Saint Angelina of Serbia
| Venerable Mother Angelina, Despotess of Serbia | |
|---|---|
|
Fresco in Krušedol depicting Angelina | |
| Saint, Venerable | |
| Born |
15th century Berat (present day Albania) |
| Died |
Beginning of the 16th century Krušedol monastery (present day Serbia) |
| Venerated in | Serbian Orthodox Church |
| Major shrine | Krušedol monastery |
| Feast | July 30 or December 10 |
Angelina Branković (Serbian Cyrillic: Ангелина Бранковић; Albanian: Angjelina Arianiti ca. 1440–1520), née Arianiti, was the despotess consort of Serbian Despot Stefan Branković (r. 1458—1459), and a daughter of Albanian nobleman Gjergj Arianiti. For her pious life she was proclaimed a saint and venerated as such by the Serbian Orthodox Church as Venerable Mother Angelina (Serbian: Преподобна мати Ангелина[a]).
Life
Early life
Angelina was the sixth daughter of Albanian nobleman Gjergj Arianiti (1383–1462), according to John Musachi (1515).[1] She married Serbian ruler Stefan Branković (r. 1458–59), son of the former Serbian Despot Đurađ Branković (r. 1427—1456).[2] Her sister Donika married Skanderbeg.[3]
Exile
The couple fled to Albania and then to Italy.[3]
In 1485, at the death of her husband, Angelina went to the Kingdom of Hungary, where her son, George, had become a titular despot in exile of the Serbian Despotate. The territory of the Despotate had been under the Ottoman Empire since its collapse in 1459. Later Angelina retired in the Krušedol monastery, in the Fruška Gora mountain of Syrmia, where she died in the beginning of the 16th century.[3]
Sainthood
She is venerated as a saint by the Serbian Orthodox Church as Venerable Mother Angelina and her feast day is July 30, while she is also venerated on December 10, together with her husband, St. Stephen, and her son, St. John.[2][3] She wrote a hagiography known as Hagiography of Mother Angelina (Serbian: Житије мајке Ангелине).
Relic case of Angelina's remains
Outer wall of Krušedol with ston-icon of Angelina
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to St. Angelina of Serbia. |
Annotations
- ^ Her name in Serbian was Angelina Branković (Serbian Cyrillic: Ангелина Бранковић), née Arianit Komneni. She is also known as simply Despotess Angelina (Serbian: деспотица Ангелина). The Serbian Orthodox Church and Serbian epic poetry calls her Venerable Mother Angelina (Serbian: Преподобна мати Ангелина), or simply Mother Angelina or Saint Angelina (Serbian Cyrillic: Света Ангелина, Albanian: Shën Angjelina).
References
- ↑ Musachi, John (1515). "1515 John Musachi: Brief Chronicle on the Descendants of our Musachi Dynasty". Retrieved 3 October 2010.
- 1 2 St. Angelina of Serbia
- 1 2 3 4 Elsie, Robert (2000). A dictionary of Albanian religion, mythology and folk culture. New York University Press. p. 9. ISBN 0-8147-2214-8.
Further reading
- Božanić, Snežana (2016). "Srpski velikaši u političkim previranjima oko izbora Vladislava II za kralja Ugarske". Истраживањ. 24: 151–165.
- Gapska, Dominika (2013). "Angelina Branković: święta władczyni w hymnografii. Zarys problemu". Poznańskie Studia Slawistyczne. Poznań. 5: 103–115. (Polish)
- Krstić, Đorđe (1896). Мати Ангелина [Mother Angelina]. Čurug. (Serbian)
- Matić, V. (1978). "Crkva Majke Angeline u Krusedolu" [L'église de la" Mère Angelina" à Krusedol].
- Mileusnić, Slobodan (2000) [1989]. Sveti Srbi [Holy Serbs] (2nd ed.). Novi Sad: Prometej. ISBN 86-7639-478-4. OCLC 44601641. (Serbian)
- Spremić, Momčilo (2004). La famille serbe des Brankovic - considérations généalogiques et héraldiques (PDF). Zbornik radova Vizantološkog instituta. 41. Belgrade: SANU. pp. 441–452. (French)
- Tomin, Svetlana (2007), Деспотица и монахиња Ангелина Бранковић – света мајка Ангелина [Duchess and Nun Angelina Brankovic - Holy Mother Angelina], Novi Sad