2408-932XResearch Result. Social Studies and Humanities2408-932X10.18413/2408-932X-2018-4-2-0-11443RESEARCHESSISTERHOOD OF THE LESNA CONVENT AND THEIR SPIRITUAL WORK IN SERBIA IN THE BEGINNING OF THE 20th CENTURYSISTERHOOD OF THE LESNA CONVENT AND THEIR SPIRITUAL WORK IN SERBIA IN THE BEGINNING OF THE 20th CENTURYMarkovićDejanMarkovićDejandejan.markovic@filfak.ni.ac.rs20184200

The October Revolution in Russia led to a difficult situation in the Russian Orthodox Church and caused many Russians to emigrate to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1918-1929). By accepting Serbia as its second homeland, Russians participated, among other things, in the foundation of monasteries and restoration of entire spiritual and cultural life of Serbs. The Russian clergy who fled to the Kingdom of SHS have left an idelible mark on Serbian spiritual life and culture. There is no precise data on the total number of these clergy, since many of them came to Serbia only in transit, and did not have to apply to the state authorities for service. They were placed under the authority of the Serbian Orthodox Church in a number of eparchys, without keeping centralized record of their tenure. The tradition of convents in the region was slowly extinguishing at that time, due to very difficult conditions for such activity under Turkish rule. In a wave of Russian emigration from 1920’s, 80 nuns from the Lesna Convent of the Most-Holy Mother of God are standing out, led by hegumenia Yekaterina. With the permition of the Serbian Ortodox Church, they settle the monastery Hopovo in Fruska Gora. They leave an indelible mark in the development and direction of Serbian monasticism, raise spirituality and life in general, restore abandoned monasteries from the period of slavery under the Turks, and give new life to the declining Serbian female monasticism. Thanks to their effort, other Serbo-Russian or only Russian convents start to appear, where pupils of mother Yekaterina were appointed hegumenias. Therefore, she became the founder of modern Serbian female monasticism.

The October Revolution in Russia led to a difficult situation in the Russian Orthodox Church and caused many Russians to emigrate to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (1918-1929). By accepting Serbia as its second homeland, Russians participated, among other things, in the foundation of monasteries and restoration of entire spiritual and cultural life of Serbs. The Russian clergy who fled to the Kingdom of SHS have left an idelible mark on Serbian spiritual life and culture. There is no precise data on the total number of these clergy, since many of them came to Serbia only in transit, and did not have to apply to the state authorities for service. They were placed under the authority of the Serbian Orthodox Church in a number of eparchys, without keeping centralized record of their tenure. The tradition of convents in the region was slowly extinguishing at that time, due to very difficult conditions for such activity under Turkish rule. In a wave of Russian emigration from 1920’s, 80 nuns from the Lesna Convent of the Most-Holy Mother of God are standing out, led by hegumenia Yekaterina. With the permition of the Serbian Ortodox Church, they settle the monastery Hopovo in Fruska Gora. They leave an indelible mark in the development and direction of Serbian monasticism, raise spirituality and life in general, restore abandoned monasteries from the period of slavery under the Turks, and give new life to the declining Serbian female monasticism. Thanks to their effort, other Serbo-Russian or only Russian convents start to appear, where pupils of mother Yekaterina were appointed hegumenias. Therefore, she became the founder of modern Serbian female monasticism.

Serbian female monasticismLesna Convent of the Most-Holy Mother of Godnun sisterhoodhegumenia YekaterinaHopovoSerbian female monasticismLesna Convent of the Most-Holy Mother of Godnun sisterhoodhegumenia YekaterinaHopovoСписок литературыArsenyev, A. (1994), “Russian intelligentsia in Voevodina. Cultural, educational and economical range of activity”, Ruska emigraciya u srbskoj kulturi XX veka: zbornik radova [Russian emigration in Serbian culture of the XX century: collected articles], Vol. 1, Belgrade, Serbia (In Serb.).Arsenyev, A. (1999), U izluchiny Dunaya: Ocherki zhizni i deyatel’nosty russkih v Novom Sade [At the Danube Bend: Essays on Life and Activities of Russians in the city of NoviSad], in Kudryavcev, V.B. (ed), Russkiy put’, Moscow, Russia (In Russ.).Gatalo, A. and Yeremich, J. (2007), “Holy Serbian mount, Monasticism”, Frushka Gora [Frushka Mountain], Belgrade, Serbia (In Serb.).Kashich, D. (1974), “Schools and teachers”, Istoriya shkole i obrazovanya u Srbiyi [History of school and education in Serbia], Belgrade, Serbia (In Serb.).Koncharevich, K. (2007), Rusko monashtvo u egzilu [Russian monasticism in exile], Pravoslavlye (978), 22-25. (In Serb.)Koncharevich, K. (2010), “The effect of Russian migration on restoration and development of Serbian spiritual monasticism”, Srpska teologiya u dvadesiatom veku: istrazhivachki problem I rezultaty [Proceedings of Serbian theology in the twentieth century: research problems and results], Book 7, Institute of theological research, Belgrade, Serbia, 36-47 (In Serb.).Manukhina, T.N. (1947), Georgiyevskiy Mitropolit Yevlogiy. Put’ moey zhizny. Vospominaniya Mitropolita Yevlogiya (Georgiyevskovo) [Metropolitan Yevlogiy of Georgiyevsk. The road of my life. The memories of Metropolitan Yevlogiy (of Georgiyevsk)], YMCA-PRESS, Paris, France (In Russ.).Mrdzhenovich, D. (2016), Prva srpska igumaniya posle srednyeg veka / monahinya Teodora Vasich [The first Serbian hegumania after the middle ages / nun Theodora Vasich], Skener studio, Belgrade, Serbia (In Serb.).Popovich, Y. (1927), “From the Apocalypsis of our days”, Hrisyanski zhivot [Christian Life], 6 (10-12), 209-243 (In Serb.).Popovich, Y. (1925), “About an extraourdinary Russian woman among us”, Hristyanski zhivot [Christian Life], 6 (12), 543-547 (In Serb.).Radovich, A. and Voyinovich, H. (1971), “Restoration and development of female monasticism”, The yearbook of Serbian Ortodox Church 1920-1970: memorial on 50th anniversary of restoration of Serbian patriarchy, 333-343 (In Serb.).Radovich, R. (1963), Istoriya srpskog zhenskog monashtva [History of Serbian female monasticism], Glasnik SOC, Belgrade, Serbia (In Serb.).Semenov, V.I. (1998), “Ideas of Rachinsky S.A. as a basis for establishment of a humanistic educational system of village schools”, Gumanisticheskie vospitatel’nye systemy vchera I segodnya (v opisaniyah ih avtorov i issledovateley) [The humanistic educational system of past and present], in Sokolova, E.I. and Selivanova, N.L. (Ed.), Pedagogical society of Russia, Moscow, Russia (In Russ.).Sibinovich, M. (1994), “Russian emigration in Serbian culture of the XX century – significance, range and prospects of research”, Ruska emigraciya u srpskoy kulturi XX veka [Russian emigration in Serbian culture of the XX century], Vol. I (In Serb.).Sredoyevich, A. (2013), Patriyarh srpski Dimitriye Pavlovich (1920-1930) [Serbian patriarch Dimitri Pavlovich (1920-1930)], PhD thesis, Faculty of Philosophy, Belgrade, Serbia (In Serb.).Subotich, D. (1996), Episcop Nikolay I pravoslavny bogomol’achki pokret [Bishop Nikolay and the Ortodox worshiping association], Nova Iskra, Belgrade, Serbia (In Serb.).Chirkovich, S. (1974), Uchitel’i i uchilishta. Istoriya shkole i obrazovanya kod Srba [Teacher and schools. History of school and education in Serbia], The Historical Museum of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia (In Serb.).Shematizam istochno pravoslavne sprske patriyarshiye po podacima iz 1924. godine [Organization of eastern Ortodox Serbian patriarchy, according to data from 1924] 1925, Publication of the Holy Synod, Sremski Karlovci, Serbia (In Serb.).Breye, L. (1976), Vizantiyska civilizatsiya [Byzantine civilization], Nolit, Library of literature and civilization, Belgrade, Serbia (In Serb.).