Stjepan Krizin Sakač (10 October 1890 – 23 August 1973) was a

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

n historian. He was born in Kapela Kalnička. After graduating theology in

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

, he received his doctorate at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome (1915), then in Innsbruck (1920), and also in the oriental Church Sciences (1924). He was ordained as a priest in 1917. He was the first Croatian Jesuit of the

Eastern Rite Eastern Rite or Eastern liturgical rite may refer to: * a liturgical rite used in Eastern Christianity: ** liturgical rites of the Eastern Orthodox Church, which mainly use the Byzantine liturgical rites ** liturgical rites of the Oriental Orthodox ...

(which he took in 1925). He was a professor in Sarajevo, and afterwards he worked in Ukraine, Poland, Belarus and Macedonia. Since 1937 he was a professor of Slavic church history, and since 1966 an

honorary professor Honorary titles (professor, president, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as ...

and a

spiritual director Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divinity, divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters ...

at the Pontifical Oriental Institute and a board member of the Institute of St. Jerome. As a historian he investigated the ethnogenesis of Croats - he advocated the theory that the early

Croats The Croats (; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other neighboring countries in Central Europe, Central and Southeastern Europe who share a common Croatian Cultural heritage, ancest ...

originated from

Sarmatians The Sarmatians (; ; Latin: ) were a large confederation of Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Iranian Eurasian nomads, equestrian nomadic peoples who dominated the Pontic–Caspian steppe, Pontic steppe from about the 5th century BCE to the 4t ...

and

Alans The Alans () were an ancient and medieval Iranian peoples, Iranic Eurasian nomads, nomadic pastoral people who migrated to what is today North Caucasus – while some continued on to Europe and later North Africa. They are generally regarded ...

, but also Old Persia. His main work is ''The contract of the Pope Agathon and Croats against the naval warfare in about 679'' (''Ugovor pape Agatona i Hrvata proti navalnom ratu oko 679''; 1931). He died in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in 1973.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sakac, Stjepan Krizin 1890 births 1973 deaths People from Ljubešćica People from the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia Croatian Jesuits 20th-century Croatian historians Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Yugoslav Roman Catholic priests