Petar Koriški (in Serbian: Петар Коришки; lived in the 13th century) was the first anachoretic saint of

Medieval Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia ( sr, / ), or the Serbian Kingdom ( sr, / ), was a medieval Serbian state that existed from 1217 to 1346 and was ruled by the Nemanjić dynasty. The Grand Principality of Serbia was elevated with the regal coronation ...

, who lived in a cave on Rusenica mountain, part of the Šar Mountains range, where he gained fame as an

ascetic Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...

wonderworker among his people. 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 ...

now venerates him on 5 June ( Julian Calendar). He was born in Ujmir, a village south-west of

Peja Peja ( Indefinite Albanian form: ''Pejë'' ) or Peć ( sr-Cyrl, Пећ ) is the fourth largest city of Kosovo and seat of Peja Municipality and Peja District. It is situated in the region of Rugova on the eastern section of the Accursed Mount ...

and died in Koriša, which is located in Kosovo. Petar and his sister, after the death of their parents, joined a monastic community and later both became hermits. It is said that Petar healed those who sought his help and his fame spread with the ensuing years, transforming into the "Cult of Petar of Koriša." His rock-cut monastery is also known as the

Hermitage of St. Peter of Koriša The Hermitage and Monastery of Saint Peter Koriški ( sr, Испосница и манастир Светог Петра Коришког, Isposnica i manastir Svetog Petra Koriškog; sq, Vetmia e Shën Petrit Korishës) is a ruin of the hermita ...

. Petar Koriški was the only saint that was neither a state ruler nor head of the Church, though an exception was made in his case by the

. In the next century, Teodosije the Hilandarian popularized Petar in his 1310 realistic work titled "The Life of Petar of Koriša." Teodosije's narrative demonstrated the characteristics of a

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

References

{{reflist Serbian saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church

See also

References