The article examines the specific phenomenon of the return of Serbian Orthodox Church music to Byzantine chant in the turbulent period of the early 1990s. The framework for the study is an analysis of a unique movement among younger generations of Serbian believers for the revival of ecclesiastical heritage in church art, particularly music. This paper highlights: (1) the reasons behind a deep spiritual crisis that preceded affirmation of Byzantine chant, (2) (in)correct perceptions of Eastern Christian tradition and heritage among Serbs actively engaged in the liturgical life of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the 1990s, and (3) some pros and cons of the unique musical tradition of the Eastern Church and the national variants of church singing, such as the Serbian church chant. The article concludes that even in today’s circumstances, the Orthodox
Serbs who ground their national identity in Eastern Christian/ Byzantine religious heritage regardless of the existing borders of the Serbian state – have a reason to consider themselves a
part of Byzantine and Mediterranean Europe
