Radulović: Cetinje Monastery will forever be Montenegrin, as will all other churches and Montenegrin graves

The Cetinje Monastery will forever be Montenegrin, as will all other churches and Montenegrin graves, said Professor Branislav Radulović.

The informal civic movement STEGA announced that today, in support of marking the 230th anniversary of the adoption of the first Montenegrin legislative act "Stega", which was adopted/confirmed on August 6, 1796 (according to the Julian calendar) at the "general Montenegrin assembly" in Cetinje, their delegation and a group of citizens paid homage to the relics of Saint Peter of Cetinje in the Cetinje Monastery.

They recall that this ruler was the enacterist of that act that began "an intensive period of state and legal establishment and organization of Montenegro, after the famous battles of Marinići and Krusi."

"After that, according to old Montenegrin custom, those present gathered at the guvna in front of the Monastery in the spirit of the call of St. Peter of Cetinje - 'Montenegrins, gather together!'" the statement reads.

Radulović, as they said, recalled the historical significance of Stega from 1786 and said that the historical Stega founded the state of Montenegro and national unity.

"That is why we are here today, the STEGA delegation and the citizens, to come to our monastery, to pay homage to our bishop and our saint, the bearer of the Stega, St. Peter of Cetinje, and to fulfill his vow 'Let the Montenegrins gather together'. That is why we are symbolically here today, in front of this holy place, to show that the spirit of St. Peter of Cetinje, the spirit of the Stega and of Montenegro is indestructible," said Radulović.

He said that "those who think that the holy shit" in front of the Cetinje Monastery will remain deserted "without people, Montenegrins and proud Montenegrin women" are mistaken.

"This is a monastery and will forever be Montenegrin, like all other churches and Montenegrin graves. Priests come and go," said Radulović.

Slobodan Marunović, the leader of the Montenegrin National Theatre and a member of STEGA, also spoke.

"In this building we stand in front of, timeless works were created, artistic, spiritual, creative, political, state, military. Everything happened in this place and that is why this state has been here for a thousand years, in its place. It is no one's without ours, it was built by our ancestors," said Marunović.

STEGA, as they said, continues in this way with actions and activities aimed at preserving and affirming valuable dates and events from the rich Montenegrin state and national history.