Nikolaj Mandić ( sr, Николај Мандић, born sr, Петар Мандић, Petar Mandić;
Gračac
Gračac (; ) is a town and municipality in the southern part of Lika, Croatia. The municipality is administratively part of Zadar County.
Gračac is located south of Udbina, northeast of Obrovac, northwest of Knin and southeast of Gospić.
Settl ...
,
Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...
, 5 August 1840 -
Opatija
Opatija (; it, Abbazia; german: Sankt Jakobi) is a town and a municipality in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in western Croatia. The traditional seaside resort on the Kvarner Gulf is known for its Mediterranean climate and its historic buildings r ...
, Austrian Empire, 2 August 1907) was a
Serb
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
ian
Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...
theologian, Metropolitan of the
Metropolitanate of Dabar-Bosna
The Metropolitanate of Dabar-Bosnia ( sr, Митрополија дабробосанска / Mitropolija dabrobosanska) is a metropolis of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina, seated in Sarajevo. Since 2017, Metropolitan ...
(1896-1907) and Metropolitan of the Diocese of Zvornik-Tuzla from 1892 to 1896 (now
Eparchy of Zvornik and Tuzla
The Eparchy of Zvornik and Tuzla ( sr, Епархија зворничко-тузланска) is an eparchy of the Serbian Orthodox Church with its seat in Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has jurisdiction over the north-eastern regions o ...
).
Biography
Petar Mandić was born in Upper
Gračac
Gračac (; ) is a town and municipality in the southern part of Lika, Croatia. The municipality is administratively part of Zadar County.
Gračac is located south of Udbina, northeast of Obrovac, northwest of Knin and southeast of Gospić.
Settl ...
to parents Nikola Mandić and Soka (née Budisavljević) Mandić, brother of Georgina Đuka (Mandić) Tesla and Toma Mandić. The great
Serbian-American
Serbian Americans ( sr, / ) or American Serbs (), are Americans of Serb ethnic ancestry. As of 2013, there were about 190,000 American citizens who identified as having Serb ancestry. However, the number may be significantly higher, as there w ...
Gomirje Monastery
Gomirje Monastery ( sr, Манастир Гомирје, Manastir Gomirje) is a Serbian Orthodox monastery in Croatia. It is the westernmost Serb Orthodox monastery, located in the western part of Croatia near the village of Gomirje, near the town ...
, where he adopted the monastic name of Nikolaj, served as head of the monastery brotherhood (
archimandrite
The title archimandrite ( gr, ἀρχιμανδρίτης, archimandritēs), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot (''hegumenos'', gr, ἡγούμενος, present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") who ...
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 ...
in 1896 as ''Vladika'' Nikolaj (Mandić). Later, he served as Metropolitan of the Metropolitanate of Dabar-Bosna from 7 November 1896 to 2 August 1907.
Gomirje
Gomirje is a settlement in north-western Croatia, situated at the far east of the mountainous region of Gorski kotar in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. It is part of the Vrbovsko municipality. The population is 343 (as of the 2011 census).
De ...
.
Bishop Nikolaj (Petar Mandić) was left with no heirs, but he turned all his attention and love towards Nikola Tesla, his nephew, after the tragedy that befell his own family. Bishop Nikolay (Mandić ensured that after the death of Milutin Tesla (Nikola Tesla's father) in 1879, Nikola Tesla's education was paid for and that he had everything he needed to succeed in life. His two wealthy brothers—Pajo and Trifun Mandić—also assisted their talented young nephew with his higher education and subsequent emigration from
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life.name="auto"
Bishop Nikolaj, during the administration of the Zvornik-Tuzla Diocese (1892-1896) and later, during the reign of the Dabar-Bosna Diocese, was considered to be the leader of the so-called pro-government faction of the Serb clergy and is remembered as such.