Righteous16th century

Saint Elena of Serbia

died 1546

Also known as Helen of Serbia · wife of Stephen Stiljanovic

Wife of Saint Stephen Stiljanovic who fled after his death and is connected with the later discovery of his relics, honored for piety and faithfulness.

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Commemorated as

The Righteous Elena (Jelena) Štiljanović of Serbia

Life

Saint Elena of Serbia (also called Jelena, Helena, or by her monastic name Jelisaveta) was a sixteenth-century Serbian noblewoman venerated by the Serbian Orthodox Church as the wife of Saint Stephen (Stefan) Štiljanović, the despot also honored as a saint. She is commemorated on October 4, the same day as her husband, with whom she is jointly venerated.

By tradition Elena was twice married into the Serbian nobility. According to Serbian accounts she was first the wife of Jovan Branković, despot of Srem and son of Despot Stefan Branković, who died on December 10, 1502; she afterward married Prince Stefan Štiljanović of the Paštrovići tribe of the Serbian Adriatic coast. After Stefan's death she fled to Germany to escape the advancing Turks. Learning that her husband's relics had been discovered, she returned to a monastery on the Fruška Gora to honor them and took monastic vows under the name Jelisaveta (Elisaveta). She died in 1546.

The founding of the Petkovica Monastery on the Fruška Gora is attributed by tradition to her generosity; her sanctity is honored in the Serbian Orthodox Church, and she is depicted alongside her husband in surviving icons that reflect their joint veneration.

Kontakion & Troparion2 hymnsReadHide

KontakionTone 2

(Podoben: “Having received the grace...“) Because of your love of God you forsook a bed for rest, O Mother Elena,
you illumined your soul with fasting, thoroughly vanquishing your enemies;
but by your intercessions destroy the evil designs of our adversaries.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

TroparionTone 8

In you the image was preserved with exactness, O Mother,
for taking up your cross, you followed after Christ.
By so doing, you taught us to disregard the flesh, for it passes away,
but to care instead for the soul, since it is immortal.
Therefore, most venerable Mother Elena your spirit rejoices with the Angels.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline3 momentsReadHide

Dec 10, 1502Death of first husbandAccording to Serbian tradition, Jovan Branković, despot of Srem and Elena's first husband, dies.
c. 1522Petkovica MonasteryThe founding of the Petkovica Monastery on the Fruška Gora is attributed by tradition to Elena's generosity; the earliest records of the monastery date to 1522.
1546ReposeElena, having taken monastic vows under the name Jelisaveta, dies and is honored as a saint.

Contributions & Legacy

3 contributionsReadHide

Life and Marriages

Elena belonged to the Serbian nobility of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. According to Serbian tradition she was first married to Jovan Branković, despot of Srem and son of Despot Stefan Branković; Jovan died on December 10, 1502. Following his death she married Prince Stefan Štiljanović, who came from the Paštrovići tribe on the Serbian Adriatic coast and who is also venerated as a saint.

As despot, Stefan administered territories in Srem and Slavonia and acquired further lands including Miholjac, Glogovnica, Novgrad, and Orahovica. He died of natural causes; the sources record his death variously around 1515, around 1540, and around 1543, the last accounts placing it near Siklós in Hungary.

Flight and Monastic Vows

After her husband's death, Elena withdrew to Germany to escape the Turkish advance. When she learned that Stefan's relics had been discovered and transferred to a monastery of the Fruška Gora, she returned to honor them.

At the Šišatovac Monastery she took monastic vows under the monastic name Jelisaveta (Elisaveta). She died in 1546. Serbian accounts record her burial beside her husband at Šišatovac, while other evidence suggests she was buried at the Convent of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sremski Karlovci.

Relics & Shrines

The discovery of Saint Stephen Štiljanović's relics is connected with Elena's return from exile; the OCA synaxarion relates that a light appeared at his grave by night, which led to the finding of his holy relics. His remains were initially buried at Šišatovac Monastery.

The founding of the Petkovica Monastery on Mount Fruška Gora, in Vojvodina, is attributed by tradition to Elena, here named the Despotess Jelena, widow of Stefan Štiljanović. The earliest historical records mentioning the monastery date to 1522, and it was declared a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1990. An icon in the Church of Saint Demetrios in Siklós, Hungary, depicts Elena alongside her husband, reflecting their joint veneration. A church in Augsburg, Germany, bears both their names as the Orthodox Parish of Saint Stefan and Saint Helena Stiljanovic.

Family1 relativeShowHide

Her husband, the despot venerated as a saint and commemorated with her on October 4.

Saint Stephen Stiljanovicof Serbia

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints