, were performed at the “Saint Savvas” supplementary School in Thessaloniki.

The school, now housed in permanent facilities provided by the Hilandar Monastery, is set to accommodate 94 students and follows a new curriculum. Previously operating in different locations on Saturdays, the collaboration between Hilandar Monastery of Mount Athos and the Consulate General of Serbia ensures a stable environment for Serbian language education for students from various cities in Northern Greece.

The services, held yesterday, were attended by the Serbian Minister for the diaspora, Đorđe Milićević, Abbot Archimandrite Methodius of the Hilandar Monastery, Consul General of Serbia in Thessaloniki Jasmina Milačić, and Archpriest Aleksandar Pavlović, director of the monastery’s offices in Thessaloniki.

Abbot Methodios, speaking after the sanctification service, expressed the monastery’s commitment to supporting the Serbian language school, stating, “At the request of the Consulate, it was decided during a monastery meeting to grant these facilities for the school’s use.”

The monastery’s benevolent gesture is symbolised by a plaque unveiled during the ceremony, reading: “The Holy Monastery of Hilandar with paternal love donates this school to the glory and honour of Saint Savvas. The Abbot and his brotherhood, Thessaloniki, January 27, 2024.”

Currently, Serbian supplementary schools, with 8,100 students and 112 teachers, operate in 22 countries. Approximately 10,000 Serbs reside in cities across Northern Greece.

Source: ANA-MPA, / orthodoxtimes.com