politics
March 18, 2026
How Hilandar Remained Serbian: We Have Aleksandar Obrenović to Thank for the Glorious Sanctuary!
The young king knew what he had to do when a problem arose in the form of a large unpaid debt to the Bulgarians, who were thus close to taking over the monastery.
TL;DR
- King Aleksandar Obrenović, the first Serbian crowned king after Kosovo, repaid a large debt to the Bulgarians, preventing them from taking over the Hilandar monastery.
- As a reward for saving the monastery, King Aleksandar brought the original Miroslav Gospel and the monastery's founding charter to Serbia.
- King Aleksandar and his wife gifted a lavish embroidered altar curtain to the Serbian Orthodox Church, featuring figures of Nemanjić dynasty founders.
- The altar curtain, designed by Vladislav Titelbah, is still housed in the Belgrade Cathedral Church.
- The Obrenović dynasty emphasized its connection to the Nemanjić dynasty, linking their roles as state-founding houses.
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