Wherever I Go, I Return to You Kosovo

“Wherever I go, I return to you” – Kosovo is becoming a song for younger and growing numbers of Serbs across the country and beyond.

In the last weeks of March, media outlets were abuzz with a photo from Radio Goraždevac under the headline: “Hundreds of Pilgrims Visited Orahovac Tonight.” A week earlier, finding accommodation in Velika Hoča, Orahovac, Dečani, Vidanje… or any place where Serbs live in Kosovo seemed impossible. In recent years, Serbian holy sites in Kosovo have regularly welcomed faithful visitors from all over Serbia, the region, and increasingly from abroad. What’s most beautiful is that among thousands of pilgrims, the majority are young people – students, volunteers, families with children.

Kosovo is Its People and Its Holy Sites

“When you step from Belgrade into Kosovo and Metohija, it feels like entering another dimension. In Visoki Dečani Monastery, it’s as if you’ve traveled centuries back. Walking through Prizren, even if no Serbs remain, the city feels entirely ours; everything in it is Serbian.
The feeling and experience cannot be described in words and can only be lived in Kosovo and Metohija. What draws me back are our people, clergy, and monastics – their hospitality, warm hugs, attention, and the stories they share. I believe every Serbian should visit Dečani, Peć Patriarchate, and Gračanica at least once.”

Many return, and many visit for the first time. What unites all of them is a profound need for Kosovo – a living source of Serbian heritage. Maria Nešić often visits Kosovo, accompanied for the first time by her friend Maria Đorđević from Vranje. They shared their experiences of what draws and returns people to Kosovo.

Kosovo and Metohija Leaves No One Indifferent

“I believe the centuries of suffering of our people and our cultural and historical heritage in Kosovo and Metohija should leave no Serbian indifferent. Visiting there is a return to roots. Approaching Visoki Dečani Monastery and entering its church is a moment I will remember for life. The Peć Patriarchate is a hearth. For us Orthodox Serbs, the holy sites of Kosovo and Metohija are a ‘Little Jerusalem,’ providing comfort, home, and protection.”

Maria Nešić, born in Mladenovac near Belgrade, first came to Kosovo for work. She fell in love with its peace, spirituality, and the Kosovar people, returning often.

“Kosovars live in peace and with God, which I admire. Every visit brings something new and more beautiful than the last. Coming to Kosovo and Metohija now gives me a positive answer to ‘Will everything be okay if we leave our life to God?’ I never felt fear or discomfort there, even though most around me were skeptical. Visiting the monasteries, starting with Draganac, then Gračanica, and later others in Metohija, has become a personal journey.”

We lived with the feeling of being abandoned, alone, in our own country. Today it is different. Today it is a different story. People come, stay, visit, talk. Life is present…

Velika Hoča is no longer just a village; it has become a symbol of perseverance, faith, tradition, resilience, and beauty. Known as “Little Hilandar” and the “Pearl of Metohija,” it’s treasured not only for its churches, monasteries, and historic monuments, but for its people, whose kindness captivates visitors.

“Velika Hoča has twelve churches, one monastery, Lazar Kujundžić’s tower, and the Lord’s House – Saray. Every stone tells a story. Every threshold, churchyard, and vineyard has meaning. It’s not just cultural heritage – it’s living history. Hoča is also a wine region, the heart of Metohija’s wine tradition. Each household produces wine and rakija from the soul, not a recipe. Wine here carries the sun, prayer, and fertile land. Peter Handke, the Nobel laureate, was deeply moved, calling it a place of harmony unlike anywhere else. Here, one comes not just to see beauty but to experience something profound.”

Pilgrimages have lit the stone walls of Visoki Dečani with candles, brought light to the blinded Simonida in Gračanica, and covered the icon of the Peć Krasnica with the tears of the faithful. Every day, prayers are offered in Kosovo for the entire Orthodox world, returning hope to the Serbian people. Katarina “Kata” Brkić explains how much the arrival of pilgrims also means for the very survival of locals.

“The arrival of people from all over our country, and even from abroad, greatly impacts the life of the local population. In small places like Velika Hoča and Orahovac, life is often monotonous. People feel lonely, left without friends and relatives who have moved away. So, every visitor brings joy and a sense of life. Many families earn from renting rooms to pilgrims or from selling wine, and this helps them survive. While it’s not yet possible to live only from tourism and wine, it means a lot for staying here.”

Just after the last bus of pilgrims left Orahovac following Sunday Liturgy, the flag of the Serbian Orthodox Church was set on fire on the night of April 2nd. That was the next headline from Orahovac. Sadly, it was followed by news that 12 Serbian pilgrims were arrested in Đakovica and Prizren. Evidence and motives, as usual, were harder to find than the culprits themselves – and often Kosovo’s judiciary doesn’t even consider them necessary. Locals say: “Nothing new.” The threats and attacks no longer shock Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. Instead, they continue to build and rebuild on their centuries-old foundations.

Our region has endured countless sufferings, silences, departures… At one point, it seemed that even song and a glass of wine from Velika Hoča and Orahovac would fall silent, that the light in the eyes of those who remained would fade. But in recent years, something has changed – as if a new life is slowly being born. Religious and wine tourism in Metohija is blossoming. More and more people come, visit, search for their roots and the truth. And with that, they give us all what matters most – hope.
When writer and journalist Živojin Rakočević said, ‘No one endures and waits like a Kosovar Serb,’ his words summed up the entire truth of our people. The news that around 300 Serbs visited Orahovac last weekend was more than just information – it was a sign that we are still part of a people who have not forgotten their roots. Just a few years ago, such a sight was almost unimaginable. Back then, the atmosphere was very different – silence, empty streets, withdrawn looks, and rare visits. We lived with the feeling of being abandoned, alone in our own land.
Today is different. Today is a new story. People come, they stay, they visit, they talk. Life is present again. And yet, just as we felt this hope, the news of the torn flag of the Serbian Orthodox Church in front of the Church of the Dormition reminded us of harsh reality. It was an attempt to humiliate and erase everything that represents life, faith, and identity for us.
No matter how hard it is, we will not let fear prevail. Especially now, on the eve of the greatest Christian holiday, we invite everyone to visit Velika Hoča, our Petrovic winery, and to feel that atmosphere where there is no place for fear – an atmosphere that revives the most beautiful things within us: faith, love, and hope.” — Milena

Marija Vasić

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