Ilarion Radonić ( worldly name: Žarko Radonić; 27 August 1871 - 4 March 1932) was bishop of the

Serbian Orthodox Church The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodoxy, Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodox Church#Constit ...

Biography

Žarko Radonić was born in Mol, Bačka, on 27 August 1871. After graduating from the Gymnasium in

Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...

, he enrolled in the Faculty of Theology at the Grandes écoles of Saint Arsenije in

Sremski Karlovci Sremski Karlovci ( sr-Cyrl, Сремски Карловци, ) is a town and municipality located in the South Bačka Districtautonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. It is situated on the banks of the Danube, from Novi Sad. According to the 202 ...

and, after graduating, studied law in

Eger Eger ( , ; ; also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights, Eger is best known for Castle of Eger, its ...

and Pest. As a graduate

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

and

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

, he moved to

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

and became a professor at the Faculty of Theology in Reljevo in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...

. At the beginning of 1900, he took over the editorial board of the Church magazine ''Istočnik'', which he edited with great success. He did editorial work for more than seven years (from January 1, 1900, to September 30, 1907). As an editor, Radonić himself was a prolific writer. His most numerous works were editorials and reviews of magazines and books, but most often works from the history of the Serbian Orthodox Church, ancient and modern literature, and books published by

Matica srpska The Matica srpska ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Матица српска, Matica srpska, ) is the oldest Serbian language independent, non-profit, non-governmental and cultural-scientific Serbian national institution. It was founded on June 1, 1826, in Pest, ...

. He also published speeches, commemorative sermons, and articles on pastoral practice. During his tenure as editor, a significant number of the works by Russian theologians were translated and published. In his senior years, he attended world inter-faith conferences.

Monastic life

He was ordained to the rank of

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

, and to the rank of

presbyter Presbyter () is an honorific title for Christian clergy. The word derives from the Greek ''presbyteros'', which means elder or senior, although many in Christian antiquity understood ''presbyteros'' to refer to the bishop functioning as overseer ...

on October 11, 1899. He became the rector of his ''

alma mater Alma mater (; : almae matres) is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning "nourishing mother". It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to ''alumnus'', literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a sc ...

'' (Grandes écoles of Saint Arsenije Sremac in Sremski Karlovci) in 1909. He published his works in "Istočnik", which he edited with great success. He was elected Metropolitan of the Eparchy of Zvornik and Tuzla by the

Holy Synod In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox ...

of the

Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is headed ...

on 14 December 1909 and was consecrated in

Tuzla Tuzla (, , ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, third-largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the administrative center of Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 110,979 inha ...

on 15 May 1910. In 1914 he was Chairman of the Great Administrative and Educational Council, and after the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he became a member of the Central Bishops' Council, which made all preparations for the establishment of a united Serbian Patriarchate. He moved to the Diocese of Caransebeș which was under the authority of the Serbian Orthodox Church, on 6 April 1922 and remained there until 1929 when he retired due to illness. He died in Osijek on 4 March 1932 and was buried in the city cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radonić, Ilarion Bishops of Zvornik-Tuzla 1871 births 1932 deaths