Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-07
SERvIA's YOUNG BOY KING.
His Coronation In the Ancient Gritcha
Church Near kraljevo.

From the Boston Advertiser.
The coronation of the young king of Servia-
Alexander, the son of Milan and Nathalie
took place on July Q in the ancient monastery
of Gritcha or Litcha, near Kraljevo, in south.
ern Servia, close to the Turkish border. In
this monastery in the middle ages sew en- Of the
Servian kings we're crowned II il the oldest
church in Servia and lies about half an hours
drive out of Kraljevo, which Is itself COM
paratively modern town, designed and built In
original fashi0n after . gsometric pattern,
having two inner circles, from which the streets
radiate with mathematical precision. The
monastery is said to be half In ruins, and the
frescoes with which the interior is covered
have mostly peeled of with time Wherever
the traces of the saints and apostles are left
they are sightless, the Turks having Knocked
and chiseled away the eyes. None of them.
however. has ever possessed any great artistic
merit, and it may be doubted if they are not as
attractive in their decay AZ they ever were in
tn cir original freshness. The building stands
on o little hillock, rising amid an sxpanse Of
lovely meadow land, half cultivated and halt
wooded, like a park, watered with the Ibar,
which joins the Moravs just below Kraljevo.
The boy monarch Of this newly revived an
cient realm was born in 1875: he will be thir-
mother are excessively attached to him in spite
of their own differences. He Ia described az Q
tall slim-looking boy, with deep black eyes
and the keen, penetrating look peculiar TO his
father, whose nervousness, relentlessness and
naughty bearing he also Inherits.
At o'clock n cavalry escort clattered ND an
nouncing the royal carriage, and King Alexsn.
der alighted, to be joined immediately by II.
Persiani in full diplomatic uniform and wear
ing the grand Gordon Of Takovo. The two re-
gents followed closely, with the ministers in
with their embroidered banners, and next the
foreign guests As the procession passed along
the peasant girls threw handfuls OF wild flowers
on the ground which had been covered an
hour before with freshly-cut grass, till the path
presented the appearance of anew-mown field
q most original and effective method of hiding
stones and laying the dust.
ION arriving at the entrance to the monastery
plateau Archbishop Michael kissed both the
king and the Russian minister, sprinkling them
at the same time with holy water and giving
Immediately concerned had entered the church
a noisy scramble was made to obtain admittance
and in less than five minutes it Was 90 tightly
packed that at the moment when all present
had to kneel to invoke the blessing of Heaven
on the newly-anointed king it was with great
difficulty that anybody could move at all. After
a few short prayers the metropolitan delivered
an extempore address, which was to all intents
repetition Of that given at Krushevatx, and
Alexander then read over the confession OF the
orthodox faith in . voice fairly audible, but q
good deal broken by natural excitemeut and
emotion. Indeed, 1t Is hard to realize that the
boy is only thirteen years, and the chief cause
fof wonder Ii that 0ne 80 young should ecouit
himself 30 well In public.