BOKA EXCEPTIONALLY RESPECTS SAINT SAVA

(Text by Dušan Davidović in today's Politika newspaper)

The tradition of celebrating and marking Savindan in Boka Kotor is extremely long and is being enriched even in our time. Thus, these days, in all the larger towns of Boka Kotor, from Kufin to Debeli Brijeg, in addition to the rites and liturgies in the churches, Saint Sava Academies are organized. In Kotor, according to custom, on January 25, the day of the saint's repose.
The exceptional cult of Saint Sava in Boka Kotorska is also evidenced by the fact that in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, as recorded by Metropolitan Joanikije Lipovac /died in 1945/, the then Diocese of Boka Kotorska had the most churches dedicated to the first Serbian archbishop of all dioceses in the Serbian Orthodox Church. After all, today there are eight of them, starting from the Savina Monastery near Herceg Novi, then in Morinj, the Cathedral Church in Tivat consecrated in 1967, then in the village of Klinci on the Luštica peninsula, in Grblje on the so-called Savina glavica, then in Paštrovići in the Gradište monastery complex, then in the village of Krstač near the Reževići monastery, and in Đenaši near the Praskvica monastery.
On the Miholjska isthmus, not far from the Tivat airport, in the middle of the Bay of Kotor, Saint Sava formed the first bishopric, where today the monks of the local monastery are very active. 
The connection of the first Serbian preacher to Boka and Boka is also present through the activities of the Serbian singing society Jedinstvo /1839/ from Kotor, which organizes festive academies for the holiday and celebrates Saint Sava as a social celebration, and for years has organized Saint Sava festivities and balls. 
How much Saint Sava is revered among the Boka people is confirmed by the custom of fasting from John's Day /January 20/ to Savindan and eating Christmas Eve cakes for the holiday, as before Christmas and New Year.
The names of numerous toponyms from Boka Kotorska, such as Savina and Savina glavica, to other parts of Montenegro, such as Savnica, Savina voda, Savina greda, Savina stopa, Savi's source, Savi's stream, Savino počivalo, Savi's kuk...

And in addition to numerous temples dedicated to the first Serbian leader, the construction of churches dedicated to Saint Sava is underway in Podgorica and Žabljak...

All this confirms the unbreakable centuries-old connection of Saint Sava with Boka Kotorska, but also with other parts of Montenegro, where the cult of the great saint lives and endures with the respect of the younger generations who are especially looking forward to the great holiday, although it is not yet, like the school slava used to be.

Dusan Davidovic Kotor