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Dositej Novakovi?
(c. 1774?1854) was an Orthodox priest in the
Ottoman Empire
and later the first Serbian bishop of Timok from 1834 to 1854.
Biography
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Novakovi? was born in the small village of
Dabnica
close to
Prilep
around 1774. As a young man, he joined the fraternity of the
Treskavec Monastery
. Soon afterwards he left Treskavac for
Mount Athos
and the Bulgarian
Zograf Monastery
, where he became a monk.
After returning to
Prilep
, Novakovi? came into conflict with the local Muslims and, fearing for his life, he decided to flee northwards towards the
Ni? Eyalet
. He first came to
Pirot
and then to
Ni?
, where he serves as an aid to bishop Meletius. In May 1821, fearing that the local Christians
would rise to arms
inspired by the
Wallachian uprising of 1821
, the Ottomans murdered bishop Meletius together with several other churchmen. Novakovi? managed to escape to the newly established
Principality of Serbia
where he was appointed first as abbot of the Serbian monastery Sveta Petka and later on of the Serbian
Gornjak Monastery
.
In 1834 the
Timo?ka Krajina
region was ceded from the
Ottoman Empire
to the
Principality of Serbia
,
Prince Milo? Obrenovi?
decided to form a new
diocese
in the area. The Metropolitan of Serbia decided to name Novakovi? as the first bishop of Timok, the position on which he remained for the next two decades. The seat of the diocese was first in
Zaje?ar
but was soon transferred to
Negotin
. Bishop Dositej is remembered as a kind and benevolent men, who was especially keen on helping pupils from his diocese that continued their schooling in
Belgrade
.
In 1846 Novakovi? became a member of the Serbian Learned Society, the precursor of the present-day
Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences
.
Novakovi? died on 2 April 1854. His modest grave originally stood in the churchyard of the old Serbian church in
Negotin
while later on it was moved inside of it.
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References
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