January 19th at 12:00pm

at Vodice Zlatibor

On Epiphany, Monday, January 19, 2026, a traditional swim for the Holy Cross will be organized on Zlatibor.

Registration of participants: January 19th until 10:00 a.m., restaurant "Kod Batice"

Swimming starts: 12:00 noon

This year, numerous believers and visitors will gather at the mini-lake on Crni Rzav to celebrate this great holiday together.

God has appeared!

Theater performance

January 18th at 7pm

In spiritual footsteps on Zlatibor

at the Zlatibor Cultural Center

As part of the "In Spiritual Footsteps" event, on Sunday, January 18, at 7 p.m., the play "The Epiphany" will be performed, written and directed by Ana Đorđević, and starring Svetozar Cvetković, Milovan Filipović, and Nebojša Milovanović.

Admission is free.

Welcome!

for the Serbian New Year's Eve

With joint prayer, thanksgiving and love in joy and peace, gathered in the holy temple at midnight on January 13 , let us welcome the New Year according to the Julian calendar with the Holy Liturgy and prayer service in the temple of the Holy Archangel Gabriel in Čajetina .

Peace of God - Christ is born!

January-March 2026.

On the eve of Christmas, the reading public will have the opportunity to learn about some of the important aspects of this great holiday from the economy of the salvation of man and the world in the new issue of the Žički blagovesnik (January-March 2026). Four texts from the column Towards Christmas have exactly that role.

We thank Metropolitan G. Justin for his blessing and the diocesan EUO for its support, all authors of the texts, collaborators at media presentations of the magazine throughout the Diocese, church communities, clergy and the reading public among the faithful, who zealously and selflessly continue the work bequeathed to us by the founder of the magazine, Saint Bishop Nikolaj of Žički, to not let the lamp of faith in the soul of a Serb go out.

Christmas issue of the Žički Blagovesnik

January-March 2026.

on Zlatibor

The year at the Cultural Center, now traditionally, begins with the event "Spiritual Footsteps", which lasts between two major holidays - Christmas and Sretenje. We will open it with the exhibition of the same name, on Saturday, January 10, at 7 p.m., and it consists of copies of frescoes from the Kraljevo Museum, as well as the "Ras" Museum and the Cultural Center from Novi Pazar. The choir "Harmony" will perform at the opening.

According to art historian Suzana Novčić: "The collection provides an overview of the development of Serbian monumental painting during the 13th century, which was preserved in our medieval monuments, starting from the Church of the Virgin Mary in Studenica and Žiča, through Mileševa, the Holy Apostles of Peć, Morača, Sopoćani, Gradac and Arilje to the paintings in the Royal Church in Studenica and the frescoes in Žiča, created at the beginning of the 14th century. These are the works of our prominent artists - copyists, including: Aleksandar Tomašević, Zdenka and Branislav Živković, Svetislav Mandić, Naum Andrić, Vladeta Petrović, Ljubomir Brajević, Dragomir Jašović and others. In 2006, 22 more copies of frescoes (Dečani, Gračanica, Sopoćani, Mileševa, Psača, Markov Monastery, Kalenić) were added to the existing collection, which are in the form of long-term loans taken from the Gallery of Frescoes in Belgrade. The broad criteria set in this way have produced a heterogeneous collection, where the works, in addition to their artistic value, also have documentary and didactic significance.”

During the event, we will celebrate the Serbian New Year in Jablanica, where we will have the program "With Far Steps", which will be held a day later at the Zlatibor Square, with a concert by Branka Zečević. The play "The Epiphany" will be performed on January 18, and the opening of the exhibition by Mijalko Đunisijević is planned for the 27th. In February, we expect Father Gojko Perović, a literary evening by Đorđe Matić, and a monodrama by Petar Božović.

Transfiguration of the Lord on Zlatibor

Placing the Christmas tree in front of the temple on Zlatibor - video

By the grace of God

Orthodox Archbishop and Metropolitan of Žička

Justin

To all the sons and daughters of the God-saved Diocese of Žička, we congratulate you on Christmas, the inexhaustible source of our joy and hope.
Having in our hearts the archangel's good news, which the shepherds heard on the night of Bethlehem , "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11), we too have confirmation of our faith in the Child of God, who is born in the form of a small and weak child, gives himself to us with utmost humility and becomes one of us.

We congratulate you on the feast of God's incarnation and our deification, wishing you a blessed 2026th summer of the Lord's goodness and mercy.

Peace of God – Christ is born!
Truly born!

Your prayer book

before the cradle of the Christ Child,

Archbishop and Metropolitan Justin of Žička

January 7, 2026

The Serbian Orthodox Church to its spiritual children

Porphyry