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Saint Dositheus the Confessor Bishop of Serbia

1887–1945

Also known as Dositheus of Serbia

A confessor and bishop of Serbia commemorated by the Church, of whom no detailed life survives.

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Commemorated as

Saint Dositheus the Confessor, Bishop of Serbia

Life

Saint Dositheus the Confessor, Bishop of Serbia, commemorated by the Orthodox Church in America on December 31, is identified across Orthodox reference sources with Metropolitan Dositheus (Dositej) Vasić of Zagreb, the first Serbian Orthodox Metropolitan of that see. A Serbian hierarch of the early twentieth century, he died in 1945 of injuries sustained under the Ustaše regime in the Independent State of Croatia, and is venerated as a confessor of the faith.

Born in Belgrade and educated in Serbia, Kyiv, and Western Europe, he served as Bishop of Niš from 1913 before being appointed the first Metropolitan of the newly established Zagreb diocese in 1931. He was added to the list of Serbian saints by the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church in May 2000.

Troparion1 hymnReadHide
TroparionTone 8

O champion of Orthodoxy, teacher of purity and of true worship,
enlightener of the universe and adornment of hierarchs.
All-wise father Dositheus, you have enlightened all by your teachings.
Interceed with Christ God to save our souls.

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

Timeline9 momentsReadHide
  1. 1887BirthBorn in Belgrade (December 5; one source gives 1878).
  2. 1904Theological studies in KyivGraduated from the theological academy in Kyiv with the degree of Magister of Theology.
  3. 1909Further studies in EuropeCompleted further study in Berlin, Leipzig, and at the Sorbonne in Paris.
  4. 1913Bishop of NišConsecrated Bishop of Niš (May 25).
  5. 1921Mission in Carpatho-RussiaHelped organize Orthodox Christians in Carpatho-Russia and took part in the consecration of Bishop Gorazd of Prague.
  6. 1931First Metropolitan of ZagrebAppointed the first Metropolitan of Zagreb.
  7. 1945Death under the UstašeDied on January 13 in Belgrade of injuries sustained under the Ustaše regime.
  8. 2000Entered among the Serbian saintsEntered into the list of Serbian saints by the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
  9. 2008Translation of relicsHis relics translated to the monastery church (May).

Contributions & Legacy

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Identity and commemoration

The Orthodox Church in America commemorates "Saint Dositheus the Confessor, Bishop of Serbia" on December 31, but its synaxarion entry supplies no biographical detail; the OCA troparion (Tone 8) hails him only as a "champion of Orthodoxy, teacher of purity and of true worship." Orthodox reference sources—including OrthodoxWiki, orthochristian.com, the Serbian Orthodox Church, and the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese—identify this confessor-bishop of Serbia with Metropolitan Dositheus (Dositej) Vasić of Zagreb. These sources commemorate him on several dates, among them January 13 (the day of his repose) and June 28 with the New Martyrs and Confessors of Serbia; the December 31 date is the commemoration kept in the OCA calendar.

Early life and education

According to Orthodox biographical sources, Dositheus was born in Belgrade on December 5, 1887 (one source gives 1878, which appears to be an error). He studied at the seminary in Belgrade and graduated from the theological academy in Kyiv in 1904 with the degree of Magister of Theology, afterward pursuing further study at universities in Berlin and Leipzig and at the Sorbonne in Paris by 1909. He took monastic vows and was ordained a hierodeacon while still a seminary student.

Episcopal ministry

He was consecrated Bishop of Niš on May 25, 1913, and served that diocese through the upheavals of the First World War. In the early 1920s he was sent to Czechoslovakia at the request of Orthodox Christians returning from the Greek Catholic union; arriving in Carpatho-Russia in 1921, he presided over a gathering of parishes that led to the organization of a new diocese and took part in the consecration of Bishop Gorazd (Pavlík) of Prague in September 1921. In 1931 he was appointed the first Metropolitan of the newly established Zagreb diocese, a post he held until his death.

Confession and repose

After the outbreak of the Second World War and the establishment of the Independent State of Croatia, Metropolitan Dositheus was arrested and imprisoned in Zagreb. Gravely ill, he was mistreated during his confinement before being transferred to Belgrade. He died on January 13, 1945, at the Monastery of the Entrance of the Most Holy Mother of God (Vavedenje) in Belgrade from the injuries he had sustained, and is venerated as a confessor who suffered for the faith.

Glorification

On May 22, 1998, the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church declared Metropolitan Dositej a confessor, and in May 2000 his name was entered into the list of Serbian saints together with other New Martyrs and Confessors of Serbia. In May 2008 his relics were translated to the monastery church from the tomb where he had rested since 1945.

Companions1 figureShowHide
Bishop Gorazd (Pavlík) of Prague, in whose 1921 consecration Dositheus took part.
New Hieromartyr Gorazdof Prague
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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints