St. Sava of Serbia

Rastko, youngest son of Stefan Nemanja, ran away at seventeen to Mount Athos and became the monk Sava. With his father he founded Hilandar, and he wrote rules for Serbian monasteries. In 1219 he was consecrated the first Archbishop of an independent Serbian Church, and he crowned his brother Stefan king. He founded schools and churches, made two pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and died on the way home in Tarnovo in 1236. In 1594 the Ottomans burned his relics in Belgrade, and the Church of St. Sava now stands on the spot.

• Feast: January 14 (New Calendar)
• Lived: 1174–1236
• Place: Studenica