The Ruler – the Monk – the Saint: The Concept of Sacral Kingship in Medieval Serbia
Date:
December 2, 2009 - 15:30 - 17:00 Event type:
Lecture Event audience:
Open to the Public External presenter(s):
Smilja Marjanović-Dušanić (Belgrade University) CEU organizer(s):
Gábor Klaniczay CEU organizer(s):
Niels Gaul CEU host unit(s):
Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies (CEMS) CEU host unit(s):
Department of Medieval Studies The topic of the lecture is a practice of Serbian medieval rulers to renounce the throne in order to enter into the monasteries as monks. This behavior, motivated by a tripartite formula of ideal rule the ruler-the monk-the saint, had already been established by the founder of the Nemanjid dynasty and gradually made into a pattern for his successors. The model of St. Joasaph was especially inspiring as when it came to renouncing on earthly power. Its influence was obvious enough in the hagiographical narrative and other texts as well as in the visual representations of the epoch. Entering the monastery was a necessary phase in order for the monarch to become worthy of future sainthood, which was, for the studied period (1168–1371) prevailingly of the dynastic type.
This lecture will be presented in a joint session of the Medieval Studies Seminar and the Hellenic Colloquia lecture series.