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The diocese of Dabar-bosnia |
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"As with a sword my bones, my enemies reproach me: while they say daily unto me Where is thy God?" (Psalm 42:10)
The See of the first Diocese of Bosnia after the Serbs accepted Christianity was established near the church of Saint Peter in Ban Brdo. When Saint Sava organized the Serbian Church in 1219, he established a Diocese for Bosnia in Dabar; and after the fall of Bosnia to the Turks in 1463, the Metropolitan of the Diocese of Dabar-Bosnia received spiritual authority over the Orthodox faithful throughout Bosnia, as "Exarch of all Bosnia". The See of the Dabar-Bosnian Metropolitan was first in Dabar, in Monastery Banja; then it was moved westwards, being located for some time in Monastery Rmanj at the juncture of Bosnia-Dalmatia-Croatia. Finally the See was instituted in Sarajevo, in 1713, where it remains to this day. After the dissolution of the Patriarchate of Pec in 1766, Greek Bishops occupied the throne of the Diocese of Dabar-Bosnia. It was only in 1880 that, according to a convention between the Austro-Hungarian State and the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Orthodox Church in Bosnia and Hercegovina became an autonomous Metropolitanate, comprising not only the Diocese of Dabar-Bosnia, but also the Dioceses of Zvornik, of Zahum-Hercegovina, and later of Banja Luka-Bihac. At that time, the Orthodox Church in Bosnia and Hercegovina received its own national Hierarchy. The first Serbian Metropolitan of Dabar-Bosnia was Sava Kosanovic (1881–1885); but due to his conflicts with aggressive Austro-Roman Catholic proselytizers, he was forced to resign. His successors continued the struggle for the defense of ecclesial autonomy and national enlightenment. Upon the unification of the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1920, the Metropolitanate of Dabar-Bosnia, as well as the other Dioceses in Bosnia and Hercegovina, were incorporated into the restored Serbian Patriarchate. The Theological Seminary, located in Reljevo until the First World War and moved then to Sarajevo between the two World Wars, came to an end during the sufferings of the Serbian Orthodox Church and its faithful after 1941. The old Church Museum in Sarajevo, through its exhibits, speaks eloquently about the pious and cultural endeavors of the Orthodox Serbs in Sarajevo, and in the Diocese of Dabar-Bosnia, for centuries past. The Metropolitans of Dabar-Bosnia known to have who resided in Banja are: Josif (1575) and Gavrilo Avramovic (1575–1588) – who relocated the See in Monastery Rmanj, then crossed Lika to Slavonska Krajina, under Austrian rule at the time. The following Hierarchs resided in various Monasteries in western Bosnia: Aksentije (1589–1601), Teodor (1601–1619), Makarije (1620), Isaija II (1628–1635), Longin (1657), Hristifor (1671–1681), Atanasije Ljubojevic (1681–1688), Visarion (1690–1708), Isaija III (1708–1709) and Mojsije Petrovic (1709–1713). Following the dissolution of the Patriarchate of Pec (1766), the Patriarchate of Constantinople assigned mainly Greek Metropolitans (Phanariots) to the Diocese of Dabar-Bosnia. These were: Danilo (1769), Kiril (1776–1779), Benedikt Kraljevic (1805–1808), Kalinik (1809–1817), Venijamin (1817–1835), Amvrosije (1835–1840), Ignjatije I (1841–1850), Prokopije (1851–1853), Dionisije I (1856–1860), Ignjatije II (1861–1868), Dionisije II Ilic (1868–1871), Pajsije (1871–1874) and Antim (1874–1880). After the convention of 1880 between Austro-Hungary and the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Metropolitan Antim was forced to resign, and in his place was taken by Metropolitan Sava Kosanovic (1881–1885), followed by Djordje Nikolajevic (1885–1896), Nikolaj Mandic (1896–1907), Evgenije Letica (1907–1920), Petar Zimonjic (1921–1941), who was martyred at the hands of the Ustashas, Nektarije Krulj (1947–1966) and Vladislav Mitrovic (1967–1992). The present Metropolitan is Nikolaj (Mrdja).
In the Diocese of Dabar-Bosnia during this last war (1991–1995), 23 churches were destroyed, and 13 damaged. Eleven parish homes and other church buildings were destroyed, and three parish homes were damaged. On the territory of the Diocese of Dabar-Bosnia, the national heritage of the Serbs was obliterated with equal intensity by both Muslim and Croatians nationalists. Numerous examples bear witness to these evil deeds. The Church of Saint George in Kopaci (Donja Sopotnica) – the endowment of Herceg Stjepan from 1446 – was plundered, and then burnt down by Muslim fundamentalists in 1993. They destroyed the Memorial plaque near the church, and bulldozed the Serbian cemetery. Within the complex of the above-mentioned church was a Serbian printing shop from 1529 to 1531. The Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Jabuka, near Srbinje (Foca) was renovated and consecrated on 15 August, 1991. After less than a year, on 23 July, 1992, the Ustashas dynamited and completely demolished it. The Serbian cemetery nearby was destroyed as well. The Church of Greatmartyr Saint George in Trnovo was erected in 1886, and reconstructed in 1986; the Muslims plundered and then in July of 1992 burnt it down. The priest, Nedeljko Popovic, was tortured and then murdered in Godinjske Bare, near Trnovo, on 10 June, 1992. His grave was located after the liberation of Trnovo, and his remains were transferred to Trnovo and buried in the churchyard. |
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The Metropolitanate of Dabar-Bosnia experienced great difficulties during the
Second World War. Sixteen priests and three monks suffered martyrdom. When Metropolitan
Petar Zimonjic was warned by his close associates that he was in great danger from the
Ustashas, he answered: "I am the shepherd of the people, and my duty is to be with my
people in good and in evil." He was imprisoned by the Ustashas on 12 May, 1941, and
taken to Sarajevo. Before being arrested, he had conveyed a message to his priests:
"Stay in your parishes, and whatever happens to the people, let it be your destiny as
well." From Sarajevo he was transferred to Zagreb, where he was assigned prisoner
number 34; from Zagreb he was moved to Korenica, and then to Gospic on 15 June, 1941.
While in prison he underwent every type of torture and humiliation. Together with 55
Orthodox priests, he was thrown into Jadovno pit on Mount Velebit.
