Saint and Holy Martyr Theodore of Komogovo ( sr, свети мученик Теодор (Сладић) комоговински,
Teodor Komogovinski; 18th century) is a

Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches. The majori ...

saint (holy martyr), who served as a

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

in the monasteries of Komogovina and Moštanica. When the Ottomans burned Moštanica, they killed many monks, including Teodor whom they burnt alive in 1788 after he refused to renounce his Christian faith, as well as many

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

from surrounding villages. He is remembered on Theodore's Saturday (on the first Saturday of Great Lent).

Life

Teodor Sladić (Теодор Сладић) was born in a village in Kukuruzari (modern

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

) into a humble

Serb The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

family named Sladić. As a young man, he accompanied a

from the Serbian Orthodox

Komogovina Komogovina ( sr-Cyrl, Комоговина) is a village in the Donji Kukuruzari municipality of central Croatia. It is the location of the Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна цркв ...

monastery (which is near his birthplace in Kukuruzari) to Moštanica monastery near Kozarska Dubica (modern

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

). He undertook an austere life both at Komogovina and Moštanica. When the Ottomans burned Moštanica, they killed many monks, as well as many local

from the surrounding villages. Ascetic Theodor was ordered to give up his belief in

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

, but he refused. The Turks burned him alive in 1788 near Moštanica monastery. His body burned, but with

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

's miracle, his right hand has been kept and has been exempted both from the fire and degradation. This was the first sign of the holiness of this

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

Holy relic

The saved hand was moved to Komogovina monastery, where it was by the beginning of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. During the war, it was moved many times, and by the end of World War II it was found at St. Nicholas Church in Karlovac, where it remained until 1955 when it was returned to Kostajnica for safety reasons. During holidays and prayer days, the

Holy Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

hand was carried over to Komogovina so that faithful people could bow to this martyr.

Legacy and commemoration

The Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church on 20 May 1966 under AS number 28, record 44 took a decision: "Insert into the list of all Serbs holy martyrs for

faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people ofte ...

and St. Theodor (Sladić) martyr from Komogovina, therewith to be mentioned on the day of Theodor's Saturday". He is remembered on Theodore's Saturday (Тодорова субота), which falls on the first Saturday of Great Lent.Celebration of Theodore's Saturday at Belgrade Seminary
" The Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Komogovinski, Teodor 18th-century Serbian people 18th-century Croatian people Serbian Orthodox clergy 18th-century Eastern Orthodox martyrs Serbian saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church Serbs of Croatia People from Donji Kukuruzari Christians executed for refusing to convert to Islam Christian saints killed by Muslims Year of birth unknown Habsburg Serbs Executed Serbian people Serbian monks

Life

Holy relic

Legacy and commemoration

See also

References