Makarije Sokolović

Makarije Sokolović (Serbian: Макарије Соколовић ; died 1574) was the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church (Patriarchate of Peć) from 1557 to 1571. He was the first patriarch of the restored Serbian Patriarchate, after its lapse in 1463 that resulted from the Ottoman conquest of Serbia. He is variously reported to have been the brother, nephew, or first cousin of the Ottoman Grand Vizier Mehmed-paša Sokolović, who used his influence in the Ottoman Empire to reestablish the Patriarchate of Peć.^[1] Patriarch Makarije is celebrated as a saint in the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Biography

He was born in the 16th century, his family hailing from the Serb clan of Piva in Old Herzegovina. He was a close kinsman of Mehmed-paša Sokolović, the Ottoman Grand Vizier.

Prior to the reestablishment of the Patriarchate, the Serbs were under the jurisdiction of the Archbishopric of Ochrid. Metropolitan of Smederevo Pavle was one of many that did not recognize the current status of Serb Orthodox in the Ottoman Empire, and sought to make the Serbian Church independent once again. Makarije became the First Patriarch of the Patriarchate of Peć in 1557. The Ottoman Sultan gave Makarije the same rights as the Patriarch of Constantinople.

The jurisdiction of the Patriarchy was the lands of Emperor Dušan the Mighty (Serbian Empire) and Uroš Nemanjić (Serbian Kingdom), with Bačka, Banat, Baranja, Srem, Slavonia, Bosanska Krajina, Bosna, Lika, Krbava and Dalmatia, and had more than 40 eparchies, among some newly founded: Eparchy of Trebinje, Eparchy of Požeška etc.

Among renewed monasteries were: Banja Monastery in Priboj, Gračanica, Studenica, Pećka patrijaršija, Budisavci in Kosovo and Metohia. This started a renaissance of the Serb culture; in arts, literature and overall culture.

Because of illness he was succeeded in 1571, by his fraternal nephew Antonije Sokolović, he died in 1574.

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