page_title: Serbia in the Middle Ages
section_title: Christianization
hierarchical_section_title: Serbia in the Middle Ages / Early Middle Ages / Early Serbs / Christianization
caption_attribution_description: English: Skyllitzes Matritensis, fol. 96r, detail. Miniature: Delegation of Croats and Serbs to the Byzantine Emperor Basil I. Text from the Chronicle of John Skylitzes: "... When the aforementioned races of Scyths, the Croats, Serbs and the rest of them saw what had happened in Dalmatia as a result of Roman intervention, they sent delegates to emperor requesting to be brought into subjection under Roman rule. This seemed to emperor to be a reasonable request; he received them with kindliness, and they all became subjects of the Roman government and were given governors of their own race and kin. ..." (Translated by John Wortley, in: John Skylitzes: A Synopsis of Byzantine History, 811-1057: Translation and Notes, p. 143) References: Ioannis Scylitzae Synopsis Historiarum. Editio Princeps. Rec. Ioannes Thurn, p. 146-147, in: Corpus Fontium Historiae Byzantinae 5 Series Berolinensis, 1973 Tsamakda V.: The illustrated chronicle of Ioannes Skylitzes in Madrid, p. 131-132 Grabar A., Manoussacas M.: L'illustration du manuscript de Skylitzes de Madrid, p. 60 Deutsch: Skyllitzes Matritensis, Fol. 96r, Detail Miniatur: Delegation der Serben und Kroaten beim byzantinschen Kaiser Basileios I.. Text aus der Chronik von Johannes Skylitzes: "... Auch die vorher aufgeführten Skythenstämme, also die Chrobatoi, Serboi und die anderen, nahmen die erfolgreichen Maßnahmen der Rhomäer in Dalmatien wahr. So entsandten sie zum Kaiser Delegierte in der Absicht, sich dem Joch rhomäischer Herrschaft zu beugen. Der Kaiser hörte ihre Bitte an und nahm sie menschenfreundlich auf. Sie alle kehrten unter rhomäischer Botmäßigkeit zurück und empfingen als Häuptlinge vertraute Leute ihrer Nationalität. ..." (Synopsis Historion S. 146-147 übersetzt von Hans Thurn, in: Byzantinische Geschichtsschreiber 15, S. 83)
context_page_description: Serbia in the Middle Ages refers to the medieval period in the history of Serbia. The period begins in the 6th century with the Slavic migrations to Southeastern Europe, and lasts until the Ottoman conquest of Serbian lands in the second half of the 15th century. The period is also extended to 1537, when Pavle Bakić, the last titular Despot of Serbia in Hungarian exile, fell in the Battle of Gorjani.
context_section_description: Prior to the migration to tho south, while still living in the Polabí region, Serbs may be among the first Slavic people who came in contact with Christianity. In the 7th century they became part of the Merovingian kingdom, which not only had Christianity as an official religion, but also had a concept of spreading the religion. Though records mention no Christianization attempts toward the Serbs specifically, there are writings regarding the, more or less successful missionary attempts among the Bavarians and Thuringians, the neighboring Germanic tribes which were conquered by the Franks in the 6th century.
  Though the DAI asserts that already during the reign of the Emperor Heraclius the Serbs were Christianized, and that the process was performed by the priests from Rome, it took some time before the new religion spread through the entire population. Other reports confirm that the church missionary activities were organized among the South Slavs already from the late 7th and mid-8th century. The process was mostly finished by the mid-9th century which is when the first Christian names appear among the Serbs. Prince Mutimir, who ruled c. 850-891 named his son Stefan Mutimirović, while his nephew was named Petar Gojniković. Serbs who were relocated to Gordoserba in the Asia Minor were probably already Christianized by the end of the 7th century, as they had their bishop and were presumably part of the army of "selected peoples" (Christians) in 692.
  From this period originates the seal of prince Strojimir, Mutimir's brother. The seal has a representation of a cross and the inscription Lord, help Strojimir (ICE BOIΘ CTPOHMIP in Greek) around it. Pope John VIII addressed prince Mutimir in 873 and called in the letter for Mutimir that, "following the tradition of his ancestors", he submits his land to the jurisdiction of the new Pannonian bishop Methodius.
  Numerous arguments point to the fact that the major role in the Christianization of the Serbs had priests and missionaries from Rome, rather from the closer Constantinople. This can also be seen in the earliest Christian terms in Serbian language which came from the Latin language (oltar from altare, altar), the earliest Christian toponymy and presence of several religious feasts and holidays which corresponded to the dates in the calendar of the Roman Catholic Church - St. Vitus' Day (Vidovdan), Michaelmas (Miholjdan), Theodore the Studite (Mratindan). Confirmation of the early missionary work by the Rome, already in the 7th century, are writings of Pope Agatho and Thomas the Archdeacon. This wasn't unusual, as, following the ancient rules, this region of the still unified church was administered by the Rome. This began to change after 732, when Byzantine emperor Leo III the Isaurian began to transfer regions and cities to the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, including some parts of the Balkans. Despite this, the division wasn't as sharp as it will become after the East–West Schism in 1054.
  The most important material testimony of the Christianization of the Serbs is the oldest known Christian temple among in Serbian lands, the Peter's Church in Ras, built in the 7th century. The oldest phase of the construction of the Church of Saint Apostles Peter and Paul (Bijelo Polje) in Bijelo Polje (Montenegro) was moved also to the 8th century after the recent re-examination of the construction works and stone ornaments, and was enhanced or finished in the 12th century. Remains of the 8th century churches, before the Christianization process was finished, include localities of Bilimišće (Zenica, previously though to be late-Roman church from the 5th or the 6th century), Dabravine (Visoko), Mali Mošunj (Vitez), Lepenica (Kiseljak), but also in the vicinities of Stolac, Ljubuški, Livno, Glamoč, Foča, Breza (all in modern Bosnia) and Imotski (Croatia). However, though active during this period, many of them may be pre-Slavic, Roman churches.
  Either through the missionary works of Roman or Byzantine monks, local remnants of the Romanized people or the Byz
caption: Emperor Basil I receiving delegations of Serbs and Croats
exif: {}