Vladislav Serbsky is a saint whose photos can be seen not only in church publications, but also in ordinary history books. Who was this man in life? For what merit was he canonized? What did he become famous for? To whom and in what does this saint help? How should one pray in front of his icon? These and many other questions arise among believers quite often, since Vladislav of Serbia, a saint who is extremely popular in the Balkans, is little known in Russia.
Who was this man?
In the world the name of the saint was Stefan Vladislav Nemanich and this man was the ruler of Serbia, the king. He ruled from 1234 to 1243. To a modern person, this period of stay in power may seem rather short. However, for the thirteenth century, the length of the reign was quite decent.
The merits of this king includepolitical unity with Bulgaria, achieved through marriage with Princess Beloslava. Under his rule, the Serbs managed to defend their territories against the threat of conquest by the Hungarian crusaders, namely, the seaside region of Zachumie.
However, the sovereign's luck did not last long. Soon after the death of his wife's father, hordes of Mongol-Tatars invaded the Balkans. Serbia was ravaged by them. Of course, this gave rise to discontent of the nobility and nobility. Vladislav did not wait for his overthrow and abdicated himself in favor of his younger brother.
Vladislav was born around 1198 (the exact date is unknown to historians), and died in early November 1267.
How did Vladislav become king?
He was the second son of King Stephen II the First Crowned and received the throne under very confusing circumstances. The power was inherited by Stephen's eldest son, Radoslav. However, he lost the throne as he was dethroned in 1234 by the nobles.
Historians have two hypotheses related to this palace coup. According to the first, the future saint, Prince Vladislav of Serbia, led the conspirators. According to another version, he was approached with a request to occupy the throne liberated from Radoslav. No matter how the events developed, due to which Vladislav became king, he turned out to be a very good ruler.
Interesting moments from family history
Vladislav Serbsky is not the only saint in his family. His uncle Savva, founder and first archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, wascanonized as a miracle worker, and lived his life as a monk. The worldly name of this man is Rastko Nemanich. She took tonsure and was also canonized as a saint and the mother of Savva. She was canonized under the name Anastasia.
Saint Sava of Serbia is often confused with another archbishop who comes from the same family and had the same name. One of the sons of the founder of the Nemanich dynasty, Stefan the First-crowned Predislav, was a clergyman. He gave monastic vows under the name of Savva. This man was a bishop in Zachumie, saved from the Hungarian invasion. And later became the Archbishop of Serbia, known as Savva the Second.
The interesting facts do not end with the fact that the life of the Nemanich family turned out to be closely connected with Orthodoxy and Vladislav the Serbian saint was not the only one in this family. The founder of the dynasty, Stefan the First Crowned, was seriously ill at the end of his life. Whether his decision to retire from worldly life is related to his he alth or not, no one knows. But shortly before his death, the king gave monastic vows. Stefan was not only a ruler, but also a publicist writer. His literary works, created in the middle of life, surprisingly combine the details of jurisprudence, descriptions of everyday life and spiritual orientation.
The king founded the monastery of Zhicha, where he took monastic vows, taking the spiritual name Simeon. He was also canonized and is revered by the Serbian Church. In Russia, this person is practically unknown. Also tonsured years after the loss of the throne and his eldest son,Radoslav, who became Jovan as a monk.
All members of the family, in whose hands both secular and spiritual power over the country was concentrated in the early Middle Ages, are buried in the Mileshev Monastery, built during the reign of Vladislav.
What was Vladislav's main contribution to the Serbian Orthodox Church?
Without a doubt, every ruler of the past, regardless of the country in which he occupied the throne and in what historical period it happened, had merits before the church. We are talking about laying and building temples and monasteries. Granting economic freedoms or special powers to representatives of the clergy - abbots of monasteries or churches.
Of course, St. Vladislav of Serbia, whose life outside the period of government of the country is described extremely poorly, was no exception. During his tenure in power, beautiful churches and monasteries were founded and built, which to this day are the subject of national pride of the Serbs.
However, the main merit of the ruler before the church and the Serbian people is the return to the homeland of the relics of St. Sava, who died in Bulgaria. The first archbishop of the independent Serbian Church and its founder died suddenly, being a guest of the Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen II, the father of Vladislav's wife. It happened in 1236. The archbishop stayed at the court of the ruler of Bulgaria during his return home from the Holy Land, where he made a pilgrimage. Savva was buried in the Church of the Forty Great Martyrs, which still stands inTarnovo.
Why did the Bulgarians refuse to return the relics of Savva the First Serbian?
Of course, the nobility and the clergy of Serbia were unhappy that the ashes of the founding father of their autocephalous church were outside the country. Vladislav repeatedly addressed Ivan Asen II with written petitions for the return of Savva's relics to their homeland. However, the Bulgarian Tsar invariably answered them with a polite but firm refusal. Of course, the ruler of Bulgaria was not sorry to return the bones of Savva to his relatives, the reason for the refusals was not at all the “capricious mood” of the king.
The Archbishop of Serbia was highly revered in the Balkans, enjoyed fame and respect not only in his homeland. His opinion was taken into account, and many people were sure of the holiness of this man during his lifetime. In other words, the question was not about returning the ashes of an ordinary person to their homeland, but about finding the relics of a saint. There was also a political moment. Bulgaria in those days was a kind of "counterweight" to Byzantium. Of course, in order to maintain its positions and authority in the international arena, the country needed its own saints and their relics, which could be worshiped.
How did Vladislav manage to get his relics back? Miraculous Intervention of the Lord
Desperate to convince his father-in-law, Vladislav Serbsky, whose holy uncle rested in a Bulgarian church, personally went on a visit to a neighboring state. What the ruler of Serbia was counting on remains a mystery to this day. Vladislav was a very educated and wise politician and could not help but realize all the illusory chances of successnegotiations with the king of Bulgaria.
Indeed, negotiations with the father-in-law seem to have frozen in one place. The king of Serbia went to the resting place of his uncle and prayed for a long time before his relics, repented and tearfully asked for help from above in transferring the remains to his homeland, orphaned without his patron saint.
And that night, during Vladislav's prayer, a miracle happened. The Angel of the Lord appeared to the Bulgarian Tsar in a dream and reproached him. He also ordered the return of the relics of St. Sava to his relatives for repose in a Serbian monastery.
Of course, it was impossible to resist the will of the Lord himself. The relics of the holy uncle Vladislav were delivered with great honors to the Mileshev Monastery, where they rested until the end of the sixteenth century. In 1594, the famous military and statesman of the Ottoman Empire, Koca Sinan Pasha, ordered that the remains of the saint be brought to Belgrade, where he betrayed them to public burning on Mount Vracar. After the liberation of the country from Turkish rule, a temple was built in this place in memory of the barbaric destruction of the relics of the elder.
Intervention from above, the miracle of the appearance of the Angel, who commanded the return of the body of the holy elder to his homeland, formed the basis of the plot of the famous fresco, which has become one of the symbols of the country, located in the cathedral church of the Ascension of the Lord in the Mileshev Monastery.
And, of course, the fact that a miracle happened through the prayer of the king and the Lord sent his Angel to help Vladislav in earthly affairs was one of the reasons for the canonization of this ruler.
How did this man live after the renunciationfrom the throne?
Of course, Vladislav Serbian is a saint not only because a miracle happened through his prayer. The king led a righteous life and managed to avoid many temptations. Pride, lust for power, anger were alien to him. The life of Vladislav after his abdication speaks of such personality traits.
The Serbian king accepted his fate with meekness and humility. Moreover, he independently decided to transfer the board to his younger brother. There are not many examples of such behavior in history.
After abdicating the throne, Vladislav lived for another twenty years. Not once during these years did he grumble at his fate and did not plot against his younger brother, who took the throne. Moreover, Vladislav was a reliable support, close friend and adviser, assistant to the new king.
This man lived very simply. He was always attentive to the needs of others, prayed a lot and did charity work.
When is Vladislav Serbsky remembered in church?
St. Vladislav of Serbia is revered not only in his homeland, but also in the Russian Orthodox Church. The day of remembrance and glorification of him is the seventh of October.
Of course, you can turn to the saint at any time. For prayer, it is absolutely not necessary to wait for the onset of the church day of commemoration of Vladislav the Serbian.
What does this saint refer to?
What helps St. Vladislav of Serbia? Traditionally, people who need to resolve disputes and conflicts, who are trying to reconcile the warring, turn to him with prayers. In other words, the saint provides patronage to all peacemakers, outsidedepending on how global conflicts they are trying to resolve.
Besides this, before the image of Vladislav they also pray for simple everyday needs. The earthly life of this man was not easy. It had ups and downs, temptations and miracles, successes and failures, recognition, popularity and oblivion. St. Vladislav of Serbia passed through all earthly trials. How does he help people? In everything that he endured. He is asked for guidance before making important decisions, about avoiding temptations while in power. Even before passing exams or before employment, they turn to him with prayers.
How is Vladislav of Serbia depicted on icons?
The most common two versions of the artistic performance of the image of the holy king of Serbia. In the first version, Vladislav appears before the believers in full growth with a crown on his head. The second type of images is waist. On such icons, as a rule, there is no crown.
In both versions, the image of Vladislav is prescribed in princely or royal attire. The saint usually holds an image of the Mileshev Monastery in his hands.
Is it necessary to have an icon of this saint in the house?
The icon of St. Vladislav, Prince of Serbia, is not represented in every church. Therefore, if you want to turn to him for help, of course, you need to find an image in church shops and purchase it. There is another reason to buy the image of a saint.
It is generally accepted that the icon of St. Vladislav of Serbia placed in the house protectsfamily from conflicts, quarrels, scandals and abuse. That is, in the absence of mutual understanding between loved ones, it makes sense to pray to him and place his image in the dwelling.
How to pray to Vladislav of Serbia?
Appeal to this saint is no different from requests addressed to others. This means that a prayer to St. Vladislav of Serbia can be said both in your own words and using ready-made texts.
If you want to pray while reading a troparion or kontakion, as they do in a church service, it is important to understand what the text says and not experience difficulties in pronouncing it. During prayer, a person should not be distracted by anything. If the words are not clear or inconvenient, then the mind will involuntarily begin to focus on the correct reading, and not on the prayer itself.
An example of the text of a prayer for peace in the family to this saint
Well-being in the home, mutual respect between family members, kindness and understanding - this is what Vladislav Serbsky is traditionally asked for.
You can pray for peace in your own home like this:
“Blessed Prince Vladislav, saint of the Lord, all-powerful in his prayer! I turn to you for a blessing for my house, relatives and friends. I beg you for guidance and the gift of wisdom, for filling our hearts with humility and meekness, for patience and respect, I ask you, Saint Vladislav! Help us avoid the temptations of demons, do not let us fall into pride and experience anger. Notlet your mind be clouded and your heart hardened. Do not let them commit unrighteous acts, save them from malice and envy. Amen"
