Vikentije (II) ( sr-cyr, Викентије,
secular name
A legal name is the name that identifies a person for legal, administrative and other official purposes. A person's legal birth name generally is the name of the person that was given for the purpose of registration of the birth and which then ap ...
Vitomir Prodanov, Витомир Проданов; 23 August 1890 – 5 July 1958) was the fourth
partriach of the reunified
Serbian Orthodox Church, from 1950 until his death.
Early life
Vitomir Prodanov was born on August 23, 1890, in the village of
Bačko Petrovo Selo
Bačko Petrovo Selo ( sr-cyr, Бачко Петрово Село; Hungarian: ''Péterréve'', German: ''Batschko Petrovo Selo'') is a village located in the Bečej Municipality, in the South Bačka District of Serbia. It is situated in the Auton ...
, then in the
Hungarian part of
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
. He was born into the family of Đorđe and Jelka Prodanov. He completed his elementary education in Bačko Petrovo Selo in 1901. After that, he entered the
Serbian Gymnasium in
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; hu, Újvidék, ; german: Neusatz; see below for other names) is the second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pan ...
from which he graduated in 1909. He continued his higher education in the
Serbian Orthodox Theology School in
Sremski Karlovci
Sremski Karlovci ( sr-cyrl, Сремски Карловци, ; hu, Karlóca; tr, Karlofça) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka District of the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is situated on the banks of the Danu ...
, graduating in 1913. He then returned to
Bačko Petrovo Selo
Bačko Petrovo Selo ( sr-cyr, Бачко Петрово Село; Hungarian: ''Péterréve'', German: ''Batschko Petrovo Selo'') is a village located in the Bečej Municipality, in the South Bačka District of Serbia. It is situated in the Auton ...
as a teacher. On 1 June 1917, Bishop
Georgije Letić of Eparchy of
Temišvar appointed him consistorial sub-notary for the Diocese of
Temišvar (now better known as
Timisoara,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
).
On 18 August 1917, Prodanov took
monastic vows in
Bezdin Monastery (in what is now
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
) before
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") wh ...
Issac Došen Issac may refer to:
Given name
* Issac Amaldas, Indian boxer
* Issac Bailey, American writer
* Issac Blakeney (born 1992), American football wide receiver
* Issac Booth (born 1971), American football player
* Issac Ryan Brown (born 2005), Ameri ...
and was given the name Vikentije (eng.
Vicentius
Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer'').
People with the given name Artists
*Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor
*Vincent van Gogh ...
). He was
ordain
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform var ...
ed a
deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...
on 12 September by Bpishop Georgije. In 1919, he was transferred to the post of a consistorial notary of the
Eparchy of Bačka
The Eparchy of Bačka ( sr, Бачка епархија, Bačka eparhija) is an ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Bačka region, Serbia. It is situated in the autonomous province of Vojvodina and the seat of ...
. He was raised to the dignity of
protodeacon and then
archdeacon. From 1921 to 1932 he served as secretary of the executive board of Serbian
monasteries
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
. During this time he continued his education at the
Philosophical Faculty in Belgrade studying
National
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
and
Byzantine History
This history of the Byzantine Empire covers the history of the Eastern Roman Empire from late antiquity until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 AD. Several events from the 4th to 6th centuries mark the transitional period during which the Rom ...
. He graduated in 1929. On 31 October 1929, he was ordained a
hieromonk
A hieromonk ( el, Ἱερομόναχος, Ieromonachos; ka, მღვდელმონაზონი, tr; Slavonic: ''Ieromonakh'', ro, Ieromonah), also called a priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Eastern Orthodox Church an ...
, and on 3 December, he was raised to the rank of
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") wh ...
. In 1932, Vikentije was elected Secretary-General of the
Holy Synod
In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox C ...
of the Serbian Orthodox Church. He remained in this position until he was elected
titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.
By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...
of Marča, on 4 July 1932. He was
consecrated by
Serbian Patriarch Varnava
Varnava Rosić ( sr-cyr, Варнава Росић; September 11, 1880 – July 23, 1937) was the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church from 1930 to 1937. He was born Petar Rosić in Pljevlja, belonging at that time to the Ottoman Empire, on A ...
, assisted by bishops Irinej of Bačka, Serafim of Raška, and Prizren, Sava of Srem, and
Platon of Banja Luka.
Vikentije was a historian and a member of the Society of Historians of Vojvodina. He also was editor-in-chief of its gazette.
Bishop
Vikentije remained an
auxiliary bishop until 1939 when he was elected Bishop of
Zletovo and
Strumica. In 1940, he was additionally assigned the task of administrating the Eparchy of
Ohrid
Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the List of cities in North Macedonia, eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording ...
and
Bitola. After the
Germans and Bulgarians occupied his eparchies in 1941, he was exiled by Bulgarian fascists and fled to
Belgrade. After
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the Communist regime of Yugoslavia did not allow him to return to his duties because they wanted to create a separate
Macedonian Orthodox Church
The Macedonian Orthodox Church – Archdiocese of Ohrid (MOC-AO; mk, Македонска православна црква – Охридска архиепископија), or simply the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC) or the Archdiocese o ...
. From 1947 to 1950, Vikentije was the administrator of the
Eparchy of Žiča
Eparchy of Žiča is one of the eparchies of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Republic of Serbia. It is seated in Kraljevo, in the Monastery of Žiča. Since 2014, diocesan bishop is Justin Stefanović.
History
The Eparchy of Žiča is na ...
.
Patriarch
Vikentije was elected Serbian Patriarch on 14 July 1950. He placed enormous energy into trying to resolve the problem of Pension Security funds for
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...
s of the Serbian Church. Vikentije was the first Serbian Patriarch to visit Russia in almost 50 years.
He was strongly opposed to the splitting of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the creation of a separate Macedonian Church.
Patriarch Vikentije died on 5 July 1958 under mysterious circumstances (like Patriarch Varnava) after a session of the Holy Assembly of bishops at which the assembly rejected suggestions from the communist regime to approve the establishment of a separate Macedonian Orthodox Church. He was buried in the tomb of Metropolitan Mihailo in the
St. Michael's Cathedral in
Belgrade.
See also
*
List of 20th-century religious leaders
This is a list of the top-level leaders for religious groups with at least 50,000 adherents, and that led anytime from January 1, 1901, to December 31, 2000. It should likewise only name leaders listed on other articles and lists.
...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vikentije
1890 births
1958 deaths
People from Bečej
Vikentije II
20th-century Serbian people
20th-century Eastern Orthodox bishops
Burials at St. Michael's Cathedral (Belgrade)