medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Dear Fr Ambrose,
In response to 'sharing more', I can only say that I am very familiar with
the area of Letnica and Vrnavokola and visit there at least twice yearly. I
have heard first-hand how Croats were forced to leave these villages. The
case of the nearby village of Vrnavokola is particularly heart-rending.
Just last November I visited the five people that remain in the village.
The Chuch of St Francis, a modern building, is now closed and deserted. The
people relate how, when leaving, they went out into their small pateches of
land and kissed the ground, facing the fact that they would never return
again. At the entrance to the almost deserted village is a wooden cross, a
version of which traditionally stood there for centuries. Villagers had the
custom of kissing the cross before they left or entered the village. Now it
stands cold and windswept, a stark reminder of the Via Dolorosa these
people have walked in the past few years. Just after the last large group
of about 300 people left the village in 1999 I stood inside of the church
that was left behind. It had the appearance of the hull of a great vessel
that had been recently shipwrecked and abandoned. Photos of children of the
village making their Confirmation remained on one of the tables in an
adjoining kitchen area, a heart-rending reminder of happier times.
The grounds of the church at Letnica, meanwhile, was used for some time as
a base for US troops before they moved out to nearby Vitina. Villagers
remember the time when on 15 August thousands of pilgrims would visit the
shrine of Majka Bozja Letnicka and now suffer the emptiness that remains.
Best regards,
Salvador
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