Traditionally, with dignity and gratitude, like every year, the Holy Bigorski Monastery commemorated the memory of the immortal Ilinden revolutionaries and all their spiritual kin by marking the legend of the “Cherry Wood Cannonball”, a symbol of our nation’s struggle for freedom. This unique type of cannonball, crafted from cherry wood for the first time during the Ilinden Uprising, represents the innovative spirit and determination of the Macedonian revolutionary forces.
A group of young patriots, organized by the association “The Path of the Cherry Wood Cannonball – Bigorski Monastery” from Gostivar, dressed in revolutionary costumes, arrived last night at the Bigorski Monastery, where once the monks had crafted several of these cherry wood cannonballs for the Ilinden Uprising.
This morning, the committee riders: Viktor, Nikola, Igor, Riste, Aleksandar, Stefan, Anastasij, Sašo, Hristijan, Goce, Kristina, Aleksandra, Pero, Jorgo, Duško, Rose, and Bojan, first participated in the divine service in the church of Saint John the Baptist.
By our brother, Archimandrite Dositej, and with the blessing of our elder and bishop, Mr. Partenij, with prayers for the welfare of the Homeland and for a successful journey, they were blessed in their endeavor filled with love for God and the Homeland, and with a bright memory of our self-sacrificing, God-loving ancestors.
Then, in front of the Holy Scripture, revolver, and dagger, they took an oath of allegiance to the revolutionary liberation act – the same oath that all members of the Macedonian Revolutionary Organization once had to take.
At this solemn event, the president of the association “Bigorski Monastery – The Path of the Cherry Wood Cannonball”, Mr. Manojil Jakovleski, addressed the attendees with a brief word of thanks and expressed special gratitude to our elder and brotherhood for their tireless patriotic activity and selfless support in realizing the “Path of the Cherry Wood Cannonball” event.
May your journey to our glorious Kruševo be blessed by God, and may the memory of Kruševo and the Uprising forever remain deeply engraved in our hearts!
