60 Facts About Saint Sava

Saint Sava, known as the Enlightener, was a Serbian prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law, and a diplomat.

Saint Sava then left for Mount Athos, where he became a monk with the name Sava.

Saint Sava is regarded as the founder of Serbian medieval literature.

Saint Sava is widely considered one of the most important figures of Serbian history.

Saint Sava is to the Serbs what Averroes is to the Muslims and Maimonides is to the Jews.

Saint Sava is the patron saint of Serbia, Serbs, and Serbian education.

Saint Sava's biographers mention that he was born after a hiatus in the couple's childbearing and was therefore especially dear.

Saint Sava grew up in a time of great foreign relations activities in Serbia.

Saint Sava showed no interest in fame, wealth, or the throne.

Saint Sava then entered the Greek Vatopedi monastery, where he would stay for the next seven years, and became more closely acquainted with Greek theological and church-administrational literature.

Saint Sava's father tried to persuade him to return to Serbia, but Sava was determined and replied, "You have accomplished all that a Christian sovereign should do; come now and join me in the true Christian life".

When Saint Sava visited the Byzantine Emperor Alexios III Angelos at Constantinople, he mentioned the neglected and abandoned Hilandar, and asked the Emperor that he and his father be given the permit to restore the monastery and grant it to Vatopedi.

Saint Sava then addressed the Protos of Athos, asking them to support the effort so the monastery of Hilandar might become the haven for Serb monks.

Saint Sava wrote a typikon for Hilandar, modeled on the typikon of the monastery of Theotokos Euergetis in Constantinople.

Saint Sava found an ally in Hungarian king Emeric with whom he banished Stefan to Bulgaria, and Vukan seized the Serbian throne.

Saint Sava then worked on the religious and cultural enlightenment of the Serbian people, educating in Christian morality, love and mercy, meanwhile working on the church organization.

In 1217, archimandrite Saint Sava left Studenica and returned to Mount Athos.

Saint Sava's departure has been interpreted by a part of the historians as a reaction to his brother Stefan accepting the royal crown from Rome.

Stefan's politics that led to the events of 1217 were somewhat in odds with the Serbian Orthodox tradition, represented by his brother, archimandrite Saint Sava, who favored Eastern Orthodoxy and Byzantine ecclesiastical culture in Serbia.

Saint Sava had thus secured the independence of the church; in the Middle Ages, the church was the supporter and important factor in state sovereignty, and political and national identity.

From Nicaea, Archbishop Saint Sava returned to Mount Athos, where he profusely donated to the monasteries.

From Hilandar, Saint Sava traveled to Thessaloniki, to the monastery of Philokalos, where he stayed for some time as a guest of the Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, Constantine the Mesopotamian, with whom he was a great friend ever since his youth.

Saint Sava's stay was of great benefit as he transcribed many works on law needed for his church.

Saint Sava gave the newly appointed bishops law books and sent them to bishoprics in all parts of Serbia.

The organizational work of Saint Sava was very energetic, and above all, the new organization was given a clear national character.

Saint Sava visited almost all the holy places and endowed them with valued gifts.

Saint Sava asked Athanasios II, his host, and the Great Lavra fraternity, led by hegoumenos Nicholas, if he could purchase two monasteries in the Holy Land.

Saint Sava's request was accepted and he was offered the monasteries of Saint John the Theologian on Mount Sion and St George's Monastery at Akkon - both to be inhabited by Serbian monks.

Saint Sava began his trip from Budva, then via Brindisi in Italy to Acre.

Saint Sava had a prolonged stay in Jerusalem; he was again friendly and brotherly received by Patriarch Athanasius.

Saint Sava returned briefly to Jerusalem, then went to Antiochia, and from there across Armenia and the "Turkic lands" he went on the "Syrian Sea" and then returned on a ship to Antiochia.

Saint Sava first wanted to return home via Mount Athos, but he instead decided to visit the Bulgarian capital at Tarnovo, where he was warmly and friendly admitted by the Bulgarian Emperor Ivan Asen II and Bulgarian Patriarch Joakim.

Saint Sava had after much work and many long trips arrived at Tarnovo a tired and sick man.

Saint Sava was respectfully buried at the Holy Forty Martyrs Church.

Saint Sava's body was returned to Serbia after a series of requests, and was then buried in the Mileseva monastery, built by Vladislav in 1234.

King Vladislav twice sent delegations to his father-in-law Asen, asking him to let the relics of Saint Sava be transferred to the fatherland, but the Emperor was unappealing.

Saint Sava was canonized, and his relics were considered miraculous; his cult remained throughout the Middle Ages and the Ottoman rule.

Saint Sava is the protector of the Serb people: he is venerated as a protector of churches, families, schools and artisans.

St Saint Sava is regarded the father of Serbian education and literature; he authored the Life of St Simeon, the first Serbian hagiography.

Saint Sava has been given various honorific titles, such as "Father" and "Enlightener".

The Serb people built the cult of St Saint Sava based on the religious cult; many songs, tales and legends were created about his life, work, merit, goodness, fairness and wisdom, while his relics became a topic of national and ethnopolitical cult and focus of liberation ideas.

In 1840, at the suggestion of Atanasije Nikolic, the rector of the Lyceum, the feast of Saint Sava was chosen to celebrate Education every year.

The first, shorter, biography on St Saint Sava was written by his successor, Archbishop Arsenije.

Saint Sava based it on Domentijan's biography, though, unlike the latter, of which narratives are of thoughtful and solemn rhetoric, Teodosije's biography is warmer, with features of a hagiographic narrative.

Foreign 16th-century writers, Jean Sesno and Catherine Zen noted that Muslims respected the tomb of St Saint Sava, and feared him.

The Church of Saint Sava was built near the place where his relics were burned.

The earliest service date to the reign of king Vladislav, in which Saint Sava is mentioned along the killed monks on Sinai.

Saint Sava is most often depicted as an archiereus, or together with his father, St Simeon.

The translation of his relics are illustrated in the church of the Gradac Monastery, and in the Monastery of Pec the scene where Saint Sava appoints his successor Arsenije is depicted.

St Saint Sava is depicted with St Simeon on an icon from the 14th century which is held in the National Museum in Belgrade, and on an icon held in the National Museum in Bucharest.

Graphical illustrations of St Saint Sava are found in old Serbian printed books: Triode from the Mrksina crkva printing house, Zbornik of Jakov of Kamena Reka, as well as Sabornik of Bozidar Vukovic where he is depicted with St Simeon.

Saint Sava's person is illustrated on numerous liturgical metal and textile items, while he and scenes from his life are illuminated in many manuscripts and printed books.

The earliest works of Saint Sava were dedicated to ascetic and monastic life: the Karyes Typikon and Hilandar Typikon.

The proper literary nature of Saint Sava is however revealed only in his hagiographical and poetic compositions.

St Saint Sava is regarded the founder of the independent medieval Serbian literature.

Saint Sava founded and reconstructed churches and monasteries wherever he stayed.

Saint Sava had the monastery church covered in lead, and was regarded the second ktetor, having donated highly valuable ecclesiastical art objects.

Saint Sava then founded the cell at Karyes, and in 1199 became ktetor of three more Authonite monasteries: Karakallou, Xeropotamou, and Philotheou.

Saint Sava donated gold to many monasteries in Palestine, Thessaloniki, and especially Mount Athos.

Saint Sava's ktetor activity was an expression of deep devotion and sincere loyalty to Christian ideals.