The old parish church of St. Elijah in Gornji Stolivo could soon be renovated because a large fund-raising campaign has been launched for this not at all cheap and easy undertaking. The Church of St. Elijah, dedicated to the patron saint of that village, was built in 1556 on a hill in the most prominent place in Gornji Stolivo, at about 250 meters above sea level on the slopes of the Vrmac hill.
It is one of the most beautiful churches in the villages of Boka Kotorska. Its bell tower was built in 1883, and in front of this place of worship is the old Stoliv cemetery with the chapel of St. Anthony, and the small church of St. Anne that dates from the 12th or 13th century.
From this place, by the way, there is one of the most beautiful views of the inner part of the Bay of Kotor, especially of Perast, Dražin vrt and Orahovac, therefore the church of St. Montenegrin coast, to this attractive old Bokejlo village and the viewpoint in front of the church.
A special attraction of the Church of St. Elijah are its three altarpieces by the Slovenian artist Josipa Tominc. However, the ravages of time, frequent major or minor earthquakes, storms and storms on the coast, have made the church of St. Elijah to be in a rather bad condition today, the floor is exposed to groundwater, the roof is leaking, the bell tower is in bad condition, and the paintings, works of art and sacral objects deteriorate, because they are constantly exposed to moisture.
Therefore, the residents of Stoliv, the faithful and the parish priest of the Rošenja parish of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Don Željko Pasković, who have tried to repair the most serious and urgent damage to the church in the past few years, within the limits of their modest capabilities, decided to organize a large donor campaign to collect funds for a detailed restoration of the church of St. Elijah in Gornji Stolivo.
In principle, this action was already supported by the top of the state of Montenegro in the form of the cabinet of President Jakov Milatović. Thus, a large donor evening to collect funds for the restoration of the church of St. Elijah will be held on Sunday, June 25, from 19 p.m., in the garden of the Church of the Name of Mary in Donji Stolivo. As already confirmed, the evening will be attended by the leaders of the Municipality of Kotor and the Municipality of Tivat, who have also announced that they will support this action.
Members of the Society of Friends of Stoliv, residents of the local community, representatives of the local NGO "Kamelija", believers and the parish priest, don Željko Pasković, invited all admirers of cultural and sacred heritage, descendants of former famous sailors - people from Stoliv, entrepreneurs, officials and all people of goodwill from Boka of Kotorska, to enhance this evening with their presence.
The organizers announce an appropriate celebration with Stoliva delicacies and the Mediterranean sounds of the klapa song. In addition to the reconstruction of the church itself, the organizers expect that on this occasion they will also receive support for the rehabilitation of the macadam road from Donji to Gornji Stoliv that was broken last year, which was built precisely with the intention of facilitating the delivery of the necessary materials and equipment for the renovation of the church. However, the road also now needs rehabilitation due to damage caused by heavy rains and soil erosion.
Bonus video:
