Saint Vasilije
Encyclopedia
Saint Basil of Ostrog (December 12, 1610 - 1671) is a Serbian saint
venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church
.
He was Bishop
of Zahumlje
in Herzegovina
. He was born in Popovo Polje (The Priest's field), Herzegovina
in 1610, and became a monk
at the Monastery
of the Dormition Tvrdoš
near Trebinje
.
St. Basil's modesty made him reluctant to occupy high positions. However, his piety and humility made him well suited for the role and he was elected as Bishop of Zahumlje and Skanderija
against his will.
After his death in 1671 he was buried at the Ostrog Monastery
he had founded in Montenegro
, and his tomb in a cave-church soon became a site of pilgrimage for Christians
(both Orthodox
and Roman Catholic) and Muslims drawn by reports of miracles occurring through the intercession of the saint. The Monastery of Ostrog
is now one of the major pilgrimage sites in the Balkans, and large numbers of pilgrims gather particularly at Pentecost
. St. Basil of Ostrog is commemorated in the Serbian orthodox liturgical calendar on April 29.
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
.
He was Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Zahumlje
Zahumlje
Zachlumia or Zahumlje was a medieval principality located in modern-day regions of Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia...
in Herzegovina
Herzegovina
Herzegovina is the southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there is no official border distinguishing it from the Bosnian region, it is generally accepted that the borders of the region are Croatia to the west, Montenegro to the south, the canton boundaries of the Herzegovina-Neretva...
. He was born in Popovo Polje (The Priest's field), Herzegovina
Herzegovina
Herzegovina is the southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there is no official border distinguishing it from the Bosnian region, it is generally accepted that the borders of the region are Croatia to the west, Montenegro to the south, the canton boundaries of the Herzegovina-Neretva...
in 1610, and became a monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
at the Monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of the Dormition Tvrdoš
Tvrdoš
Tvrdoš is a 15th-century Serb Orthodox monastery near the city of Trebinje, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 4th-century foundations of the first Roman church on the site are still visible today....
near Trebinje
Trebinje
Trebinje is the southernmost municipality and town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is administratively part of the Republika Srpska entity and is located in southeastern Herzegovina, some from the Adriatic Sea....
.
St. Basil's modesty made him reluctant to occupy high positions. However, his piety and humility made him well suited for the role and he was elected as Bishop of Zahumlje and Skanderija
Eparchy of Zahumlje and Herzegovina
The Eparchy of Zahumlje and Herzegovina is an eparchy of the Serbian Orthodox Church with its seat in Mostar, temporarily transferred to the Tvrdoš monastery near Trebinje, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Early:The region was under the Metropolitanate of Durazzo, which in turn was under...
against his will.
After his death in 1671 he was buried at the Ostrog Monastery
Ostrog monastery
The Monastery of Ostrog is a monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church placed against an almost vertical background, high up in the large rock of Ostroška Greda, in Montenegro. It is dedicated to Saint Basil of Ostrog . From the monastery, a superb view of the Bjelopavlići plain can be seen...
he had founded in Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
, and his tomb in a cave-church soon became a site of pilgrimage for Christians
Christian pilgrimage
Christian pilgrimage was first made to sites connected with the ministry of Jesus. Surviving descriptions of Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land and Jerusalem date from the 4th century, when pilgrimage was encouraged by church fathers like Saint Jerome and established by Helena, the mother of...
(both Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
and Roman Catholic) and Muslims drawn by reports of miracles occurring through the intercession of the saint. The Monastery of Ostrog
Ostrog monastery
The Monastery of Ostrog is a monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church placed against an almost vertical background, high up in the large rock of Ostroška Greda, in Montenegro. It is dedicated to Saint Basil of Ostrog . From the monastery, a superb view of the Bjelopavlići plain can be seen...
is now one of the major pilgrimage sites in the Balkans, and large numbers of pilgrims gather particularly at Pentecost
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
. St. Basil of Ostrog is commemorated in the Serbian orthodox liturgical calendar on April 29.
External links
- Saint Vasilije (Basil) from the Prologue from Ochrid by Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović
- St Basil the Bishop of Ostrog in Montenegro, Serbia Orthodox iconIconAn icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
and synaxarion