Sava was born in 1169 A.D. He was the son of Stephen (Stefan) Nemanja the
Grand Zupan of the Serbs. As a young man, Sava yearned for the spiritual life
for which he fled to the Holy Mountain (Mt. Athos) where he was tonsured a monk
and with rare zeal lived according to the ascetical rule. Stefan Nemanja followed
the example of his son and came to the Holy Mountain where he was tonsured a
monk and died as Simeon, the monk.
Sava obtained the independence of the Serbian Church from the (Byzantine)
emperor and patriarch and became the first Archbishop of the Serbs. Together
with his father, he built the Monastery Hilandar and, after that, many other
monasteries, churches and schools throughout the Serbian lands.
On two occasions, he made a pilgrimage to the sacred places in the Holy Land.
He restored peace between his two brothers who were estranged because of a struggle
for power. He restored peace between the Serbs and their neighbors.
In establishing the Serbian Church, he was, through that, establishing
the Serbian State and culture. He instilled peace between all the Balkan peoples
and worked for the benefit of all for which he was loved and respected by all
the Balkan peoples.
To the Serbian people he gave a Christian soul which did not perish with the
collapse of the Serbian State. Sava died in Trnovo, Bulgaria, during the reign
of Emperor Asen, having become ill following the Divine Liturgy on the Feast
of the Epiphany on January 12, 1236 A.D.
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