With great joy, we inform the faithful that the relics of Saint George the Great Martyr have arrived from Ukraine to Montenegro.

They were brought to the Church of Saint Peter of Cetinje the Wonderworker in Kotor by Archimandrite Tikhon (Kozushin). The relics originate from the antimins and altar of a church in Kharkiv, which was closed in the 1930s during the Soviet communist regime.

The city of Kharkiv and all of Ukraine are currently enduring great suffering, and our friends, in an effort to protect these holy relics, found a way to transfer them to Montenegro, where Saint George is highly revered and celebrated as the family patron saint (“Slava”) by many households.

Saint George the Great Martyr is one of the most venerated Christian saints. He lived in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries and was born in Cappadocia (modern-day Turkey). He was a high-ranking officer in the Roman army, known for his courage and unwavering faith in Christ. Because he refused to renounce his faith, he endured severe torture and was executed during the reign of Emperor Diocletian in the year 303.

In addition to the relics of Saint George the Great Martyr, the Church of Saint Peter of Cetinje the Wonderworker in Kotor also houses relics of Saint Paraskeva, Saint Mercurius the Great Martyr, Venerable Amphilochius of Pochaev, and Venerable Job of Pochaev. The presence of these holy relics is a great blessing for all believers, for the city of Kotor, and for Montenegro.

Kotor, June 2, 2025

Archdiocese of Kotor and the Littoral