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Hierarch13th century

Saint Arsenius Archbishop of Serbia

Born in Syrmia (date unknown); died October 28, 1266

Also known as Arsenius of Pec · Arsenije I · Arsenios I · Arsenije Sremac · Arsenius the Syrmian · Arsenije of Srem · Arsenius I of Pec

A disciple of Saint Sava, whom Sava appointed his successor as second Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church (1233-1263); he moved its seat to Peć, where he built the monastery that became the see of the Serbian primates.

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Commemorated as

Our Father among the Saints Arsenius, Archbishop of Serbia

Life

Saint Arsenius (Arsenije I Sremac) was a thirteenth-century Serbian hierarch, a disciple of Saint Sava, who succeeded him as Archbishop of the Serbian Church and led it for three decades.

Born in the village of Dabar near Slankamen in the Kingdom of Syrmia, he became a monk and entered the orbit of Saint Sava, rising through the ranks of the Žiča monastery to serve as Sava's synkellos.

When Hungarian invasions threatened Serbia, Sava sent Arsenius south to establish a more secure episcopal seat; he chose Peć, and in 1253 the seat of the Serbian Church was moved there.

Consecrated bishop in 1233, he served as archbishop until 1263, crowning King Stefan Uroš I and supporting royal monastic foundations before a stroke ended his tenure.

Timeline5 momentsReadHide
  1. Before 1233Monastic beginningsBorn in the village of Dabar near Slankamen in the Kingdom of Syrmia on an unknown date, Arsenius took monastic vows, probably at the monastery of Saint Demetrius in Sremska Mitrovica. Learning of Saint Sava's work, he joined the Žiča monastery and became Sava's disciple and synkellos, advancing to ecclesiarch and then archimandrite.
  2. 1233Consecration as archbishopArsenius was consecrated bishop in 1233 and succeeded Saint Sava as Archbishop of the Serbian Church.
  3. 1253Seat moved to PećAmid the threat of foreign invasion, the seat of the Serbian Church was moved from Žiča to Peć, a more secure location nearer the centre of the country, where Arsenius had built a monastery and the Church of the Holy Apostles.
  4. 1263Stroke and end of tenureArsenius suffered a stroke in 1263, ending his service as archbishop; Sava II became head of the Serbian Church that same year.
  5. 1266ReposeArsenius died on October 28, 1266, in Crnča. He was later canonized, and his relics rest at Ždrebaonik Monastery.

Contributions & Legacy

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Succession to Saint Sava

Arsenius was a close disciple of Saint Sava, founder of the autocephalous Serbian Church. Within the Žiča monastery he served as Sava's synkellos and rose through the offices of ecclesiarch and archimandrite on account of his devotion.

When Hungarian invasions threatened Serbia, Sava dispatched Arsenius southward to establish a safer episcopal see. Arsenius chose Peć, where he built a monastery and a church initially dedicated to the Holy Apostles. Consecrated bishop in 1233, he succeeded Sava as Serbian archbishop and served until 1263.

Service to Church and Crown

As archbishop, Arsenius crowned King Stefan Uroš I, during whose reign the royal monasteries of Sopoćani and Gradac were built. Sopoćani, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was founded by Stefan Uroš I and built between 1259 and 1270 in the Raška-school style.

By tradition Arsenius also took part in the relocation of Saint Sava's relics to the monastery of Mileševa. Sava's relics had been moved from Trnovo in Bulgaria, where he died, to Mileševa in 1236 by King Stefan Vladislav I.

The Patriarchate of Peć

The monastery complex at Peć was established in the thirteenth century, with Arsenius playing a crucial role in its development. In the first third of the century he had the Church of the Holy Apostles built on the north side of the complex; it was later decorated at his commission, with records placing the work around 1250 or 1260.

In 1253 Arsenius moved the seat of the Serbian Church from Žiča to Peć for greater security. The complex eventually comprised four churches: the Church of the Holy Apostles, the Church of Saint Demetrius, the Church of the Holy Mother of God Hodegetria, and the Church of Saint Nicholas.

Relics & Shrines

Arsenius was canonized as a saint of the Serbian Church. His relics are said to rest at Ždrebaonik Monastery in Montenegro.

Member ofReadHide
Synaxis of the Serbian Hierarchs
Commemorated together · Aug 30
Companions1 figureShowHide
A later archbishop of Serbia in the succession of Saint Sava.
Eustathius IArchbishop of Serbia
Related Saints3 saintsShowHide

Saints connected to his life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.

First Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, whose disciple and synkellos Arsenius was; Sava sent him south to secure a safer episcopal seat, and Arsenius succeeded him as archbishop.
Sava IFirst Archbishop of Serbia
His successor in the Peć line of the Serbian archbishops.
Saint Sava IIArchbishop of Serbia
A fellow holy archbishop in the Žiča-Peć succession.
Saint Savva IIIArchbishop of Serbia

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints; OrthodoxWiki, 'Arsenius I (Sremac) of Pec'; Serbian Orthodox Church (spc.rs), 'St Arsenije of Srem'; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arsenije_Sremac