Visarion Ljubiša ( sr, Висарион Љубиша; 28 February 1823 – 14 April 1884) was the

Serbian Orthodox 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 ...

metropolitan bishop of Montenegro from 1882 to 1884.

Early life and schooling

Stefan Ljubiša was born in the village of

Sveti Stefan Sveti Stefan ( Montenegrin and Serbian: Свети Стефан, ; lit. "Saint Stephen") is a town in Budva Municipality, on the Adriatic coast of Montenegro, approximately southeast of Budva. The town is known for the Aman Sveti Stefan resort, ...

to the Paštrovići clan. He lost his father, who was a sailor like many of his compatriots, when he was only three. When he reached school age, his mother sent him to his grandfather, Abbot Savo Ljubiša, at the Praskvica monastery. He completed his primary education in a lay school in

Risan Risan ( Montenegrin: Рисан, ) is a town in the Bay of Kotor, Montenegro. It traces its origins to the ancient settlement of Rhizon, the oldest settlement in the Bay of Kotor. Lying in the innermost portion of the bay, the settlement was pro ...

and was then sent the Orthodox clerical school in

Šibenik Šibenik () is a historic city in Croatia, located in central Dalmatia, where the river Krka flows into the Adriatic Sea. Šibenik is a political, educational, transport, industrial and tourist center of Šibenik-Knin County, and is also the ...

, which in 1841 was elevated to the rank of

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

during his studies there. Visarion was first cousin of famous writer

Stjepan Mitrov Ljubiša Stjepan (modernist: Stefan) Mitrov Ljubiša ( sr-cyr, Стјепан Митров Љубиша; 29 February 1824 – 11 November 1878), was a Serbian and Montenegrin writer and politician. He is famous for his unique short stories, generally ra ...

In the church

After he finished his studies in 1844, he returned to Praskvica, where he became a monk and was consecrated as a priest. Subsequently, he served as a teacher in monastery schools (often the only existing schools in those days) in Praskvica, Podlastva, Podmaine, Reževići Monastery, and Savina (all in the littoral). In 1858, he was appointed priest and teacher in

Perast Perast ( cnr, Пераст) is an old town in the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. It is situated a few kilometres northwest of Kotor and is noted for its proximity to the islets of St. George and Our Lady of the Rocks. History According to the pr ...

. In 1867, he became the abbot of monastery

Morača The Morača ( sr-cyrl, Морача, ) is a major river in Montenegro that originates in the northern region in Kolašin Municipality under Mount Rzača. It meanders southwards for before emptying into Lake Skadar. Its drainage basin covers ...

in Montenegro and two years later the abbot of the

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 ...

(which was the seat of metropolitan) and professor to the newly opened seminary. From 1872 to 1875 he was the rector of 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 ...

. During the Montenegrin-Ottoman War (1876–78), he was appointed as military priest attached to the general staff. His dignified and brave behavior made it to the folk epic song. In 1876 he became the president of the newly founded

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and ...

of Montenegro. From 1878 to 1882, he was the head of the Zahumsko-Raška eparchy, founded in the newly liberated territories of Montenegro. His seat was in

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 ...

which he enlarged. His work as bishop was devoted and thorough; especially important was the fact that Ljubiša introduced pedant church administration that he knew well from his earlier work in the Littoral.

Metropolitan

After the death of Ilar ion Roganović, and the administration of abbot Mitrofan Ban, on 6 December 1882, Ljubiša became the Metropolitan of Montenegro. About the same time, the Ministry of Education of Montenegro was formed and Ljubiša, as an experienced teacher and organizer, became its first administrator. He was also a member of the State Council. He died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

in 1884 and was buried in the courtyard of Vlaška Church in Cetinje. He left his house on main street in Cetinje to the poor.

Early life and schooling

In the church

Metropolitan

References

Further reading