Serbia 05. Djunis Pilgrimage

The legend says that on 24th of July, 1898, a thirteen-year old girl named Jocic Milojka, from Djunis, met the Virgin Mary while going to get water. Mary threw a stone and demanded that a church be built around it, to serve the sick and troubled. A small chapel was built and, as the number of visitors began to grow, a church was built next to it.

It is supposed to be one of the most popular places of pilgrimage for the Orthodox in Serbia. On the night of October 13th, before the feast of the Veil of Our Lady, people gather there and pray until sunrise. Many believe that those with a clean soul can spot the profile of the Virgin Mary in the horizon in the early hours of the morning (photo 3).