His Royal Highness Crown Prince Davit Bagrationi Mukhranbatoni, Head of the Royal House of Georgia, and Her Royal Highness Princess Irina Bagration-Mukhrani arrived in Serbia on 6 December 2021 at the invitation of Stefan Krkobabić, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia.
The visit was organised by the Serbian Rectory of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The Rectory was headed by Aleksandar O. Đurđev, a member of the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and Rector for Serbia, and the Reverend Deacon Hadži Nenad M. Jovanović, Secretary of the Centre for the Study of Orthodox Monarchism and Chaplain of the Georgian Royal Orders in Serbia.
This was the second visit to Serbia by His Royal Highness. During his previous visit in 2011, he conferred the Grand Collar of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus Christ upon the late Serbian Patriarch Irinej, Archbishop of Peć and Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci.
The three-day visit was initiated by the state authorities of Serbia with the aim of promoting spiritual, cultural, and other forms of exchange between two ancient Orthodox nations with similar historical experiences and destinies.
The visit began with an investiture ceremony at which His Royal Highness Crown Prince Davit and His Grace Bishop Irinej of Eastern America were awarded the Cross of Vožd Đorđe Stratimirović, a distinguished ecclesiastical and social decoration.
The distinction was established and is conferred, with the blessing of His Grace Bishop Vasilije of Srem, by the Centre for the Development of Šajkaška, the Board for the Return of the Earthly Remains of Vožd Đorđe Stratimirović to the Fatherland, and the Stratimirović family of Kulpin, one of Serbia’s surviving historic noble families.
The investiture was conducted by Professor Ivan Stratimirović and Professor Dr Đorđe Stratimirović on behalf of the family; Danijel Kulačin on behalf of the Centre; and Deacon Hadži Nenad on behalf of the Board.
Also attending the ceremony were the Very Reverend Protopresbyter Dr Vasilije Vranić; Aleksandar O. Đurđev; Goran Milenković, Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Rural Welfare of the Government of Serbia; and Gojko Raičević, owner and editor-in-chief of IN4S.
On this solemn occasion, His Royal Highness also conferred the Medal of Merit of the Royal House of Georgia upon Aleksandar O. Đurđev and Professor Ivan Stratimirović of Kulpin as an expression of his royal favour and gratitude for their years of loyal service to the Royal House.
Previous recipients of the Cross of Vožd Đorđe Stratimirović included His Royal Highness Crown Prince Alexander Karađorđević of Serbia and Yugoslavia; Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia; His Eminence Metropolitan Joanikije of Montenegro and the Littoral; Bishop Irinej of Bačka; Bishop Fotije of Zvornik and Tuzla; Bishop Isihije of Valjevo; Bishop Justin of Hvosno; Igor Mirović, President of the Government of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina; and Stefan Krkobabić, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia.
The distinction has also been conferred upon other deserving members of the Serbian Orthodox clergy, the Serbian Armed Forces, and Serbia’s cultural, academic, economic, public, and political life.
Media Coverage
- Official website of the Serbian Orthodox Church
- Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Eastern America: “Georgian Prince Davit and Bishop Irinej of Eastern America Decorated with the Cross of Vožd Đorđe Stratimirović”
- Slovo Ljubve, radio service of the Archdiocese of Belgrade and Karlovci
- Pink.rs
- IN4S: “Georgian Prince Davit and Bishop Irinej of Eastern America Decorated with the Cross of Vožd Đorđe Stratimirović”