Chapter 12

St. Sabbas, the First Archbishop of the Servians

January 14.

SABBAS, or Savvo, was born A. D. 1169. He was the youngest son of Stephan Nemanja, who united the Servians in their first kingdom. Leaving his home secretly, he secluded himself, at the age of seventeen years, in the holy Mount Athos. Finally, on being discovered, and yielding to the tears of their son, his parents allowed him to remain there in prayer and study. It was after the death of his father, when the wise Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople, heard of the holy life of this hermit; and on examining him as to his ability, and consulting with the episcopate of his patriarchate, he desired to consecrate Savvo archbishop for the Servians. But Savvo, in his humility, declined the dignity, and said he was willing to go to his people as a worker, but for an archbishop a better and more qualified man should be sought. However, being prevailed upon by his brothers, the people, and the patriarch, Savvo consented, and he became the first archbishop of the Servian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, which ever since has been in full communion with the Eastern Apostolic Church. St. Savvo’s greatest work was the opening of schools, which he multiplied throughout the country. He educated a new choir of faithful clergy, in place of the few Greek missionaries left in the country. It was in 1222 when the apostle of the Servians crowned his brother Dushan as the emperor of the Srbs and Slaveni, his dominion having been spread from the Adriatic to the Black Sea, and from the Danube to the Southern Archipelago. The great and good archbishop fixed a firm foundation for the Orthodox Christian Church in the Balkan country by creating twelve dioceses and consecrating for them twelve Servian bishops. The holy life of this great Servian, St. Savvo, is attested to by Dositheus of Jerusalem. (See his Twelve Books; see, also, the history of the renowned Shaffarik.) Likewise, many ancient landmarks and hand-written parchments attributed to St. Savvo personally and to his times, may now be seen in the celebrated Mt. Athos and other places. Also several noted Russian authors mention his name and acts. In Greek books of Church service we find hymns which were sung in honor of St. Savvo five hundred years ago.