Jovan Miletic

Jovan Miletić (Serbian Cyrillic: Јован Милетић; Sarajevo, Ottoman Empire, around 1715- Vienna, Habsburg Monarchy, 8 September 1790) was a wealthy Serbian merchant[1] and philanthropist who is best remembered as the founder the "Jovan Miletić" Elementary School in Trieste. The school building is next door to the Saint Spyridon Serbian Orthodox Church overlooking Canal Grande.
==Biography==
Jovan Miletić was born around 1715 at Sarajevo, then part of the Ottoman Empire, the son of Josif Miletić, a renowned Trebinje merchant who emigrated from the Ottoman Empire (what is now Bosnia and Herzegovina) to Trieste, then part of the Austrian Empire.
The surname Miletić is widespread among Serbs. Jovan Miletić family claimed descent from the famed Montenegrin branch of Miletić, whose ancestors hail originally from Kotor. Records found date back to 1335 with ties to the Miletići of Prčanj.
==Early life==
Following the death of both his parents, Jovan Miletić interrupted his education at a Sarajevo|Sarajevo Lyceum at the age of 14, and moved to Trieste to live with his maternal uncles, tobacco merchants. From there, Jovan went to Vienna to a furdealer to learn a trade. Miletić proved to be a good travelling trader, and a successful leather goods salesman who visited all the major cities of Europe at the time. Though he frequently travelled through Trieste and attended liturgicial services at Saint Spyridon Serbian Orhtodox Church, Jovan spent most of his time in Vienna where he died on 8 September 1790. In May 1787, he drew up a will and testament in which he left 24,000 forints to the Serbian school in Trieste.
The funeral service for Jovan Miletić was held at the Church of St. George in Vienna attended by his kith and kin.
=="Jovan Miletić" Elementary School==
It was at about the time when Governor Karl von Zinzendorf permitted each ethnic nationality in the port city of Trieste to choose a teacher for its children, and Johann Ignaz von Felbiger opened the first German public school there in 1775. Also, the growing Serbian community in began to look for a school teacher in 1779. https://www.edizionianicia.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Fascicolo_222-2022.pdf The first to be approached by the Selection Committee of the Serbian Orthdox Church Municipality was Dositej Obradović who was already working as a tutor for a wealthy Trieste family. After conferring with the committe members he refused based on inadequate remuneration. Later, Vuk Karadžić, the famed linguistic reformer, applied for the position, however, he too could not accept the low salary. Finally, in 1782, a young teacher Vasilije Vitković was hired. The schooling was kind of erratic over the next few years, all due to the unavailability of teachers and the lack of funding. In 1790, the Vienese-based Jovan Miletić, bequeathed a large enough sum to make the school more viable and feasible. The 24,000 florins given by the benefactor (Jovan Miletić) to the Trieste Serbian Orthodox parish stipulated that the interest on the sum was to be used expressly for the school. The Serbian elementary school carried the name "Jovan Miletić" since 1787 when he first drew up his will some three years before his demisecite book | url=https://www.google.ca/books/edition/%D0%94%D0%B2%D0%B0_%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B5_%D1%81%D1%80%D0%BF%D1%81/-KWxDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%D0%88%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD+%D0%9C%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%9B&pg=PA138&printsec=frontcover | isbn=9788671790796 | title=Два века модерне српске дипломатије: Bicentenary of Modern Serbian Diplomacy | year=2013 | publisher=Balkanološki institut SANU. Then, on 1 January 1792 the first Serbian public school in Triestehttps://unilocal.co.uk/italy/trieste/scuola-privata-scuola-elementare-serba-jovan-miletic was officially established.cite book | url=https://www.google.ca/books/edition/%D0%94%D0%B2%D0%B0_%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B5_%D1%81%D1%80%D0%BF%D1%81/-KWxDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Jovan+Miletic&pg=PA139&printsec=frontcover | isbn=9788671790796 | title=Два века модерне српске дипломатије: Bicentenary of Modern Serbian Diplomacy | year=2013 | publisher=Balkanološki institut SANUCite web|url=https://www.novosti.rs/vesti/naslovna/reportaze/aktuelno.293.html:561534-Car-Lazar-usred-Ponte-Rosa|title=Car Lazar usred Ponte Rosa|website=NOVOSTI
Today, all the grade school classes are according to the educational program of the Ministry of Education (Serbia)|Ministry of Education of Serbia, which enables children to receive valid diplomas after finishing school. The school receives great help and support from the Consulate General of Serbia in Trieste.
Category:Serbian people
Category:1715 births
Category:1790 deaths