Mihailo Jovanović (; 19 August 1826 – 17 February 1898) was the Metropolitan of Belgrade from 1859 to 1881 and again from 1889 until his death in 1898. Mihailo's time in office was marked with modernization in church management and in the education of priests. During his tenure, the Metropolitanate of Belgrade was awarded

autocephaly Autocephaly (; ) is the status of a hierarchical Christian church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. The term is primarily used in Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches. The status has been compared with t ...

from the

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is heade ...

, following the Serbian–Turkish Wars of 1876 to 1878. Politically, Mihailo was a convinced Russophile and maintained numerous close ties with

Pan-Slavic Pan-Slavism, a movement that took shape in the mid-19th century, is the political ideology concerned with promoting integrity and unity for the Slavic people. Its main impact occurred in the Balkans, where non-Slavic empires had ruled the South S ...

circles in the

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and

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

s. For this reason, he came into conflict with the Austrophile Prince Milan Obrenović, sparking the so-called Church Question () which eventually led to a drastic cooling of relations between Serbia and Russia. Mihailo was removed from his position of Metropolitan in 1881, living in exile in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

and Russia from 1883 to 1889, only returning after Milan Obrenović had abdicated. His full title was the ''Archbishop of Belgrade and Metropolitan of Serbia''.

Early life and education

Mihailo was born Miloje Jovanović on 19 August 1826 in

Sokobanja Sokobanja ( sr-cyr, Сокобања, ) is a spa town and municipality located in the Zaječar District of the eastern Serbia. As of 2022, the population of the town is 7,188, while population of the municipality is 13,199. Geography Sokobanja ...

to Milovan and Marija Jovanović. He attended elementary school at his hometown, and studied gymnasium in

Zaječar Zaječar ( sr-Cyrl, Зајечар, ; or ) is a city and the administrative center of the Zaječar District in eastern Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the city administrative area had a population of 48,621 inhabitants. Zaječar is widely ...

and

Negotin Negotin ( sr-cyrl, Неготин, ; ) is a town and municipality located in the Bor District of Southern and Eastern Serbia, eastern Serbia. It is situated near the borders between Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. It is the judicial center of the Bo ...

. In Negotin, he studied under Dositej Novaković. He enrolled at the

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

Seminary in 1842 and graduated in 1846. At the initiative of

Metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ar ...

Petar Jovanović, he went to

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

in July 1846 with six friends under the leadership of

Sima Milutinović Sarajlija Simeon "Sima" Milutinović "Sarajlija" ( sr-cyr, Симеон "Сима" Милутиновић "Сарајлија", ; 3 October 1791 – 30 December 1847) was a Serbian poet, hajduk, translator, historian and adventurer. Literary critic Jova ...

. There, he graduated from the

Theological Academy Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ana ...

with a master's degree. He was

tonsure Tonsure () is the practice of cutting or shaving some or all of the hair on the scalp as a sign of religious devotion or humility. The term originates from the Latin word ' (meaning "clipping" or "shearing") and referred to a specific practice in ...

d a monk on 29 March 1853 in the

Kiev Pechersk Lavra The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra or Kyievo-Pecherska Lavra (), also known as the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves, is a historic lavra or large monastery of Eastern Christianity that gave its name to the Pecherskyi District where it is located in Kyiv. Sinc ...

and was given the name Mihailo. He became a

hierodeacon A hierodeacon (Greek: Ἱεροδιάκονος, ''Ierodiákonos''; Slavonic: ''Ierodiakón''), sometimes translated "deacon-monk", in Eastern Orthodox Christianity and all other Churches that follow Byzantine Rite is a monk who has been ordained a ...

on 12 April and a

hieromonk A hieromonk,; Church Slavonic, Slavonic: ''Иеромонахъ''; ; ; ; ; Albanian language, Albanian: ''Hieromurg'' also called a priestmonk, is a person who is both monk and Priest#Roman Catholic and Orthodox, priest in the Eastern Christianity ...

on 16 April. After completing his studies, Mihailo stayed in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

for almost another year, where he visited Moscow, St. Petersburg and the

Optina Monastery The Optina Pustyn (, literally ''Opta's hermitage'') is an Eastern Orthodox monastery for men near Kozelsk in Russia. In the 19th century, the Optina was the most important spiritual centre of the Russian Orthodox Church and served as the model fo ...

near Kozelsk and studied the life of Russian monks. In June 1854, Mihailo returned to Serbia and became a teacher at the Seminary, where he stayed until October when he became

archimandrite The title archimandrite (; ), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot ('' hegumenos'', , present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") whom a bishop appointed to supervise several "ordinary" abbots and monaste ...

of Studenica Monastery. On 14 October 1854 he was ordained Bishop of Šabac.

Metropolitan of Belgrade

On 25 July 1859, he succeeded Petar Jovanović as the Metropolitan of Belgrade. Petar had defected to

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

because of political differences. Mihailo's time in office was marked with modernization in church management and in the education of priests. He oversaw a new church law on 30 September 1862 which modernized the ecclesiastical apparatus, and on 27 September 1863 a law was passed which modernized teaching at the seminary. In 1873, a separate department was opened at the Belgrade seminary for the training of priests that were to proselytize in areas that were still part of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. According to the law of 11 January 1896, training in the seminary lasted nine years. Mihailo also laid the foundations of the discipline of

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

in Serbia. He was particularly interested in dogmatic problems and

practical theology Practical theology is an academic discipline that examines and reflects on religious practices in order to understand the theology enacted in those practices and in order to consider how theological theory and theological practices can be more full ...

. His works on Serbian church history, “Pravoslavna srbska crkva u Knjažestvu Srbii” (The Orthodox Serbian Church in the Principality of Serbia, 1874) and “Pravoslavna crkva u Kraljevini Srbiji” (The Orthodox Church in the Kingdom of Serbia, 1895) are also of interest. Within the church, he separated administration from the judiciary, improved the training of clergy and promoted the monasteries. Mihailo was a convinced Russophile and maintained numerous close ties with

circles in the

, and gathered various figures interested in the unification of the South Slavs, including

Josip Juraj Strossmayer Josip Juraj Strossmayer, also Štrosmajer (; ; 4 February 1815 – 8 April 1905) was a Croatian prelate of the Catholic Church, politician and benefactor (law), benefactor. Between 1849 and his death, he served as the Bishop of Đakovo, Bishop ...

, but also many Bosnian

Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...

, which made him very unpopular in

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. During the Herzegovina Uprising of 1875, Mihailo helped the insurgents materially and politically, and Pan-Slavic committees sent their help for the insurgents through him. During the Serbian–Turkish War of 1878, Mihailo advocated for the

of the Metropolitanate of Belgrade, as well as the

Bulgarian Exarchate The Bulgarian Exarchate (; ) was the official name of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church before its autocephaly was recognized by the Ecumenical See in 1945 and the Bulgarian Patriarchate was restored in 1953. The Exarchate (a de facto autocephaly) ...

, arguing that an additional autonomous metropolitanate should be created from Ottoman areas under the

Serbian Patriarchate of Peć Serbian Patriarchate of Peć (, ''Srpska patrijaršija u Peći''), or simply Peć Patriarchate (, ''Pećka patrijaršija''), was an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Patriarchate that existed from 1346 to 1463, and then again from 155 ...

before 1766, including the Eparchy of

Kyustendil Kyustendil ( ) is a town in the far west of Bulgaria, the capital of the Kyustendil Province, a former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see. The town is situated in the southern part of the Kyustendil Valley, near the borders of ...

, also claimed by the Bulgarian Exarchate. Between the

Treaty of San Stefano The 1878 Preliminary Treaty of San Stefano (; Peace of San-Stefano, ; Peace treaty of San-Stefano, or ) was a treaty between the Russian and Ottoman empires at the conclusion of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. It was signed at San Ste ...

and the

Congress of Berlin At the Congress of Berlin (13 June – 13 July 1878), the major European powers revised the territorial and political terms imposed by the Russian Empire on the Ottoman Empire by the Treaty of San Stefano (March 1878), which had ended the Rus ...

, Mihailo advocated for the autocephaly of Bosnian eparchies and the autonomy of eparchies that were to stay under Ottoman rule. On 20 October 1879, the Metropolitanate of Belgrade gained autocephaly in agreement with the

. He was an honorary member of two universities in

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and

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, from 1869 and 1871, respectively. Mihailo was also active in fighting for humanitarian causes. In 1862, he became the president of the Society for the Freedom of the African Slaves. In February 1876, he became the first president of

Red Cross of Serbia The Red Cross of Serbia () is a humanitarian, non-governmental organisation that provides humanitarian aid, disaster relief and education in Serbia. It is the national affiliate of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societi ...

Dismissal and exile

Mihailo was active in Serbian politics and sympathized with the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

Jovan Ristić Jovan Ristić ( sr-Cyrl, Јован Ристић; 16 January 1831 – 4 September 1899) was a Serbian politician, diplomat and historian. Biography Ristić was born in Kragujevac in a poor family where he attended elementary school. In 1842 he ...

. He sharply condemned the

occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina The campaign to establish Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina lasted from 29 July to 20 October 1878 against the local resistance fighters, Muslims and orthodox Serbs, supported unofficially by troops of the Ottoman Empire. The Austro ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

in 1878, as well as the Austrophile policies of Prince Milan Obrenović. Another point of contention was Mihailo's refusal to divorce Milan from his wife, Princess Natalie. Because of all this, he fell out of favor with

Milan Piroćanac Milan Piroćanac ( sr-cyr, Милан Пироћанац; 7 January 1837 – 1 March 1897) was a Serbian jurist, politician, Prime Minister and the leader and founder of the Serbian Progressive Party (historical), Progressive Party. Early life ...

's Progressive government and was deposed on 18 October 1881 under the new law on taxes, which the then Minister of Education Stojan Novaković had enacted and which also affected the Church. The law was amended in 1882, allowing the government to pack the synod with its own lay delegates, whereby the state had effectively taken over the church, reducing it to something akin to a state agency. The so-called Church Question () eventually led to a drastic cooling of relations between Serbia and Russia. On 11 April 1883, Mihailo left Serbia, headed for

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. His trip was financed by the Russian consul Alexander Ivanovich Persiani. Shortly after stopping on the Bosphorus, he visited

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

. Mihailo spent two months at

Hilandar The Hilandar Monastery (, , , ) is one of the twenty Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Mount Athos in Greece and the only Serbian Orthodox monastery there. It was founded in 1198 by two Serbs from the Grand Principality of Serbia, Stefan Neman ...

. He spent time in

, initially in

Varna Varna may refer to: Places Europe *Varna, Bulgaria, a city ** Varna Province ** Varna Municipality ** Gulf of Varna ** Lake Varna **Varna Necropolis * Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy * Varna (Šabac), a village in Serbia Asia * Var ...

, later moving to Ruse. He was forced to leave most of his stops due to pressure from the Serbian government. In the summer of 1884, Mihailo was allowed to enter Russia, leaving for

on 28 August, where he again stayed at the Pechersk Lavra. During the next five years, Mihailo moved between Kiev and Moscow where he became a gathering point for the

Radicals Radical (from Latin: ', root) may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Classical radicalism, the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and Latin America in the 19th century *Radical politics ...

who emigrated to Russia during the rule of Milan Obrenović. In the eyes of both the Russian government and the ecclesiastical and Pan-Slavic circles, Mihailo became a martyr for the Slavic and Orthodox cause. Mihailo met the Radical leader

Nikola Pašić Nikola Pašić ( sr-Cyrl, Никола Пашић, ; 18 December 1845 – 10 December 1926) was a Serbian and Yugoslav politician and diplomat. During his political career, which spanned almost five decades, he served five times as prime minis ...

, exiled for his role in the Timok Rebellion, in December 1883 en route from

Silistra Silistra ( ; ; or ) is a town in Northeastern Bulgaria. The town lies on the southern bank of the lower Danube river, and is also the part of the Romanian border where it stops following the Danube. Silistra is the administrative center of the ...

to Istanbul, when they agreed on a general plan of cooperation against the Serbian ruler. During their second meeting between May and June 1884, they agreed on an armed insurrection in August 1884, with a back-up plan involving the assassination of Milan Obrenović using a hand grenade. The logistics were to be carried out by

Nicolas Notovitch Shulim or Nikolai Aleksandrovich Notovich (; August 13, 1858 – after 1934), known in the West as Nicolas Notovitch, was a Crimean Jewish adventurer who claimed to be a Russian aristocrat, spy and journalist. Notovitch is known for his 1894 boo ...

. The plan never came to fruition since the Russian leadership at the time was wary of Pašić, who they considered a "

nihilist Nihilism () encompasses various views that reject certain aspects of existence. There have been different nihilist positions, including the views that life is meaningless, that moral values are baseless, and that knowledge is impossible. Thes ...

and rebel", and Notovitch revealed the plan to Interior Minister Stojan Novaković in Belgrade and Serbian envoy

Jovan Marinović Jovan Marinović ( sr-Cyrl, Јован Мариновић; 1821 – August 30, 1893) was a Serbian politician and diplomat. He introduced several enlightened reforms in Serbian political system. As a close collaborator of Minister Ilija Garašani ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. Because of their suspicion of Metropolitan Mihailo's plans of insurrection, fearing a destabilization of Bulgaria, he was allowed to move to Russia in May 1884, but was not allowed to settle in Moscow, the center of the Pan-Slavic movement, instead initially settling in Kiev. In Kiev, Mihailo came into contact with several high-ranking Slavophile figures, including

Ivan Aksakov Ivan Sergeyevich Aksakov (; , village Nadezhdino, Belebeyevsky Uyezd, Orenburg Governorate – , Moscow) was a Russian littérateur and notable Slavophile. Biography Aksakov was born in the village of Nadezhdino (then Orenburg Governorate, no ...

, who would eventually prove to be the central figure promoting Mihailo's and Pašić's plans of armed insurrection. The insurrection was supposed to start in September 1885, but was delayed by the unification of Bulgaria in September and the ensuing

Serbo-Bulgarian War The Serbo-Bulgarian War or the Serbian–Bulgarian War (, ''Srăbsko-bălgarska voyna'', , ''Srpsko-bugarski rat''), a war between the Kingdom of Serbia and the Principality of Bulgaria, erupted on and lasted until . Despite Bulgaria's statu ...

in November 1885. Pašić fled to Russia, where a meeting was set up between Mihailo, Aksakov and General Mikhail Chernyayev in Moscow, where Mihailo had recently moved. The plan they agreed on was never realized because of the general amnesty proclaimed for rebels of the Timok Rebellion, as well as the death of Ivan Aksakov in February 1886. In the spring of 1886, Mihailo again moved to Kiev. Plans were made for a joint attack against Serbia with the Montenegrin Prince Nikola Petrović-Njegoš in the summer of 1886, but were never realized.

Return to Serbia and death

When King Milan abdicated in 1889, Mihailo was able to return to Serbia and was reinstated as Metropolitan of Belgrade on 28 May 1889, which he then held until his death. This, in the end, did not reinvigorate the church's power after it had been subordinated by the state. The new law on ecclesiastical organization promulgated in 1890 affirmed the increased influence of state authorities in the selection of the Metropolitan as well as justices of the ecclesiastical court. Mihailo remained the Metropolitan of Belgrade until his death in 1898, during the reign of Milan's son King

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon from 495 to 454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas, ruler of the Seleucid Empire 150-145 BC * Pope Alex ...

. He was buried in Belgrade's Cathedral, the

Saborna crkva ''Saborna crkva'' ( sr-Cyrl, Саборна црква, links=no) means 'Orthodox cathedral'. It may refer to the following cathedrals: * St. Michael's Cathedral (Belgrade) * Saint George's Cathedral (Novi Sad) * Holy Trinity Cathedral (Niš) * ...

Gallery

File:ArzobispoMiguelDeSerbia--belgradewhitecit00amesrich.jpg, Portrait of Mihailo Jovanović File:Mihailo Jovanović.JPG, Bust of Mihailo Jovanović in the courtyard of the

File:Bosanska vila 1897.png, Front page of the

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

-based

Bosnian Serb The Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sr-Cyrl, Срби Босне и Херцеговине, Srbi Bosne i Hercegovine), often referred to as Bosnian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, босански Срби, bosanski Srbi) or Herzegovinian Serbs ( sr-cyrl, � ...

literary magazine ''Bosanska vila'' (''Bosnian fairy'') on 15 January 1897, depicting Metropolitan Mihailo. File:Metropolitan bishop of Belgrade Mihailo.jpg, Photograph of Mihailo Jovanović by Milan Jovanović, 1895.

Works

Metropolitan Mihailo authored publications about church history: * ''Pravoslavna crkva u Kneževini Srbiji'' (''Orthodox Church in the Principality of Serbia'', published in 1874) * ''Pravoslavna crkva u Kraljevini Srbiji'' (''Orthodox Church in the Kingdom of Serbia'', published in 1895)

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jovanovic, Mihailo 1826 births 1898 deaths 19th-century Eastern Orthodox bishops Eastern Orthodox Christians from Serbia Kiev Theological Academy alumni Metropolitans of Belgrade People from Sokobanja People from the Principality of Serbia Burials at St. Michael's Cathedral (Belgrade)