Part of the lead roof of the church of Ljeviska, Mother of God in Prizren has been stolen, the Raska-Prizren Eparchy communicated.

Experts have determined that 20 square meters of roof has been stolen and that is why damp appeared in part of the church vault, which could jeopardize the paintings.

The Eparchy has most severely protested because it is the third time that the lead roof of this church has been stolen over the past five years.

The seriousness of the case is testified to by the fact that the church is under the constant protection of the Kosovo police, whose members, although their checkpoint is right in front of the shrine, have not even registered the theft.

An urgent investigation has been requested of international officials not only about perpetrators, but also into the responsibility of the Kosovo police that, as it is stated, allowed this shameful act through its own negligence.

This incident shows that the Serbian spiritual and cultural heritage in Kosovo must be under the special long term international protection rather than the protection of the Kosovo institutions, the Eparchy emphasizes.

This sacred site of the Serbian Orthodox Church, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, was set ablaze during the violence of Kosovo Albanians in 2004.