Vukašin Mandrapa

Vukašin Mandrapa ( sr-Cyrl, Вукашин Мандрапа; died 1942 or 1943), also known as Vukašin of Klepci () and Vukašin of Jasenovac () is a Serbian Orthodox layman who was alleged to have been murdered in the Jasenovac concentration camp. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by the Eastern Orthodox Church, His historical existence is disputed due to a lack of evidence. The sole source for his existence is the account of Nedo Zec, a neurologist who was a prisoner at the camp.

Alleged life and martyrdom

The sole account of his life and martyrdom originates from Nedo Zec, a neuropsychiatrist who was a "free prisoner" in the Jasenovac concentration camp. Zec recounted a testimony an Ustaša executioner made to him in January 1943, claiming that he had murdered Mandrapa.

According to one version of events, Mandrapa was a farmer and merchant from Klepci, living in Sarajevo. Other sources claim his surname was Toholj and that he was from Lokve. The year of his death is also disputed, with sources citing either 1942 or 1943.

Historian argues that there is no historical evidence for Mandrapa's existence.

According to Zec's testimony from 1970, Mandrapa was singled out by an Ustaša executioner, allegedly named Friganović (Josip or Mile), due to his stoic behavior during forced labour and mass executions. Friganović allegedly attempted to compel Mandrapa to bless the Ustaše leader Ante Pavelić. Mandrapa refused to do so, even after Friganović had allegedly cut off both his ears and nose after each refusal. After ordering him to shout "Long live Pavelić!" for a fourth time and threatening to take his heart out with a knife, Mandrapa looked at Friganović and calmly stated "Do your job child". Friganović then allegedly cut out Mandrapa's eyes, tore out his heart, and slit his throat.

Friganović told Zec that this was in the context of a killing contest he waged with Petar Brzica and other camp commanders, and boasted that by then he had slaughtered some 1,100 inmates. According to Zec, this act caused Friganović to break down psychologically, leading to his inability to continue killing that night and requiring psychiatric treatment.

The philosopher Slobodan Pražić argues that Zec's account is fictional.

Legacy

He was canonized as a saint and neomartyr by the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1998, as Saint Vukašin of Klepci (). His feast day is commemorated on , also being commemorated with the New Martyrs of Jasenovac on .

Mandrapa was listed among the victims of Jasenovac in 2007 by the Serbian Fund for the Research of Genocide in Jasenovac.

References

External links

Biography on Jasenovac info website

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mandrapa, Vukasin
Mandrapa, Vukasin
1940s deaths
Date of death missing
Year of birth missing
20th-century Eastern Orthodox martyrs
People from Čapljina
New Martyrs
Persecution of Serbs
People executed by the Independent State of Croatia
People murdered in the Independent State of Croatia
Serb people who died in the Holocaust
Yugoslav people who died in the Holocaust
Bosnia and Herzegovina civilians killed in World War II
Deaths by edged and bladed weapons
People who died in Jasenovac concentration camp
Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina
European people whose existence is disputed