Jegovor put is a masterpiece that testifies to a sad family story, repentance, but also strong faith and the will to do something that at first glance seems impossible - for a man to make a magnificent road with one hand. It is a symbol of faith and hope in what Njegoš says - "let there be what cannot be".
This is how a resident of Pržna begins his story in an interview for "Vijesti". Blazo Kazanegra about Yegor's road - a cultural treasure that is not yet protected by law as immovable cultural property, although, as he claims, it has all the predispositions to be registered as such.
"From the Praskvica monastery to the top of Čelobrd stretches the so-called Jegor's path, which was made by a Russian monk Yegor Stroganov in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Yegor was an officer in the Imperial Russian Army and after a duel he was wounded in the arm, which was later amputated, killing his daughter's fiance in the process. Ekaterina. As a result of family drama, guilty conscience and other circumstances, Yegor leaves Russia and after a certain time his journey takes him to the Praskvica monastery, where he remains for the rest of his life. Despite the fact that he did not have one hand, he took upon himself a vow of silence and a construction feat - to build a road from the Velja luka (today's Kraljeva beach) to the top of the Čelobrda hill, and he worked on it for ten to fifteen years, maybe more," Kažanegra points out. .
According to him, the road is not an ordinary mountain path, but a sophisticated construction project with retaining stone walls, side borders, decorative details and ornaments in certain places, with carefully selected stones of various shapes, small and large, narrow and wide, which are carved with skillful stone cutting techniques. broken off from the passing limestone rocks of the headland, processed and carefully incorporated into the road.
"Walking along this road, on the left and right sides, if we pay attention, we can see gaps in the limestone rocks from where stone slabs of various sizes were cut and removed to build the road. This road therefore represents a beautiful interaction of man's work and nature, in a harmonious harmony, where nature is only slightly shaped in favor of human needs, without it being visually noticeable, especially if viewed from a slightly greater distance. From a functional point of view, this road is made mainly with gentle ascents, so that the traveler who walks on it does not feel excessive fatigue even though the road climbs up the cliff of Čelobrda, which is quite steep. From the Praskvice monastery to the top of Čelobrd this way can be reached in about twenty minutes, without much effort. During almost the entire journey, there is a beautiful view of Sveti Stefan, Miločer and the entire bay of Budva".
Kazanegra says that it is possible that someone occasionally helped Yegor in the construction, other monks or locals when a large stone had to be moved or similar, but that according to tradition, the Russian played the main role, that is, it is claimed that he built it himself.
"To the extent that this road has an even greater cultural and other value, because it was built by a man who had only one hand capable of working, which in a way is a miracle in itself," Kažanegra points out.
DAUGHTER FOUND FATHER IN PRASKVICA?
He emphasizes that Yegor's life is an incredible story that is an inspiration for many artists and creators, and that it will continue to be so in the future.
"After a certain period of Yegor's life in the monastery, another monk from Russia appears by name Elisha who also resides in the monastery. This monk later fell seriously ill and before his death it turns out that he is actually Yegor's daughter Yekaterina who searched for her father for a long time and finally found him in Praskvica. Both of them rest today in the gate of the Praskvica monastery, side by side. "They both fulfilled their goals: Ekaterina found her father, and Yegor completed his feat in work, silence and repentance," says Kažanegra.
He points out that Yegor's road is a cultural treasure that is not yet protected by law as an immovable cultural asset.
He says that the legend about Jegor Sroganov is part of the intangible cultural heritage of Paštrović.
"And in this regard, there are clear prerequisites for legal protection. However, many people do not know that even the Miločerski Park, with the royal residence, villas and auxiliary buildings, is not protected as a cultural asset, so it is not surprising that even Yegor's road has not been protected by law so far. Many cultural assets in Paštrovići are not protected, starting from Miločer through various fortifications, towers, numerous churches and medieval cemeteries, as well as pre-Christian tumuli and castles.
There is a threat of destruction
Kažanegra points out that in Miločerski Park you can still see the remains of Jegor's Road, especially near the French bridge (built in 1808), although it has been buried and interrupted in some places.
The road was also damaged during the construction of the highway, the bypass around Miločer, which was supposed to connect the Miločer road with the upper highway, but it was never completed.
Today, the cultural and natural landscape of Miločer with Jegor's road that
climbs up to Čelobrdo, with the surrounding villages, churches and monasteries in the background, is threatened by various infrastructure projects, whose authors and investors do not care about the cultural and natural treasures of this region, which are the basis of tourism development, Kažanegra warns.
The landscape is threatened by the announced project of a 4-lane expressway that should pass a few hundred meters above the end of Jegor's road at the top of Čelobrd, right next to villages and churches. The landscape is also threatened by the planned wind farm project
"Brajići", which envisages the construction of high wind turbines on the tops of neighboring mountains that produce noise (so-called infrasound) that affects people's health. Also, the landscape of Yegorovo put and Miločerski Park, as a harmonious whole, is threatened (i.e. already devastated) by the construction of a condo hotel in Miločerski Park".
Kazanegra warns that, if they are not protected in the near future, both Miločer and Yegorov put, as well as the pastoral villages in the hinterland, all these cultural assets are in danger of being permanently devastated and partly destroyed.
"And some of them already are, unfortunately. The very word cultural heritage implies some treasure that we have inherited from past generations with the obligation to preserve it for the next generations who also have the right to this treasure, therefore it must be preserved for them. Both the locals and the investors who come here must think about this".
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