The Serbian Orthodox Church has honored the memory of its newest saint, Nun Ephimia of Devich, during a solemn Divine Liturgy held at the ancient Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul near Novi Pazar in southwestern Serbia.

The September 13 service was part of an annual church gathering dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul and to the Christian heritage of the historic Raška region. The liturgy was led by Metropolitan Theodosius of Raška and Prizren, alongside Patriarchal Vicar Bishop Tikhon, other clergy and numerous faithful, according to the diocese.

Known as Peter's Church, the historic sanctuary stands near Novi Pazar on the site of ancient Ras, a major center of medieval Serbian statehood. According to UNESCO, the church was built in the 10th century over an earlier Christian structure and is regarded as the oldest surviving Christian church in the Balkans. In 1979, it became part of the UNESCO World Heritage site encompassing Stari Ras and the monasteries of Sopoćani and Đurđevi Stupovi.

In his sermon, Bishop Tikhon emphasized the continuity of Christian tradition in the Raška region. He described Peter's Church as a witness to the transmission of the Orthodox faith from one generation to the next. The area holds particular significance for the Serbian Orthodox Church because it was once the center of the Diocese of Raška and is closely associated with the history of Saint Sava, the first archbishop of the Serbian Church.

A central part of the celebration was the commemoration of Venerable Ephimia of Devich, popularly known as Blessed Stojna. In May 2026, the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church officially recognized the nun as a saint, citing her life as an example of Christian virtue and ascetic devotion. Her feast day has been established as February 28, corresponding to February 15 according to the Julian calendar.

Ephimia was born Stojna Zarić in 1815 in the village of Lopiže, near Sjenica. As a young woman, she traveled to Devich Monastery in Kosovo and Metohija, where she entered monastic life and took the name Ephimia.

At the monastery, she lived as a strict ascetic and hermit, devoting much of her time to prayer and caring for the monastery's holy sites. Orthodox tradition also describes her as a holy fool — an ascetic who deliberately rejected conventional social behavior as part of a life devoted to spiritual service. Accounts of her life say she was known for her directness and for urging people to repentance.

Ephimia was widely respected by residents of the Raška region and Kosovo and Metohija. One of the earliest accounts of her life was written by Serbian bishop and theologian Nikolaj Velimirović.

She died in 1895 in the area of Novi Pazar and was buried near Peter's Church in ancient Ras. More than a century later, the Serbian Orthodox Church's formal canonization has brought renewed attention to her life and to the centuries-old Christian heritage of the Raška region.