On Sunday evening, the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, attended the donor's dinner, which was held in the garden of the Church of the Name of Mary in Stolivo, in order to collect contributions and support for the large project of restoration of the old parish church of St.
In addition to the head of state, this event was attended by the leaders of the municipalities of Kotor and Tivat, as well as numerous businessmen, representatives of the social and cultural life of Boka and numerous people of good will, both Catholic and Orthodox.
The leaders of the Kotor diocese were there, as well as the retired bishop of Kotor, Monsignor Ilija Janjić.
"By attending the donor dinner for the restoration of the church of St. Elijah in Gornji Stolivo, as the president of Montenegro, I want to contribute to adequately preserve the cultural treasures we have as a gift to our descendants. The area of Boka Kotorska abounds with priceless wealth that is part of the world's cultural heritage and enjoys UNESCO protection. I hope that enough funds will be collected and that this centuries-old religious building will be restored to the joy of all of us. I would like to thank the Parish of the Name of Mary and the NGO Association "Society of Friends of Gornji Stoliv" for inviting me to be part of this action." - the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, said to those gathered on that occasion.
He emphasized that Boka Kotorska has places of which it is rightly proud in front of the whole world, and said that for sure, one of them is Stoliv, which, according to Milatović, is one of the most beautiful jewels of Boka.
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 Stoliv, 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, dating from the 12th or 13th century.
From this place, you can see 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. Elijah in Gornji Stoliv is visited by many tourists who enjoy the untouched nature and a walk through one of the densest chestnut forests on the 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 Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish, 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 donation drive on Sunday evening funds for the detailed renovation of the church of St. Elijah in Gornji Stolivo.
This action was supported by the very top of the state of Montenegro in the form of President Milatović. In addition to the head of state, numerous Stoliv residents and their friends, the president of the Municipality of Tivat, Željko Komnenović, the vice-presidents of the Municipality of Kotor Siniša Kovačević and Nebojša Ševljavić, the director of the Tourist Organization of Kotor Jovan Ristić and the secretary of the Municipal Secretariat for the Protection of Natural and Cultural Heritage Bojana Petković attended the donor evening. .
"As Bokelji, we are obliged to protect Stoliv, to further improve it in order to repay our ancestors, and leave it to our descendants to preserve it for all generations to come," said the vice-president of the Municipality of Kotor, Siniša Kovačević.
He pointed out that he hopes that "just as St. Elijah unites the Orthodox and Catholics of Bokelje, in the future we will connect more with each other because we cannot do without each other."
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