Deacon Avakum (

Serbian Cyrillic The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (, ), also known as the Serbian script, (, ), is a standardized variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language. It originated in medieval Serbia and was significantly reformed in the 19th cen ...

: Ђакон Авакум; 1794 – 30 December 1814) was a Serbian Orthodox monk who inspired his people to rise against the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

and in so doing suffered a martyr's death. His name was added by the

Serbian Orthodox Church The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodox Church#Constit ...

to the Calendar of Saints. Avakum is the

Serbian language Serbian (, ) is the standard language, standardized Variety (linguistics)#Standard varieties, variety of the Serbo-Croatian language mainly used by Serbs. It is the official and national language of Serbia, one of the three official languages of ...

translation of the name

Habakkuk Habakkuk or Habacuc is the main figure described in the Book of Habakkuk, the eighth of the Twelve Minor Prophets in the Hebrew Bible. He is traditionally regarded as a prophet active around 612 BCE. Almost all information about Habakkuk is dr ...

Biography

Born in

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

in 1794, Lepoje was his Christian name at baptism. When Lepoje was still young, his father died. His mother took him to the Moštanica Monastery, near

Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city in Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the tr ...

, where Lepoje's uncle was the abbot. There he was educated and later became a monk, taking the name of Avakum. At eighteen, he was an ordained deacon. In 1809, the monks of the Mošatanica Monastery who took part in an unsuccessful revolt against the Turks had to flee to another monastery in Trnava, a village near

Čačak Čačak ( sr-Cyrl, Чачак, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Moravica District in central Serbia. It is located in the West Morava Valley. According to the 2022 census, the city itself has a population ...

, where the

Hegumen Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen (, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, or an archpriest in the Coptic Orthodox Church, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of ...

was Pajsije. After the failed

Karađorđe Đorđe Petrović (; ; – ), known by the sobriquet Karađorđe (; ), was a Serbian revolutionary leader who led a struggle against the Ottoman Empire during the First Serbian Uprising. He held the title of Grand Vožd of Serbia from 14 ...

’s revolt in 1813, the Turks began a reign of terror against the Serbs. The people decided to attempt yet another

revolt Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

, this time under

Hadži-Prodan Gligorijević Prodan Gligorijević, known simply as Hadži-Prodan ( sr-cyr, Хаџи-Продан Глигоријевић; c. 1760 – 1825) was a Serbian ''voivode'' (military commander) in the First Serbian Uprising of the Serbian Revolution, then the G ...

, and the monks of the Trnava village became actively involved, among them were deacon Avakum, hegumen Pajsije, hieromonk Genadije, and priest Radovan Vujović. The rebellion took place on the Feast of the Cross (September 14), but it was crushed by the Turks. Many people were captured, and some were executed on the spot as a warning to others while the rest were sent to Belgrade to face charges. Among the prisoners were Avakum and Pajsije. The Turks offered to free anyone who would convert to Islam. Some of the prisoners agreed to this, but the majority refused to deny Christ, and so they were put to death, including Avakum and Pajsije. Saint Avakum the deacon is commemorated on December 17 along with Saint Pajsije.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Avakum, Deacon 1794 births 1814 deaths People from Dubica, Bosnia and Herzegovina Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Serbian Orthodox clergy Serbian saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church Persecution of Serbs Persecution of Eastern Orthodox Christians Persecution of Christians in the Ottoman Empire Christian saints killed by Muslims Christians executed for refusing to convert to Islam 19th-century Eastern Orthodox martyrs 19th-century Christian saints Hieromartyrs People executed by impalement Eastern Orthodox saints from the Ottoman Empire