Deacon Avakum (

Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet ( sr, / , ) is a variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language, updated in 1818 by Serbian linguist Vuk Karadžić. It is one of the two alphabets used to write standard modern Serbian, th ...

: Ђакон Авакум; 1794 – 30 December 1814) was a Serbian Orthodox monk who inspired his people to rise against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

and in so doing suffered a martyr's death. His name was added by the

Serbian Orthodox Church The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches. The majori ...

to the Calendar of Saints. Avakum is the

Serbian language Serbian (, ) is the standardized variety of the Serbo-Croatian language mainly used by Serbs. It is the official and national language of Serbia, one of the three official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina and co-official in Montenegro and Kos ...

translation of the name

Habakkuk Habakkuk, who was active around 612 BC, was a prophet whose oracles and prayer are recorded in the Book of Habakkuk, the eighth of the collected twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible. He is revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Almost al ...

Biography

Born in

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and He ...

in 1794, Lepoje was his Christian name at baptism. When Lepoje was still young, his father died. His mother took him to the Moštanica Monastery, near

Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city of Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is also the ''de facto'' capital of this entity. I ...

, where Lepoje's uncle was the abbot. There he was educated and later became a monk, taking the name of Avakum. At eighteen, he was an ordained deacon. In 1809, the monks of the Mošatanica Monastery who took part in an unsuccessful revolt against the Turks had to flee to another monastery in Trnava, a village near

Čačak Čačak ( sr-Cyrl, Чачак, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Moravica District in central Serbia. It is located in the West Morava Valley within the geographical region of Šumadija. , the city proper has 73,331 inhabitants, wh ...

, where the Hegumen was Pajsije. After the failed Karađorđe’s revolt in 1813, the Turks began a reign of terror against the Serbs. The people decided to attempt yet another

revolt Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

, this time under

Hadži-Prodan Gligorijević Prodan Gligorijević, known simply as Hadži-Prodan ( sr-cyr, Хаџи-Продан Глигоријевић; 1760 – 1825) was a Serbian ''voivode'' (military commander) in the First Serbian Uprising of the Serbian Revolution, then the Greek ...

, and the monks of the Trnava village became actively involved, among them were deacon Avakum, hegumen Pajsije, hieromonk Genadije, and priest Radovan Vujović. The rebellion took place on the Feast of the Cross (September 14), but it was crushed by the Turks. Many people were captured, and some were executed on the spot as a warning to others while the rest were sent to Belgrade to face charges. Among the prisoners were Avakum and Pajsije. The Turks offered to free anyone who would convert to Islam. Some of the prisoners agreed to this, but the majority refused to deny Christ, and so they were put to death, including Avakum and Pajsije. Saint Avakum the deacon is commemorated on December 17 along with Saint Pajsije.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Avakum, Deacon 1794 births 1814 deaths People from Dubica, Bosnia and Herzegovina Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Serbian Orthodox clergy Serbian saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church Persecution of Serbs Persecution of Eastern Orthodox Christians Persecution of Christians in the Ottoman Empire Christian saints killed by Muslims Christians executed for refusing to convert to Islam 19th-century Eastern Orthodox martyrs 19th-century Christian saints Hieromartyrs People executed by impalement