Servia and the Servians 1862 William Denton

9'J
SERYl.4. ..I.ND PHE SHBPIA.NS.
As- to the service in the Church, in all the churches of
Servia, with the exception of the W allachian churches,
the language used is the old Sclavonic, and though this
is now a dead language, and only made use of for
ecclesiastical purposes, .it bears so close a resemblance
to the dialects or languages which have sprung from it,
that the people are always able to join in the hymns
and prayers of the public service, and evidently fully
understand the meaning of the words which they are
using. From the hearty way in which the large mass of
worshippers joined in the hymns and responsive portions
of the Litany on St. George's day at Belgrade, it
was evident that the language of the service-book is
still. one that is "understanded of the comm~n people."
Scattered, however, throughout the interior of Servia
are large numbers of W allachian peasants and labourers,
who are under the governance of the bishops of the
country, but who have their • own distinctive churches
and parish priests, and who make use of the. liturgy of
the East translated into the W allachian language.
Except, .however, in this, their churches differ in no
·respect from the rest of the churches of Servia. One
practical • inconvenience, indeed, results from this
f3eparation of the - W allachian and Servian congregations.
The small village, which otherwise would
require but one church, and is oftentimes utterly
incapable of supporting more than one with its ministering
priest, is compelled to divide the means of
subsistence-it is hardly m~re than this-between two
priests, and to .maintain two ~ua~d churche~ This
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