MONUMENT TO STEFAN NEMANJA IN BELGRADE HAS BEEN DESECRATED, THOSE RESPONSIBLE SHOULD BE PUNISHED

BELGRADE, APRIL 28 /SRNA/ - The monument to Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja in Belgrade has been desecrated by the unacceptable "intervention" of Professor Andrej Josifovski from the Faculty of Architecture, the Ministry of Culture of Serbia said in a press release, urging that those responsible be punished.

"This act represents not only a disrespect for one of the most significant monuments of modern Serbia, but also vandalism against our historical heritage and the dignity of our people," said the Ministry. As they point out, this act of vandalism reeks of primitive perfidy, as it allegedly turns a sword into a cross, denying the fact that a cross is placed at the very center of the monument’s pedestal to Stefan Nemanja. "Furthermore, the monument to Stefan Nemanja is not just a work of art – it is a symbol of Serbian statehood and spirituality, and its desecration represents an attack on the foundations of our identity, reminding us that the erection of this monument caused discomfort for many, as it confirmed the Serbian identity of our capital," the Ministry emphasized. The press release reminds that Serbian cultural monuments have survived through the centuries, despite numerous trials and conquerors, and today they are still threatened, particularly in Kosovo and Metohija, where they remain targets of desecration, violence, and attempts to erase the historical memory of the Serbian people. Therefore, they say, it is even more devastating that today, in the heart of Belgrade, "we are facing a similar attempt to humiliate and desecrate the symbol of Serbian statehood, spirituality, and culture." Josifovski posted a video on "Instagram," showing that in the early hours, he entered Savski Square with two trucks and attached a lath to the sword held by Stefan Nemanja, transforming it into a cross. The monument to Stefan Nemanja, created by a member of the Russian Academy of Arts, sculptor Alexander Julianovich Rukavishnikov, is the first monument to the founder of the Serbian state ever erected in Belgrade.