Mitrofan Ban
Encyclopedia
Mitrofan Ban was Bishop of Cetinje
, Metropolitan of Montenegro
, and exarch
of the Patriarchate of Peć
, of the Serbian Orthodox Church
. He was also Archimandrite
of the Cetinje monastery
.
of Petrovo Selo. He attended Serbian
and Italian
primary schools in Vranovići
and Kotor
. In 1865, he took his monastic vows
in the Savina monastery
near Herceg Novi
. He was ordained a deacon
by Bishop Stevan Knežević on 27 June 1865, and a presbyter
on 2 October 1866. He became the nastojatelj (Serbian
: настојатељ or nastojatelj) of Podlastva monastery in 1867, and of Morača monastery
in 1869. From 7 September 1870 he was the hegumen
(игуман or iguman) of the latter. Both a nastojatelj and an iguman are the senior monk
in a monastery
; the difference is so slight they are sometimes considered synonym
s.
He participated in the war against the Ottoman Empire
from 1876 to 1878, for which Prince Nikola
decorated him with the Medal of Obilić
. He was ordained a Metropolitan on 18 April 1885 in Saint Petersburg
. The ceremony was conducted in Saint Isaac's Cathedral
by Metropolitan Isidor of St. Petersburg and other members of the Holy Synod
of the Russian Orthodox Church
, in the presence of Tsar Alexander III
of the Russian Empire
. Soon after, on 5 September 1884, the relics of Saint Arsenius
(the second Serb archbishop) were ceremonially transferred from the Ždrebaonik monastery in Bjelopavlići to the Kosijerevo monastery.
After 1906, he was a member of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Montenegro
. He stayed in the country during the First World War
occupation of the Kingdom by Austria-Hungary
, and died on 30 September 1920, not long after the formation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
, and the reunification of the Serbian Orthodox Church
, including the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral
.
, when Austria-Hungary
occupied the Kingdom of Montenegro
, the occupying troops razed the chapel at the peak of Mount Lovćen
and exhumed the remains of Petar II Petrović-Njegoš
. At that time, Mitrofan Ban said to Governor Weber: "Njegoš was not just the ruler of Montenegro, but also a poet of Serbdom, and that act will mournfully echo in all Serbian lands".
Cetinje
Cetinje , Цетиње / Cetinje , Italian: Cettigne, Greek: Κετίγνη, Ketígni) is a town and Old Royal Capital of Montenegro. It is also a historical and the secondary capital of Montenegro , with the official residence of the President of Montenegro...
, Metropolitan of Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
, and exarch
Exarch
In the Byzantine Empire, an exarch was governor with extended authority of a province at some remove from the capital Constantinople. The prevailing situation frequently involved him in military operations....
of the Patriarchate of Peć
Patriarchate of Pec
The Patriarchate of Peć is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located near Peć. The complex of churches is the spiritual seat and mausoleum of the Serbian archbishops and patriarchs....
, of the Serbian Orthodox Church
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
. He was also Archimandrite
Archimandrite
The title Archimandrite , primarily used in the Eastern Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic churches, originally referred to a superior abbot whom a bishop appointed to supervise...
of the Cetinje monastery
Cetinje Monastery
The Cetinje Monastery is the most famous Serb Orthodox monastery in Montenegro. It is located in Cetinje and is the seat of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral and its name derives from Saint Peter of Cetinje...
.
Life
Mitrofan Ban's birth name was Marko Ban, and he was born on May 15, 1841 in the village of Glavati near Donje Grblje in Montenegro to Georgije and Anastasija Ban. He is related to writer Matija BanMatija Ban
Matija Ban was a Serbo-Croatian poet, dramatist, and playwright, born in the city of Dubrovnik, who became known as one of the first Catholics from Dubrovnik who expressed a Serb nationality...
of Petrovo Selo. He attended Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
primary schools in Vranovići
Vranoviči
Vranoviči is a settlement on the left bank of the river Lahinja in the Črnomelj municipality in the Bela Krajina area of southeastern Slovenia. The Črnomelj to Metlika railway line runs alongside the main road through the settlement. The area is part of the traditional region of Lower Carniola and...
and Kotor
Kotor
Kotor is a coastal city in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,510 and is the administrative center of the municipality....
. In 1865, he took his monastic vows
Religious vows
Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining to their conduct, practices and views.In the Buddhist tradition, in particular within the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition, many different kinds of religious vows are taken by the lay community as well as by...
in the Savina monastery
Savina monastery
Savina Monastery is a Serb Orthodox monastery near the city Herceg Novi in Boka Kotorska, and is made of thick Mediterranean vegetation in one of the most beautiful parts of the northern Montenegrin coast. It was built by the Duke of Saint Sava, Stjepan Vukčić Kosača of Herzegovina...
near Herceg Novi
Herceg Novi
Herceg Novi is a coastal town in Montenegro located at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor and at the foot of Mount Orjen. It is the administrative center of the Herceg Novi Municipality with around 33,000 inhabitants...
. He was ordained a deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
by Bishop Stevan Knežević on 27 June 1865, and a presbyter
Presbyter
Presbyter in the New Testament refers to a leader in local Christian congregations, then a synonym of episkopos...
on 2 October 1866. He became the nastojatelj (Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
: настојатељ or nastojatelj) of Podlastva monastery in 1867, and of Morača monastery
Moraca monastery
Morača is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located in the valley of the Morača River in central Montenegro. It is one of the best known medieval monuments of Montenegro. It was founded in 1252 by Stefan, son of Vukan Nemanjić, the Grand Prince of Zeta, the grandson of Stefan Nemanja...
in 1869. From 7 September 1870 he was the hegumen
Hegumen
Hegumen, hegumenos, igumen, or ihumen is the title for the head of a monastery of the Eastern Orthodox Church or Eastern Catholic Churches, similar to the one of abbot. The head of a convent of nuns is called hegumenia or ihumenia . The term means "the one who is in charge", "the leader" in...
(игуман or iguman) of the latter. Both a nastojatelj and an iguman are the senior monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
in a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
; the difference is so slight they are sometimes considered synonym
Synonym
Synonyms are different words with almost identical or similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy. The word comes from Ancient Greek syn and onoma . The words car and automobile are synonyms...
s.
He participated in the war against the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
from 1876 to 1878, for which Prince Nikola
Nicholas I of Montenegro
Nikola I Mirkov Petrović-Njegoš was the only king of Montenegro, reigning as king from 1910 to 1918 and as prince from 1860 to 1910. He was also a poet, notably penning "Onamo, 'namo!", a popular song from Montenegro.-Early life:Nikola was born in the village of Njeguši, the ancient home of the...
decorated him with the Medal of Obilić
Miloš Obilic
Miloš Obilić was a medieval Serbian knight in the service of Prince Lazar, during the invasion of the Ottoman Empire. He is not mentioned in contemporary sources, but he features prominently in later accounts of the Serbian defeat at the Battle of Kosovo as the legendary assassin of the Ottoman...
. He was ordained a Metropolitan on 18 April 1885 in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
. The ceremony was conducted in Saint Isaac's Cathedral
Saint Isaac's Cathedral
Saint Isaac's Cathedral or Isaakievskiy Sobor in Saint Petersburg, Russia is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in the city...
by Metropolitan Isidor of St. Petersburg and other members of the Holy Synod
Most Holy Synod
The Most Holy Governing Synod was the highest governing body of the Russian Orthodox Church between 1721 and 1918, when the Patriarchate was restored. The jurisdiction of the Most Holy Synod extended over every kind of ecclesiastical question and over some that are partly secular.The Synod was...
of the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
, in the presence of Tsar Alexander III
Alexander III of Russia
Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov , historically remembered as Alexander III or Alexander the Peacemaker reigned as Emperor of Russia from until his death on .-Disposition:...
of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. Soon after, on 5 September 1884, the relics of Saint Arsenius
Saint Arsenije I Sremac
Arsenije Sremac or Arsenius was the second archbishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church and a disciple of Saint Sava of Serbia.- Early life :...
(the second Serb archbishop) were ceremonially transferred from the Ždrebaonik monastery in Bjelopavlići to the Kosijerevo monastery.
After 1906, he was a member of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Montenegro
Kingdom of Montenegro
The Kingdom of Montenegro was a monarchy in southeastern Europe during the tumultuous years on the Balkan Peninsula leading up to and during World War I. Legally it was a constitutional monarchy, but absolutist in practice...
. He stayed in the country during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
occupation of the Kingdom by Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
, and died on 30 September 1920, not long after the formation of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
, and the reunification of the Serbian Orthodox Church
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
, including the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral
Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral
The Metropolitanate of Montenegro is the largest diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro. Founded in 1219 by Saint Sava, it is now one of the most prominent dioceses in the Serbian Orthodox Church. The current Metropolitan is Amfilohije...
.
Quotes
During the First World WarWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, when Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
occupied the Kingdom of Montenegro
Kingdom of Montenegro
The Kingdom of Montenegro was a monarchy in southeastern Europe during the tumultuous years on the Balkan Peninsula leading up to and during World War I. Legally it was a constitutional monarchy, but absolutist in practice...
, the occupying troops razed the chapel at the peak of Mount Lovćen
Mount Lovcen
Lovćen is a mountain and national park in southwestern Montenegro.The Mount Lovćen rises from the borders of the Adriatic basin closing the long ang twisting bays of Boka Kotorska and making the hinterland to the coastal town of Kotor...
and exhumed the remains of Petar II Petrović-Njegoš
Petar II Petrovic-Njegoš
Petar II Petrović-Njegoš , was a Serbian Orthodox Prince-Bishop of Montenegro , who transformed Montenegro from a theocracy into a secular state. However, he is most famous as a poet...
. At that time, Mitrofan Ban said to Governor Weber: "Njegoš was not just the ruler of Montenegro, but also a poet of Serbdom, and that act will mournfully echo in all Serbian lands".