Cloud of Witnesses
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Right-believing (Ruler)16th century

Righteous John of Serbia

c. 1465 – December 10, 1502/1503

Also known as John Brankovic

A member of the Branković family venerated for piety amid Ottoman pressure, exile, and political collapse.

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Commemorated as

The Holy Right-believing John (Jovan) Branković, Despot of Serbia

Life

John (Jovan) Branković was a Serbian ruler of the Branković dynasty venerated as a saint of the Serbian Orthodox Church. He was the son of Saint Stephen the Blind, the exiled Despot of Serbia, and Saint Angelina, a daughter of the Albanian prince George Arianiti, and he is commemorated together with his parents on December 10.

John lived in the generation after the fall of the medieval Serbian state to Ottoman power, and his family spent much of its life in exile. He bore the title of Despot of Serbia, which by his lifetime had become largely titular, and he is remembered for piety amid the political collapse of his house. He died young, and many miracles were reported before his holy relics.

Kontakion1 hymnReadHide
KontakionTone 8

(Podoben: “O victorious Leader...”) Come, let us praise John,
the newly glorified servant of God’s grace,
the glory of our Faith and our intercessor
who invites us to sing with grateful voices,
and to glorify Him Who glorifies His Saints,
for he prays for those who honor his memory
and who sing to him: “Rejoice, O newly blossomed flower John.”

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

Timeline3 momentsReadHide
  1. c. 1465Birth in exileJohn was born during his family's exile, the younger son of Stephen the Blind and Angelina. By one account he was born at Castle Belgrado in Friuli while the family lived abroad.
  2. 1493Titular Despot of SerbiaAccording to Wikipedia, John bore the title of titular Despot of Serbia from 1493 until his death. His elder brother George (Đorđe) had held the title before relinquishing it and becoming a monk under the name Maximus.
  3. December 10, 1502/1503ReposeJohn died at a young age. The synaxarion entries (OCA, Sanidopoulos) give the year as 1503, while Wikipedia gives 1502; the sources agree on the feast of December 10. He was married but left no sons. Many miracles were reported before his holy relics.

Contributions & Legacy

3 contributionsReadHide

Family

John was the son of Saint Stephen the Blind, Despot of Serbia (born 1417, blinded in 1441 by order of the Ottoman Sultan Murad II, died 1476), and of Saint Angelina, daughter of the Albanian prince George Arianiti, whom Stephen married in 1460. His elder brother George (Đorđe) Branković took monastic vows under the name Maximus.

John married Jelena Jakšić, a Serbian noblewoman. By the account in Wikipedia they had four daughters and no surviving male heir; one daughter, Jelena, married Prince Peter IV Rareş of Moldavia. The whole family — Stephen, Angelina, George (Maximus), and John — is venerated together as a holy household of the Branković dynasty.

Exile and rule

The Branković family lived much of its life in exile after the collapse of the medieval Serbian state under Ottoman pressure. Wikipedia records that Emperor Friedrich III granted the family Castle Weitensfeld in Carinthia in 1479. By John's lifetime the title of Despot of Serbia, which he bore, had become largely titular rather than the rule of an independent state.

After John's death his widow Jelena remarried Ivaniš Berislavić, who was in turn granted the title Despot of Serbia.

Relics and Veneration

John was buried at the Monastery of Krušedol (Krushedol) in Fruška Gora, the monastery associated with his brother Maximus and with the burials of his family. The synaxarion relates that many miracles took place before his holy relics.

John was proclaimed a saint by the Serbian Orthodox Church; according to Wikipedia his cult began in the first half of the 16th century. He is commemorated together with his parents, Saint Stephen and Saint Angelina, on December 10.

Member ofReadHide
The Holy Despots — the Household of Branković
Commemorated together · Dec 10
Family3 relativesShowHide
The Branković household
His father, the blinded and exiled Despot of Serbia; commemorated together with John on December 10.
Saint Stephenthe Blind of Serbia
His mother, who raised a household of Serbian saints in exile; commemorated together with John on December 10.
Saint Angelinaof Serbia
His elder brother, who relinquished the despotate to become a monk and later archbishop of Serbia.
Maximus BrankovicArchbishop of Serbia
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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints