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. The founding of the libraries of Serbian people is linked with the erection of the first churches and monasteries right after the receiving of Christianity. The Serbian Church got rare and unique honor in cultural history that it was among the first to have had introduced a printed book in its church for liturgical aims. The library of the Serbian Patriarchate in Belgrade is the oldest preserved Serbian library in our country because many books and libraries were destroyed in numerous migrations of people, wars and rebellions in these regions. The books of Patriarchate Library represent one of the most significant treasures of many achievements of the scientific thought of Serbs. Through the books of this library the development of scientific thought can be followed in our culture from the time of St Sava till today in all scientific disciplines. The appearance of today's Patriarchate Library in Belgrade is connected with the name of Patriarch Arsenije Carnojevic III, who, during the Great Migration in 1690, took with him considerable number of the most necessary books taken from the rich Patriarchate Library in Pec. They make the starting fund of books of today's Patriarchate Library. It will experience the noticeable enlargement of its literary funds by the transfer of the books of Belgrade metropolitan's residence from Belgrade to Sremski Karlovci in 1737 at the time of metropolitan Mojsije Petrovic. It will then gain the title of Metropolitan Library. For the life of the library the year of 1769 is significant when the decision was brought that the books of all late hierarchs should be included into the contents of the Metropolitan Library. The Patriarchate Library achieves the greatest rise at the time of the wise and ingenuous metropolitan, Stefan Stratimirovic (1790-1836). He himself bought for the library 2072 books and gave as present his own private library of 2480 volumes, over 200 maps and drawings. Among the preserved books there are notes and observations written by the metropolitan's band. Many outstanding Serbian writers and historians used to give as present their literary treasure to the Patriarchate Library in Belgrade in the form of legacy. We will mention in this short review only bigger libraries which were included in the contents of the Patriarchate Library. THE LIBRARY OF ZAHARIJE ORFELIN, the outstanding Serbian writer and artist, copper engraver born in Vukovar in 1726. Zaharije was a teacher, scribe at the metropolitan's residence, typographer, proofreader in a printing shop in Venice and Vienna, educator, publisher and translator frori Russian. He started the first South Slavic journal (Slavenoserbski magazin, Venice, 1768). He died in Novi Sad in 1785. Among the manuscripts two important Orfelin's unpublished manuscripts are under preservation. It is one of the biggest private libraries of those times.
METROPOLITAN-PATRIARCHATE LIBRARY in Belgrade. In Belgrade metropolitan's residence from the liberation of Serbia in 1815 the Serbian and foreign books started to be collected in this institution and till 1915 it represented the very imposing library which had over 7650 works. During hard war 1914-1918 this old library was destroyed almost entirely together with the capital of Serbia. The first Patriarch of the restored Serbian Patriarchate - Dimitrije, also started with the restoration of the Belgrade's part of the Patriarchate Library. After the death of Patriarch Dimitrije 2312 works with around 3819 volumes were found in the library. THE LIBRARY OF THE THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL in Sremski Karlovei. Theological school in the place Sremski Karlovci is the oldest higher school among the Serbs, founded in 1794. It used to work with smaller breaks till the end of 1919 when it stopped working on account of the founding of the Theological Faculty at the Universities of Belgrade and Zagreb. The library which has 6242 works with 15620 volumes of note-books from this school has given to be stored by the Patriarchate Library. THE LIBRARY OF THEOLOGICAL SOCIETY "SLOGA" is the library of the students of the Theological School in Sremski Karloyei. After the work cessation of the Theological School this library was also given to the Patriarchate Library to be stored. THE LIBRARY OF THE ARCHPRIEST STEVAN DJURDJEVIC. The archpriest Stevan Djurdievic came to Belgrade in 1936 when he was expelled from Hungary. On the occasion of his moving from Seged he transferred his library as well which he gave as present to the Patriarchate Library. THE LIBRARY OF ARCHIMANDRITE STEFAN ILKIC, known church writer who used to work and write more than 50 years in the Serbian Orthodox Church. He started and was editing the known magazine "Duhovna staza"/"Spiritual path" - of the Monks association of the Serbian Orthodox Church and he was also a teacher and librarian. Being very modest and frugal man with very solid education and knowledge of several foreign languages, he managed to collect a very good library in Russian, Hungarian and Italian language. THE LIBRARY OF THE DIVINITY COLLEGE OF ST SAVA. This Library used to belong to the Divinity College of St Sava in Belgrade and began to be formed in the same year of 1836 when the divinity college was founded, ie restored in Belgrade. The contents of this library included by the testament the books left by the Serbian metropolitan Mihail, the number of which was very imposing for those times, 4250 works as well as the books of the archimandrite and academician Nicifor Ducic. This library was greatly destroyed during the First World War and during the Second one it was confiscated and transferred to Zagreb. As early as during the transfer one part of the books printed in Latin letters was confiscated by the ustashas and that part of the books finally disappeared for the library. This library had in 1941, 18522 works in
60022 volumes. During the war more than 1380 books decayed.
After the Second World War was finished a scientist and the director of the Museum SPC, Dr Radoslav Grujic was delegated by the Serbian Patriarchate to travel to Zagreb in the aim to find the confiscated property. He managed to bring back the good part of the property as well as the books and so from 1949 the Library is situated in the premises of the Patriarchate in Belgrade. This Library is not public but due to the wealth of the literary fund it is open for all visitors and is enitrely free. Besides printed books the Library keeps 420 manuscripts (whole manuscript books and parts from 14 to 18 century) and 587 volumes of old newspapers.
Through spiritual shepherds and teachers the Serbian Orthodox Church has kept the national consciousness of its people concerning the past and unity regardless of where the winds of tempestuous history threw them. Today theological schools, faculties and institutes have the libraries of their own. The tradition remained stored also at the monasteries, parishes, eparchies. The Serbs used to place the libraries, when there were no bigger and more suitable premises, even in the parvises of the temple itself. Just this placement of the libraries in the past had considerably contributed to the wide spreading of literacy of the people.
The organization of church life of the Serbian Orthodox Church exists also abroad among the Serbs who had left the country as well as among other peoples who sought the help from the church and jurisdiction of the Serbian Church. THE LIBRARIES OF BUDIM DIOCESE (Szentendre) in Hungary with 53 parishes, 51 church communities and 1 monastery have 9411 books. The books of these libraries are very interesting both for the Serbian and Russian bibliography, because they are composed of the great number of old printed books. THE LIBRARIES OF TEMISVAR DIOCESE (Temisoara) in Romania with 60 parishes, 51 church communities and 5 monasteries have 5890 books. Many books decayed after the Second World War during the communist government. THE LIBRARIES OF EAST-AMERICAN-CANADIAN DIOCESE (Cleveland) with 39 parishes and 39 church-school communitiesand the Episcopal Library have 5960 books. THE LIBRARIES OF MIDDLE-WEST-AMERICAN DIOCESE (Chicago) with 24 parishes, 24 church-school communities and 1 monastery have 4380 books. THE LIBRARIES OF WEST-AMERICAN DIOCESE (Alhambra) with 15 parishes and 15 church-school communities have 2120 books. THE LIBRARIES OF SERBIAN ORTHODOX EPISCOPAL DEANARY IN SKADAR with 10 parishes used to have 2390 books. This deanary is founded out of the parts of the diocese territories of Raska-Prizren, Bitoli and Montenegro-coast lands which were assigned to Albania. From 1929 our population was systematically expelled from Albania. Today there are not many traces of Slavic families and settlements not even in those places where the absolute Slavic majority used to live. The churches in the villages are almost all in ruins. THE LIBRARY OF THE ORTHODOX DIOCESE OF CZECH-MORAVIAN REGION (Prague) with 11 parishes and 11 church communities used to have till 1947 10690 books. After the execution by a firing squad of the bishop of Czech-Moravian region, Dr Gorazd and five Orthodox priests by German occupying authorities in 1942 almost all the libraries of this diocese were destroyed by the occupier. In the year of 1947 the jurisdiction over the Czechoslovakian Church by the Serbian Patriarchate was ceded to the Moscow Patriarchate. Today the Czechoslovakian Orthodox Church is autocephalous and keeps very close relations with the Serbian Orthodox Church. THE LIBRARIES OF THE ORTHODOX DIOCESE MUKACEVO-PRJASEV. This part of the Ukraine used to belong to the Austro-Hungarian state till 1918 ' From the collapse of Austro-Hungary it used to belong to the Czechoslovakian Republic till 1939 and then to Hungary till 1944 when it was liberated by the SSSR troops. At the request of the believers this diocese was ruled by the Serbian Orthodox Church till 1947 when the diocese came under the rule of the Moscow Patriarchate. The diocese had - while under the jurisdiction of the Serbian Orthodox Church - 122 parishes, 146 church communities and 8 monasteries. The libraries had 16752 books. THE LIBRARIES OF WEST-EUROPEAN AND AUSTRALIAN DIOCESE (London). This diocese was founded for the needs of the believers of the Serbian Orthodox Church who live in the states of Western Europe and Australia. The libraries of this diocese are under formation although some exist already more than two centuries: the Library of the Serbian Orthodox Church Community in Trieste (Italy) and the Library of the Serbian Orthodox Church Community in the capital of Austria - Vienna. The Library of the MONASTERY HILANDAR almost already eight centuries diligently and industriously collects and selects cultural values of the Serbian people and proudly shows them to the new generations (to be directed to particular division about Hilandar). The Patriarchate Library, as well as the Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church, keep priceless values of our people by which we are known throughout the world. The initials of Miroslav's Gospel are something most beautiful seen from the 12th century being as well the proof that one, signed below, Sinful novice Grigorije, had written such beauty for Prince Miroslav of Zahumlje. That value has been kept but how many maybe greater values were lost and perished! The history of the Serbian people is glorious as with many peoples but is the suffering and bitter one as with less number of peoples. Having suffered as much as we and having been destroyed both materially and spiritually, it is the real miracle that we still have priceless values of our spiritual and cultural inheritance. Our existence is still one more of the proofs that this people are guarded by the invisible hand of God. . .
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THE LIBRARY of the
archimandrite ILARION RUVARAC, known historian and founder of the
so-called critical historiography of Serbian people. Ilarion used to be
the librarian of the Patriarchate library for many years and after the
refusal to accept episcopal rank he went to the monastery Grgeteg. His
library is preserved today in four-winged oak closed closets which he
himself ordered during his lifetime. The library is made according to the
ordinal numbers of closet wings and ordinal nurtbers of the shelves which
go from above downwards. The shelves are marked with the letters of
Cyrillic alphabet from A - E and the closet wings are marked with Roman
numbers I - XII. The call numbers of the books practically look as this: I
A 1,I. 12 or XII E.4. This rearrangement was done by the known professor
of history and academician Dr Nikola Radojcic while he was a young high
school professor in Sremski Karlovci as he was givng help to the librarian
of those times, Dimitrije Ruvarac, Ilarion's brother. The Patriarchate
Library has kept even today this arrangement out of purely historical
reasons as the school example of how the libraries were once being
arranged. For this arrangement great interest is shown by the students of
the Library School in Belgrade on the occasion of their visits to the
Library.
Anyway, the Patriarchate
Library experienced its hardest destiny in 1941 when it was confiscated by
the ustagas' occupying authorities and transferred to Zagreb. During this
transfer which was done in rainy season of the fall, many books were
damaged so much that they are not for usage anymore although they had
survived all the horrors as can be seen on the photo.
