The
pilgrimage to Kočevje included three destinations that are closely connected to
the main event, a memorial service at the Kočevje pits for the commemoration of
the 70th anniversary of themassacre which took place there.
As
the tragic events at the end of the Second World War connected to the Russian
and Serbian peoples overlap in several places, the organizers of the pilgrimage
decided to connect two great tragedies – for the Serbs, Kočevje, for the
Russians, Lienz – on this memorial pilgrimage.
Two Memorial Crosses: “Remember Kočevje” and
“Lienz” which were worn by the Serbian pilgrims.
The
itinerary was set as following: Lienz,
Nova Goritsa (the resting place of Serbian patriot Dimitry Ljotić), Kočevje. The group of pilgrims from Serbia, led by His
Grace Bishop Akakije, started from Belgrade in the evening of May 31st,
in order to participate, on the 1st of June, in the 70th
anniversary commemoration of the Cossack tragedy in Lienz, Austria.
LIENZ
The
official event of the commemoration of the Cossack tragedy at Lienz was
organized by the anti-Bolshevik Cossack organization led by the well-known Cossack activist Vladimir
Melechov, whom, unfortunately, the government of the Russian Federation
forcefully prevented from making the trip to Lienz (the police in the Moscow
Demodedovo airport, behaving like brigands, ripped papers out of his passport
and thus prevented him from leaving the country). The city government of Lienz also
traditionally commemorates the tragedy of 70,000 anti-communist Cossacks who,
in June of 1945, were disarmed, and along with the elderly, women and children,
were given over by the English to certain death at the hands of the
bloodthirsty executioners of Stalin’s Red Army.
Every
year on the first of June, many Cossacks from the entire world, along with
Austrian veterans who respect the Cossacks’ anti-communist fight, gather
together at the Cossack cemetery in Lienz.
On
the occasion of the 70th anniversary, the organizer of the Cossack
anti-Bolshevik memorial, Vladimir Melechov, with the help of the Austrian Black
Cross Organization, built a beautiful Russian-style memorial log chapel with a
Russian cupola and cross at its peak in the Cossack cemetery. Every year, the
participants’ attention is especially drawn to the Cossack veterans who are
among the few survivors who were miraculously saved and lived to be eyewitnesses of this horrifying crime. In Lienz this year, only one surviving
Cossack veteran came, from Australia, Alexander Mikhailovich Pevnyev, Ataman of
the Kuban army in the diaspora.
His
Grace Bishop Akakije with Cossack veteran Alexander Mikhailovich Pevnyev.
In
the absence of Vladimir Melechov, the official event was led by Ataman of the
Don army in the diaspora, General-Major Yaropolk Micheyev.
Bridge
on the Drava River - the place where
Cossack women and their children threw themselves to be drowned rather than to
be caught alive by the Red Army.
The
city of Lienz hosted all of the guests in a large banquet hall nearby, where
lunch was served, during which there were various speakers. Vladimir Melechov’s assistant from Germany,
Cossack Major Evgeny Martinyuk, read Melechov’s speech of greeting to the
participants in the Lienz tragedy commemorations, in which he expressed his
bitter disappointment at the Russian Federation government’s violent prevention
of his journey to Lienz, along with that of other well-known Cossacks and
Cossack groups from Russia. One German
gentleman on the stage conveyed the heartfelt greetings of the son of General
Helmut von Pannwitz, who also expressed an apology that he was not able to come
to the commemorations. In the end, Cossack songs were sung heartily for a long
while.
After
all of the official events at Lienz drew to a close, our pilgrim group from
Serbia held their own panikhida at the Cossack cemetery in memory of all of the
Cossack victims of the Lienz tragedy.
The panikhida was served by our friend from St. Petersburg, Cossack
activist Protopresbyter Aleksey Lebedev, with a choir of Russian scouts from Germany.
ŠEMPETER
PRI GORITSI
After
spending the night in the picturesque alpine village of Ketchah, the pilgrims
from Serbia traveled through the Alps to Nova Goritsa, a town right on the
Italian-Slovenian border, where they served a panikhida at the grave of Dimitry
Ljotich in the small town cemetery, Šempeter Pri Goritsi. A Serbian nationalist activist, Goran
Davidović, who because of political persecution currently is living in Italy
with his spouse, was also present at the memorial. On this occasion, His Grace Bishop Akakije
presented Gordan Davidović a “Remember Kočevje” memorial cross. After the panikhida was served, all those
present gathered at a local Italian café for refreshing drinks and pleasant
conversation.
KOCHEVJE
From
Nova Goritsa, the Serbian pilgrims’ road led to the last and main destination
of the pilgrimage, the Slovenian alpine town of Kočevje, where reserved rooms
awaited us at the homey Tushek Hotel on the banks of Lake Kočevje. The next day, June 3rd, driving
along the stone-paved forest roads, the pilgrims revived the memories of those
martyrs of Kočevje , imagining the convoys of trucks which day and night
brought victims to the edges of the gaping maw of the Kočevje pits. His Grace Bishop Akakije gave a moving
introductory speech at the “Kren” pit, reminding all present of the horror of
the events which had taken place in the forests here in 1945. Next to the crevasse, we set up a memorial
plaque in honor of the 70th anniversary of the Kočevje Golgotha, and
then the central ceremony of the pilgrimage was carried out, a panikhida for
the uncounted Serbian volunteers, Montenegrin Chetniks, and Russian White Army
soldiers, “the officers and soldiers who suffered at the hands of the godless
and laid down their lives for the faith, king, and fatherland.” The panikhida
was led by His Grace Bishop Akakije and concelebrated by Priest Jovan, with the
singing of Abbess Efrosinia and Nun Alypia. Much time must have passed since
someone last burned Orthodox incense or lit pure wax candles at this place;
much time must have passed since the Serbian Volunteer Corps flag and the black
Chetnik banner flew above. Perhaps they
never had until now. To attend such an event (however unusual it may be, one that
every Serb should feel it his duty to do!), was truly painful but at the same
time deeply joyous and uplifting. There
passed before our eyes the shadows of the Kočevje martyrs, those fearless
warriors for the faith, king and fatherland, who had been deceived, betrayed,
humiliated, tortured, mutilated, and - worst of all - FORGOTTEN by their own
people for whom they had fought, not sparing their young lives even for a
moment.
Our
chests tightened, all had to fight back tears, but it was as if in our prayerful
presence we saw all of their numberless wounds, especially the terrible and
painful wound of being forgotten.
We have not forgotten you, dear
brothers! Here we are, after 70 years, censing your martyrs’ bones and firmly
raising the battle flag under which you once so bravely fought. You are not forgotten, your battle for the
Precious Cross and Golden Freedom we will carry on from where you were forced
to stop…
The
crowning momentof the memorial was the sonorous intonation of Bishop Akakije, “In
a blessed falling asleep…” to which the thundering, heartfelt response broke
forth from all those present, “Memory eternal…” Through the billowing clouds of
incense, those words echoed out over the chasm and through the endless expanse
of the Serbian Katyn, the Kočevje forest.
After
the panikhida, all those present were served a beautifully decorated koliva for
the departed along with Serbian rakija, while at the hotel a lunch in memory of the Kočevje martyrs had been
prepared.
The
ornate koliva at the pannichida for the Kočevje sufferers.
Thus
ended the pilgrimage on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the
Communist slaughter at Kočevje.
The
next day, the pilgrims from Serbia returned to their Fatherland bearing within
themselves the unforgettable impressions of this truly magnificent memorial
journey.
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