Josif Jovanović Šakabenta (1743 – 31 December 1805) was a bishop of 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 ...

in the eparchies part of the

Habsburg Monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

, in Croatia and Vojvodina.

Early life

Josif Jovanović Šakabenta was born in 1743 in Irig to reverend father Andrija Jovanović, the younger brother of Patriarch

Arsenije IV Jovanović Šakabenta Arsenije IV Jovanović Šakabenta ( sr-cyr, Арсеније IV Јовановић Шакабента, ; 1698 – 18 January 1748) was the Archbishop of Peć and Serbian Patriarch from 1725 to 1737 and Head of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Habs ...

and Peško Jovanović Šakabenta. Andrija died in 1759. The brothers, Arsenije, Andrija, and Peško and their family members, were granted Hungarian nobility on 11 September 1746. Josif was ordained a

presbyter Presbyter () is an honorific title for Christian clergy. The word derives from the Greek ''presbyteros'', which means elder or senior, although many in Christian antiquity understood ''presbyteros'' to refer to the bishop functioning as overseer ...

and later elevated in 1774 by the Metropolitan

Vićentije Jovanović Vidak Vićentije Jovanović Vidak ( sr-Cyrl, Вићентије Јовановић Видак; Sremski Karlovci, Habsburg monarchy, 10 March 1730 - Dalj, 18 February 1780) was the Metropolitan of the Metropolitanate of Karlovci from 1774 to 1780. Biog ...

archimandrite The title archimandrite (; ), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot ('' hegumenos'', , present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") whom a bishop appointed to supervise several "ordinary" abbots and monaste ...

. On 31 July 1781, Metropolitan

Mojsije Putnik Mojsije Putnik ( sr-cyr, Мојсије Путник, ) (1728–1790) was the Metropolitan of Sremski Karlovci between 1781 and 1790, during the reign of Joseph II. He was known for publishing the Toleranzpatent (tolerance patent) meant to ens ...

consecrated him to the Bishop of Pakrac-Slavonia and the entire

Varaždin Generalate The Varaždin Generalate (, ), also known as the (" Slavic Border") in German, was a province of the Military Frontier of the Habsburg monarchy (later the Austrian Empire and briefly Austria-Hungary), that existed between 1531 and the 19th century. ...

. One of the first and most important jobs that the new Bishop of

Pakrac Pakrac is a town in western Slavonia, Croatia, population 4,842, total municipality population 8,460 (census 2011). Pakrac is located on the road and railroad connecting the regions of Posavina and Podravina. Name In Croatian the town is known ...

had was to suppress the union at a time that it started a new and lively action in the General Staff of Varaždin. During his visit to the parishes in the

in 1782, Bishop Josif received the Serbs back into Orthodoxy and "took vigorous steps to allow all the repentant unidentified people to return to Orthodoxy. Now there was a great persecution of all who declared that they were returning to Orthodoxy, and at the beginning of 1783, they were full of dungeons, especially in

Belovar Belovar is a settlement (naselje) located within the Sesvete city district of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adr ...

." In less than three years, Bishop Josif plowed a deep furrow in

Slavonia Slavonia (; ) is, with Dalmatia, Croatia proper, and Istria County, Istria, one of the four Regions of Croatia, historical regions of Croatia. Located in the Pannonian Plain and taking up the east of the country, it roughly corresponds with f ...

. He "required the clergy to teach their people the truths of faith and morality". He paid special attention to the secret confession and gave special instructions to the priests. Given the greater number of chaplains in the diocese, he regulated the relations between parish priests and chaplains. The work was interrupted by the transfer of Bishop Josif to the Diocese of

Bačka Bačka ( sr-Cyrl, Бачка, ) or Bácska (), is a geographical and historical area within the Pannonian Plain bordered by the river Danube to the west and south, and by the river Tisza to the east. It is divided between Serbia and Hungary. ...

, where he remained for two years, from 1784 to 1786. He was installed for the Diocese of Bačka by Vice-Bishop Joseph Kovač and Bishop of Pakrac Pavle Avakumović on 25 April 1784. Bishop Josif showed his organizational skills in the Diocese of

Vršac Vršac ( sr-Cyrl, Вршац, ) is a city in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. As of 2022, the city urban area had a population of 31,946, while the city administrative area had 45,462 inhabitants. It is located in the geographical ...

and

Diocese of Caransebeș The Diocese of Caransebeș () is a Romanian Orthodox diocese based in Caransebeș, Romania, in the historic region of the Banat, and covering Caraș-Severin County. Established by the 17th century, it was moved to present-day Serbia during the 18t ...

. At his request, he was transferred in 1786 to the bishop of Vršac. In Vršac he founded a grammar school and a boarding school. In 1793, he rebuilt the Mesić Monastery, which was demolished by the Turks and was given the status of a free royal city by Vršac. As a member of the Timișoara Parliament in 1790, he fought for the establishment of the Serbian Duchy. In 1791 he received the title of the royal consular officer and in 1792, with other Orthodox bishops - a member and "magnate" of the assembly of the Hungarian Parliament. He was

Zaharije Orfelin Zaharije Orfelin ( sr-Cyrl, Захаријe Орфелин; 1726 – 19 January 1785) was a Serbs, Serbian polymath who lived and worked in the Habsburg monarchy and Republic of Venice, Venice. Considered a Renaissance, Renaissance man, he is var ...

's friend and patron. He died in Vršac on 31 December 1805, and was buried in the Parish Church of St. Nicholas in a crypt in the nave.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jovanovic Sakabenta, Josif Bishops of Bačka 1743 births 1805 deaths People from Irig, Serbia Eparchy of Banat