Ilarion Roganović ( sr-Cyrl, Иларион Рогановић; 12 July 1828 – 15 January 1882) was the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Highlands from 1860 to 1882. Earlier, he was also the

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 ...

of the Ždrebaonik, Ostrog and Cetinje Monasteries. He is remembered as the founder of the Committee of the Red Cross of Montenegro.

Biography

Early life

Ilarion was born Ilija Roganović on 12 July 1828 in

Podgorica Podgorica (Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; lit. 'under the hill') is the capital and largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd (Cyrillic: Титоград, ) between 1946 and 1992—in the period that Montenegro form ...

to Đuro and Marija Roganović ( ''née'' Marković). His family was poor, and he was taught by a local priest, Aleksije Radičević, and

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 ...

Isaija Bajković who ordained him as a monk at

Vranjina Monastery The Vranjina Monastery ( sr, Манастир Врањина, Manastir Vranjina), also known as the Vranina Monastery or St. Nicholas' Monastery, is a Serbian Orthodox monastery on the south-east part of Vranjina island on Skadar Lake in Monteneg ...

Service in the church

Metropolitan Petar II ordained him as a

hierodeacon A hierodeacon (Greek: Ἱεροδιάκονος, ''Ierodiákonos''; Slavonic: ''Ierodiakón''), sometimes translated "deacon-monk", in Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a monk who has been ordained a deacon (or deacon who has been tonsured monk). T ...

in 1843 and then as a hieromonk in 1847. After the death of Isaija Bajković, Ilarion became the abbot of Ždrebaonik Monastery near

Danilovgrad Danilovgrad ( cnr, Даниловград) is a town in central Montenegro. It has a population of 6,852 (2011 census). It is situated in the Danilovgrad Municipality which lies along the main route between Montenegro's two largest cities, Podgori ...

. In 1856, he was called to Cetinje to study there, after which he became the abbot of

Ostrog Monastery The Ostrog Monastery ( sr, Манастир Острог, Manastir Ostrog, ) is a monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church situated against an almost vertical background, high up in the large rock of Ostroška Greda, in Montenegro. It is dedicate ...

. From Ostrog, he moved to

Cetinje Monastery The Cetinje Monastery ( sr, Цетињски манастир, Cetinjski manastir) is a monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro. It is located in Cetinje and is the seat of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro. A center of historica ...

where he became

, meaning he was ''de facto'' named successor to the Metropolitan. On 5 August 1860, Prince Nikola named him the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Highlands. On 14 October 1862, he requested Ilarion be consecrated in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, and his request was confirmed on 19 January 1863. Ilarion was consecrated on 23 May 1863 at the

Alexander Nevsky Lavra Saint Alexander Nevsky Lavra or Saint Alexander Nevsky Monastery was founded by Peter I of Russia in 1710 at the eastern end of the Nevsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg, in the belief that this was the site of the Neva Battle in 1240 when Alex ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Death

He died on 15 January 1882, and was buried in the Vlah Church in Cetinje. He was succeeded by Visarion Ljubiša.

Reforms

In 1864, Ilarion introduced an order that reformed the parishes and introduced archpriests. In 1866, parishes were reformed again making them more equal in population. After this, 60 priests were left without parishes, but were paid a yearly sum from parishes with more than 120 houses. Under Ilarion, an inventory of all monastery lands was created in 1868. In 1866, Roganović ordered that all priests must grow their beards. They were, however, allowed to wear their national costume. Ilarion also introduced registers of births, deaths and marriages, expanding the earlier practice of recording only baptisms, started by

Peter I Peter I may refer to: Religious hierarchs * Saint Peter (c. 1 AD – c. 64–88 AD), a.k.a. Simon Peter, Simeon, or Simon, apostle of Jesus * Pope Peter I of Alexandria (died 311), revered as a saint * Peter I of Armenia (died 1058), Catholico ...

. Under Ilarion, the new Eparchy of Raška and

Zahumlje Zachlumia or Zachumlia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Zahumlje, Захумље, ), also Hum, was a medieval principality located in the modern-day regions of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia (today parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia ...

was created. It covered the areas conquered by Montenegro in the Montenegrin–Ottoman War of 1878 and was led by Visarion Ljubiša, who Ilarion and the Bishop of the

Bay of Kotor The Bay of Kotor ( Montenegrin and Serbian: , Italian: ), also known as the Boka, is a winding bay of the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Montenegro and the region of Montenegro concentrated around the bay. It is also the southernmost part of the hi ...

Gerasim Petranović consecrated on 8 September 1878. In 1869, the

Cetinje Seminary The Theological Seminary of St. Peter of Cetinje ( sr-Cyrl, Богословија Светог Петра Цетињског) is a secondary Orthodox theological school of Serbian Orthodox Church in Cetinje, Montenegro. The rector of the semin ...

was officially opened. During his service, Ilarion consecrated 45 temples and ordained 119 priests. In 1875, Ilarion became the first president of the Red Cross of Montenegro.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roganovic, Ilarion 1828 births 1882 deaths 19th-century Eastern Orthodox bishops 19th-century Montenegrin people Archimandrites Bishops of Montenegro and the Littoral People from Podgorica People of the Principality of Montenegro