The Second Symposium in honor of Saint Bishop Nicholai

The Second Symposium in honor of Saint Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich was held in Valjevo on Saturday, October 21, 2023. The Diocese of Valjevo organized this symposium. Bishop Isihije (Rogić) of Valjevo opened the meeting. Several researchers of Bishop Nicholai spoke at the symposium: historian Prof. Dr. Miloš Ković from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Belgrade, Dr. Snežana Adamović — author of the study on Bishop Nicholai and Njegoš, protodeacon Dr. Ljubomir Ranković — editor of selected works of Bishop Nicholai and author of Bishop Nicholai’s illustrated biography and several monographs dedicated to Saint Nicholai, and famous Serbian poet, academician Matija Bećković. The moderator of the Symposium was Fr. Branko Čolić.

The symposium was held in two sessions, and both sessions were broadcast on Radio Istočnik and via video broadcast on the YouTube channel of the Information Service of the Diocese of Valjevo.

Several papers were read at the Second Symposium in honor of Bishop Nicholai: Prof. Dr. Miloš Ković: "Saint Bishop Nicholai in the History and Tradition of the Serbian People"; Dr. Snezana Adamović, "Saint Bishop Nicholai on the Theology and Religion of Bishop Njegoš"; Protodeacon Dr. Ljubomir Ranković: "Saint Bishop Nicholai in the Hands of the Living God"; Academician Matija Bećković: "Bishop Nicholai on King Alexander".

Source: Diocese of Valjevo | https://www.eparhijavaljevska.rs/

About the Book on Saint Nicholai of Žiča in the Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade

With the blessing of Serbian Patriarch Porphyry, on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, in the Crypt of the Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade, there was a presentation of a book about Saint Nicholai of Ohrid and Žiča published in English in 2022, entitled Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović: Old Controversies in Historical and Theological Context.

Bishop Ilarion (Lupulović) of Novo Brdo, Vicar of the Serbian Patriarch, and Prof. Dr. Irina Deretić from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University in Belgrade, spoke about this book. Dr. Vladimir Cvetković and Dr. Dragan Bakić, editors of the publication, also participated.

Source: Television Hram | https://www.tvhram.rs/

Political Activity and Diplomatic Mission of Nicholai Velimirovich

On Tuesday, May 9, 2023, at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Belgrade, in the presence of mentor and members of the Commission, Dr. Ljupka Katana defended her doctoral dissertation on the topic “Political Activity and Diplomatic Missionary Work of Nicholai Velimirovich in the United Kingdom and the United States of America during of the First World War.” The President of the Commission was Prof. Bogdan Lubardić from the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the University of Belgrade.

The members and the President of the Commission agreed that this doctoral dissertation deserved the highest grade. The topic of this dissertation, which refers to the diplomatic mission and political practice of Nicholai Velimirovich, is a pioneering one at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Belgrade.

Source: Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Belgrade | https://www.fpn.bg.ac.rs/

Promotion of the book Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović: Old Controversies in Historical and Theological Context

On Tuesday, March 14th, 2023, in the Atrium of the National Museum of Serbia in Belgrade, the presentation of the book Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović: Old Controversies in Historical and Theological Context took place.

The editorial collection was edited by Dragan Bakić, Ph.D., and Vladimir Cvetković, Ph.D., and published by the Institute for Balkan Studies SASA and Sant Sebastian Press.

The book was presented by Vojislav G. Pavlović, Ph.D., director of the Institute for Balkan Studies SASA, Bishop Maksim (Vasiljević), Bishop of Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Western America, Prof. Zlatko Matić, Ph.D., Faculty of Orthodox Theology at the University of Belgrade, one of the peer reviewers of the book, and the editors — Dragan Bakić, Ph.D., Institute for Balkan Studies, SASA, and Vladimir Cvetković, Ph.D., Institute of Philosophy and Social Theory, who addressed the gathering from Bogotá, Colombia, via video link.

The presentation of this book was also attended by the His Eminence Bishop Ignatije of Braničevo, several clergymen from different dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church, several professors of the University of Belgrade, members of the scientific community and other admirers of Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich.

This publication will soon be available online at DAIS — Digital Archive of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, at the address https://dais.sanu.ac.rs/handle/123456789/13967.

Source: Institute for Balkan Studies SASA | Radio “Slovo Ljubve”

Nicholai Studies — the first Serbian title in Atla Religion Database® (Atla RDB®) and AtlaSerials PLUS® (Atlas PLUS®)

As it is announced at the end of last year on the website of the ATLA [American Theological Library Association], the Nicholai Studies journal is added to Atla Religion Database® (Atla RDB®) and AtlaSerials PLUS® (Atlas PLUS®.

As it is stated on the ATLA website, the Nicholai Studies journal is the first Serbian-language title available as full text in Atla’s research tools.

The fifth issue of the Nicholai Studies, an international journal for the research of theological and ecclesiastical contribution of Nicholai Velimirovich (1881–1956), as well as the wider context in which he lived and created, is published.

In the fifth issue of the Nicholai Studies, an overview of the insights of Saint Bishop Nicholai on socio-political topics was published, which was prepared through the research of the Velimirovich’s Prologue of Ohrid by Very Rev. Archpriest John David Finley, Vice-Chairman of the St. Athanasius Academy of Orthodox Theology in San Ynez, California, serving also as Chairman of the Department of Missions and Evangelism of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese.

The article written by Dr. Nemanja Radulović, professor of the Faculty of Philology at the University of Belgrade, based on the archive material of the New Atlantis Foundation, shows how the circle of panhumanists from the twenties of the last century was essentially the Serbian branch of the network of Dimitrije Mitrinović (1887–1953); Nicholai Velimirovich, who connected with them during his stay in London, distanced himself from this group after the First World War — to the disappointment of Mitrinović’s followers, as their correspondence from the third decade of the 20th century shows.

What Bishop Nicholai was dealing with in the early twenties of the 20th century is shown by his letter to Archpriest Stevan Dimitrijević (1866–1953) dated December 12, 1921, which was interpreted with an introductory text and commentary by Nemanja Andrijašević, a doctoral student at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology at the University of Belgrade. From the Bishop’s letter, we learn some information about the God Worshiper movement [or God–Prayer movement — Bogomoljački pokret], the situation in the Diocese of Ohrid, as well as about the attitude of the Serbian army towards the state of Albania. This letter was found in the Archives of Archpriest Dimitrijević in the Provincial State Archives of Kosovo and Metohija in Priština and is being published for the first time.

Deacon Budimir Kokotović from the Library of the Serbian Patriarchate in his article provides a brief overview of the life and activities of Archpriest Aleksa Todorović (1899–1990), a longtime associate of Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich. Publications of the “Svečanik” Library were published under the direct leadership of Todorović, including several works by Bishop Nicholai.

An overview of the life and work of Nicholai Velimirovich is provided by Ljupka Katana, a doctoral student at the Faculty of Political Sciences at the University of Belgrade. This short biography of Bishop Nicholai, in which special attention is paid to his diplomatic skills, was written based on the literature and research of previous authors and the author's separate research in Anglo-American countries.

Presbyter Dušan Đaković, a doctoral student at the Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the Kapodistrian National University in Athens, writes about a new edition — a diptych by Dr. Snežana Adamović published under the dual title of Contemplation of the Sermons at the Foot of the Mount and Petar II Petrović Njegoš in the Critical Thought of Nicholai Velimirovich.

The Nicholai Studies journal is available in open access. The fifth issue of the journal can be downloaded at https://nicholaistudies.org/2023/III/5. The next issue of the Nicholai Studies should be published in July 2023, God willing.

The Nicholai Studies journal is added to the doiSerbia Repository: http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/, as well as to the DOAJ index: https://doaj.org/toc/2738-1072. The Nicholai Studies journal is recently approved for inclusion in ERIH PLUS: http://kanalregister.hkdir.no/publiseringskanaler/erihplus/periodical/info?id=504200. The journal Nicholai Studies is included in the AtlaSerials PLUS® (Atlas PLUS®) collection of journals of the American Theological Library Association as well (https://www.atla.com/research-tool/atlas-plus/), and also available on the EBSCOhost Research Platform (https://www.ebsco.com/).

The journal Nicholai Studies: International Journal for Research of Theological and Ecclesiastical Contribution of Nicholai Velimirovich is approved for inclusion in ERIH PLUS (The European Reference Index for the Humanities and the Social Sciences — ERIH PLUS). The ERIH PLUS listing of the journal is available at http://kanalregister.hkdir.no/publiseringskanaler/erihplus/periodical/info?id=504200.

Symposium on St. Nicholai Velimirovich in Valjevo — In honor of the jubilee of Saint Bishop Nicholai — 140 years since his birth, 65 years since his death, and 30 years since the transfer of his relics from Libertyville to his native Lelić, the Diocese of Valjevo organized a Symposium dedicated to the work of Saint Bishop Nicholai on September 24, 2022. This event occurred on the 16th anniversary of the re-establishment of the Diocese of Valjevo; the Symposium was held in the hall of the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Valjevo.

At this Symposium, Bishop Isihije (Rogić) of Valjevo addressed the audience with an opening speech. In the first part of this meeting, deacon Dragan Karan, professor of the Orthodox Theological Faculty in Belgrade, spoke on the topic of “Pastoral Activities of Saint Bishop Nicholai.” Vladimir Medenica spoke on the topic “The Christian Understanding of Love according to Bishop Nicholai.”

In the break between the two sessions, the brotherhood of the Lelić monastery, led by hegumen Georgije (Mićić), prepared a luncheon for the participants and guests of the Symposium in the Lelić monastery. In the second part of the Symposium, Ksenija Končarević, professor of the Faculty of Philology in Belgrade, spoke on the doxology of God in Prayers by the Lake of Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich. The last topic that was presented concerned the Prologue of Ohrid by Bishop Nicholai. The moderator of the Symposium was Fr. Branko Čolić.

The following day, Sunday, September 25, 2022, the celebration of the jubilee of Saint Bishop Nicholai was rounded with the Holy Liturgy in the Lelić Monastery.

The videos of both sessions of the Symposium in honor of Saint Bishop Nicholai are available online — via Radio Istočnik’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44CgLaOnLR8 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU7jEGai7Uc.

More information on Symposium is available on the website of the Diocese of Valjevo — https://www.eparhijavaljevska.rs/.

The journal Nicholai Studies passed the evaluation process positively and is indexed in the ICI Journals Master List database for 2021 at the Index Copernicus International database (https://journals.indexcopernicus.com/search/details?id=123446).

The journal Nicholai Studies is included in the AtlaSerials PLUS® (Atlas PLUS®) collection of journals of the American Theological Library Association (https://www.atla.com/research-tool/atlas-plus/).

The fourth issue of the Nicholai Studies, an international journal for the research of theological and ecclesiastical contribution of Nicholai Velimirovich (1881–1956), as well as the wider context in which he lived and created, is published.

In the fourth issue of the Nicholai Studies, the paper of Ružica Levuškina from the Institute for the Serbian Language of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts was published, on the topic of the possibility of (theo)linguistic research on the material of Velimirovich’s Slovesnik. Deacon Budimir Kokotović from the Library of the Serbian Patriarchate wrote an article that deals with the role of St. Bishop Nicholai in the history of the Bitola Theological Seminary. Prof. Dr. Ksenija Končarević from the Faculty of Philology of the University of Belgrade writes on the topic of doxology of God in the Prayers by the Lake of Bishop Nicholai. Goran M. Janićijević from the Orthodox Youth Center “St. Peter of Sarajevo” from Istočno Novo Sarajevo refers to St. Nicholai Velimirovich from a personal point of view, guided by verses from the Troparion to St. Nicholai. Very Rev. Edward Pehanich from the Christ the Saviour Seminary in Johnstown, Pennsylvania (American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese) in his review writes about Nicholai Velimirovich as a contemporary Chrysostom and the importance of his spiritual legacy today, while Anastasia Limberger from Munich writes about the translation of Velimirovich’s Words on the Allman in German.

The journal Nicholai Studies is available in open access. The fourth issue of the journal can be downloaded at https://nicholaistudies.org/2022/II/4.

The next issue of the Nicholai Studies should appear in January of 2023.

A new book on the relations between the Anglican Church and the Serbian Orthodox Church — A book about the relations between the Anglican Church and the Serbian Orthodox Church, edited by prof. Mark D. Chapman from Oxford University and prof. Bogdan Lubardić from the University of Belgrade, was recently published. It is a collection of scientific papers, entitled Serbia and the Church of England: The First World War and a New Ecumenism (https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05977-3).

According to the publisher, this book presents the first comprehensive account of the changing ecumenical relationships between Britain and Serbia. While the impetus for the collection is the commemoration of the Serbian seminarians who settled in and around Oxford towards the end of the First World War, the scope is much broader, including detailed accounts of the relationships between the Church of England and Serbia and its Orthodox Church from the middle of the nineteenth century until World War II. It includes studies of leading thinkers from the period, especially the charismatic Nicholai Velimirovich. The contributors use many unpublished resources that reveal the centrality of the churches in promoting the Serbian cause through the course of the First World War and in its aftermath.

The third issue of the Nicholai Studies, an international journal for the research of theological and ecclesiastical contribution of Nicholai Velimirovich (1881–1956), as well as the wider context in which he lived and created, is published.

The third issue of the Nicholai Studies brings an article written by Marcel Černý, an associate of the Institute of Slavonic Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Prague, a brief overview of the main moments in learning about the life and work of St. Nicholai of Serbia, Bishop of Ohrid and Žiča, in Czechian and Slovakian context — through a review of Czechian and Slovakian literature on St. Nicholai, as well as translations of his works into Czechian and Slovakian languages from 1912 to 2018. The next article in this issue, written by Rev. Nikolaj L. Kostur from Chicago, is dedicated to the relationship of the Serbian Orthodox Church with the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad between 1920 and 1941, with the mention of the contribution of Bishop Nicholai. Gordana Štasni’s research published in this issue is dedicated to the symbolic representations of wild animals in Prayers by the Lake by St. Nicholai Velimirovich, while in his article Zoran Matić is paying attention to the Serbian translation of the book The Church — Towards a Common Vision, referring to the participation of Bishop Nicholai in the ecumenical movement. Snežana Lj. Adamović deals with the place of Peter II Petrović Njegoš in the thought of St. Nicholai. In the third issue of the journal Marcel Černy presents to us the selected bibliography of St. Nicholai of Serbia in Czech and Slovak languages (1912–2018).

The journal Nicholai Studies is available in open access, and the third issue of the journal can be downloaded at https://nicholaistudies.org/2022/II/3.

The next issue of the Nicholai Studies (Vol. II, No. 4) should appear in July of 2022.

The New Issue of “Serbian Zion” — The last issue of the official gazette of the Diocese of Srem Serbian Zion is dedicated to St. Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich. The topic of this issue was “Bishop Nicholai of Žiča and Ohrid as an Inspiration” and there are a few texts on Bishop Nicholai published in No. 3/2021 of this journal, written by Presbyter Stanko Laketić, Presbyter Aleksandar R. Jevtić, Darko Paripović, Zorica Stefanović, Ivana Jokić, and Božidar Vasić.

Editor-in-Chief of the Serbian Zion is Presbyter Aleksandar Čavka. The publisher of Serbian Zion is the Diocese of Srem of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Bishop Nicholai and the Jewish People — “Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich and the Jewish People” was the title of a lecture given by historian Miloš Damjanović at the Cultural Center “Aquarius” in Kosovska Mitrovica on September 7, 2021. The lecture was organized on the occasion of the European Day of Jewish Culture, which also was dedicated to the topic of dialogue.

Damjanović addressed some controversial topics. Namely, there are various controversial narratives about the attitude of Bishop Nicholai towards the Jewish people, related to the post-war propaganda of former Socialist Yugoslavia — which demonized Bishop Nicholai, unjustifiably connecting him with Nazi ideology and anti–Semitism.

Such stereotypical foundations served during the civil war in Yugoslavia, but also today, to further expand the propaganda image of Bishop Nicolai’s personality and work, which indirectly stigmatized the Serbian people in the international community. However, the historical truth is quite the opposite: Bishop Nicholai himself was a victim of the Nazis, and he was involved in saving at least two Jewish people from the Holocaust, although the occupier foresaw the death penalty for such a humane act. More information is available at the website of the Cultural Center “Aquarius” — https://galerijaaquarius.files.wordpress.com/.

The Legacy of St. Nicholai Velimirovich

The fourth Annual Conference of the European Academy of Religion took place in Münster (Germany) between Monday, August 30th and Thursday, September 2nd, 2021. University of Münster (Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster) was the organizing institution. This year more than 800 participants from around the world participated in the conference, which contained 163 panels (details are available at the 2021 EuARe conference schedule — at the website of the European Academy of Religion: https://www.europeanacademyofreligion.org/conference-schedule). The keynote lecturers at the conference were Vassilis Saroglou (Université Catholique de Louvain), Guy Stroumsa (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Judith Wolfe (University of St. Andrews), Azza Karam (Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam)...

On Wednesday, September 1st, there was the panel dedicated to the St. Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich. Panel 155, with the working title “The Legacy of Nicholai Velimirovich” was held in a hybrid format — as a combination of online presentations and presentations of panelists present in Münster. This panel took place at the Philosophisches Seminar (Domplatz 23, 48143 Münster), and was organized by the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory of the University of Belgrade and Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

As it was announced before the conference, the panel aimed to scrutinize the intellectual legacy of the modern Orthodox theologian Nicholai Velimirovich (1881–1956). Namely, despite the unanimous recognition of his intellectual and spiritual caliber, Velimirovich remains a largely under-researched author both in a Serbian national and an international context. Moreover, apart from being scantily studied, his writings are usually subject to excessive misinterpretation. This is particularly the case with one of the constants of Velimirovich’s work, namely his criticism of certain European ideas. Perhaps, more than any other aspect of his work, Velimirovich’s views on Europe have been approached in a biased way and instrumentalized in highly charged political disputes.

By commemorating the hundred-fortieth anniversary of Velimirovich’s birth and sixty-fifth anniversary of his death, this panel shed light on:

1) Velimirovich’s formative period before and during WWI, he spent in Germany, Switzerland, UK and USA and his ecumenical endeavors;

2) the interwar period, while he served first as bishop of Žiča and later as bishop of Ohrid, and his relationship with the Yugoslav government and political parties, Roman-Catholic Church, Jewish communities, as well as with the ideologies of fascism and communism;

3) his imprisonment during WWII in Dachau, immigration in the USA, and the life in immigration, including his rectorate at St Tikhon’s Orthodox Seminary in South Canaan (PA) and his engagements with American Christians.

Chairs of the panel were Vladimir Cvetković (University of Belgrade, Serbia) and Rastko Lompar (Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade, Serbia).

Participants of the panel “The Legacy of Nicholai Velimirovich” were:

Milan Kostrešević (University of Bern, Switzerland): “Nicholai Velimirovich’s Scientific Activity in Bern: Doctorates in Theology and Philosophy” (Kostrešević could not participate but he submitted his paper);

Srećko Petrović (University of Belgrade, Serbia): “A Review of Early Ecumenical Engagement of Nicholai Velimirovich: 1908–1921”;

Phillip Calington (St Sergius Orthodox Academy, Paris, France): “St Nicholai Velimirovich and pre-Christian philosophers”;

Rastko Lompar (Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Belgrade, Serbia): “Reassessing Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich’s Stances on Fascism and the Yugoslav National Movement Zbor”;

Nemanja Andrijašević (University of Munich, Germany): “Instructions of Bishop Dr Nicholai Velimirovich Addressed to the Archpriest Aleksa Todorović regarding the Arrangement of Religious-national edition ‘Svečanik’”;

Vladimir Cvetković (University of Belgrade, Serbia): “Bishop Nicholai Velimirovich’s View on the Relationship between Politics and Religion”;

Dragan Šljivić (University of Erfurt, Germany): “The Orthodox Nevercoming Land: St. Nicholai of Ohrid and Žiča on Democracy”;

Srećko Petrović (University of Belgrade, Serbia): “Engagement of Nicholai Velimirovich after the World War II”.

According to the schedule of the conference, this panel was to be held from 14.15 to 17.45, with a break; however, there was a lot of questions so there was almost no break and there was not enough time for the questions which were raised and discussions which started, so panelists and other participants extended the time to continue the discussion.

This international scientific event was a kind of commemoration and celebration of legacy of St. Bishop Nicholai — on the occasion of the 140th anniversary of St. Nicholai Velimirovich’s birth, 65th anniversary of his repose in the Lord, and 30th anniversary of the transfer of his holy relics to Lelić in Serbia. Hopefully, there will be more events of this kind in the future.

The journal Nicholai Studies is added to DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals.

The second issue of the Nicholai Studies, an international journal for the research of theological and ecclesiastical contribution of Nicholai Velimirovich (1881–1956), is published.

In the second issue of the Nicholai Studies appeared an essay by Frère Richard from Taizé, inspired by the thoughts of Bishop Nicholai, and an article by Bishop Irinej Dobrijević — on Nicholai Velimirovich’s mission in America 1915–1918, as well as an article by Slavica Popović Filipović on the mission of Nicholai Velimirovich in Great Britain during the First World War. Rastko Lompar’s research published in this issue is dedicated to the problem of the authenticity of Bishop Nicholai’s sermon on Dimitrije Ljotić’s funeral on April 24, 1945, while Nemanja Andrijašević’s article is paying attention to the image of Bishop Nicholai according to the correspondence of Đorđe Radin and Đoko Slijepčević. Željko Perović’s paper is focused on the views of Bishop Nicholai on fascism, and Ilija Kajtez’s article is focused on Velimirovich’s understanding of war, while Pavle Botić’s contribution is dedicated to the mystagogy of St Nicholai Velimirovich. In the second issue, there is a review of the collection of articles on the Hegumenia Ana Adžić by Dejan Tanić, as well as a review of a new publication regarding the orphanage of St Nicholas in Bitola — Bogdaj.

At the end of this issue, which contains over 300 pages, a selected recent bibliography of Nicholai studies is published. The announced list of academic research, i.e. the list of defended university theses related to Nicholai Velimirovich and to the topics of his legacy (which theses are actually much more numerous than that could be assumed) was not published in this issue but was moved to one of the following volumes since it is still quite far from complete.

The journal Nicholai Studies is available in open access, and the second issue of the journal can be downloaded at https://nicholaistudies.org/2021/I/2.

The next issue of the Nicholai Studies (Vol. II, No. 3) should appear in English, in January 2022.

The European Academy of Religion Annual Conference 2021 (Münster, August 30th — September 2nd) — The European Academy of Religion announced its fourth Annual Conference, which will take place in Münster (Germany) between Monday, August 30th, and Thursday, September 2nd. Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster will be the organizing institution. The keynote lecturers at the conference this year shall be Rowan Williams (University of Cambridge), Vassilis Saroglou (Université Catholique de Louvain), Guy Stroumsa (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Judith Wolfe (University of St. Andrews), and Azza Karam (Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam). According to the First Draft of the Conference Schedule for the European Academy of Religion 2021 Annual Conference, a panel entitled “The Legacy of Nicholai Velimirovich,” chaired by Fr. John Parker, Dean of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, will be held on Wednesday, September 1st. More information at https://www.europeanacademyofreligion.org/news.

We are happy to inform you that the second issue of the Nicholai Studies is ready for printing, and that it will be published next week.

We are happy to announce the release of the second issue of the Nicholai Studies, which should be printed this summer.

In the second issue of the Nicholai Studies, an essay by Brother Richard from Taizé will appear, inspired by the thoughts of Bishop Nicholai, and an article by Bishop Irinej Dobrijević — on Nicholai Velimirovich’s mission in America 1915–1918, as well as an article by Slavica Popović Filipović on the mission of Nicholai Velimirovich in Great Britain during the First World War. Rastko Lompar’s research is dedicated to the problem of the authenticity of Bishop Nicholai’s sermon on Dimitrije Ljotić’s funeral on April 24, 1945, and Nemanja Andrijašević’s article on Bishop Nicholai according to the correspondence of Đorđe Radin and Đoko Slijepčević... Željko Perović writes about the views of Bishop Nicholai on fascism, and Ilija Kajtez on Velimirovich’s understanding of war, while Pavle Botić’s contribution is dedicated to the mystagogy of St Nicholai Velimirovich. In the second issue a review of the collection of articles on the Hegumenia Ana Adžić by Dejan Tanić will appear, while the editorial board is preparing an overview of the development of Nicholai’s studies through the prism of academic research, i.e. final and doctoral theses dedicated to Nicholai Velimirovich’s legacy, as well as selected recent bibliography of Nicholai’s studies.

The journal Nicholai Studies is added to the doiSerbia Repository.

“Tucindan — the birthday of someone who is destined to wander around the world”

“Tucindan” — a Serbian traditional pre-holiday two days before Christmas, and here a wordplay which Velimirovich used: it could be rendered as “the day of wanderers.” In this manner, Bishop Nicholai dated a letter which he sent from Lakavana to Fr. Aleksa Todorović in Munich on January 5, 1952 — cf. CW, XIII, 687.

On the 140th anniversary of the birth of Nicholai Velimirovich, the first issue of the journal Nicholai Studies has been published. Both printed and digital copy of the first issue of Nicholai Studies are stored in the Repository of the National Library of Serbia.

The journal is available online as an open-access publication.

The next issue of the journal is scheduled for the second half of the year. The next issue will be published in English and Serbian.

We are happy to inform you that the first volume of the Nicholai Studies is ready for printing, and that it will be published next week.

We are very sorry to inform you that due to Covid–19 crisis the publishing of the first issue of Nicholai Studies will be postponed.

The website of the journal Nicholai Studies is launched. The first call for papers is sent to the authors. The deadline for submission of works for the first issue of Nicholai Studies, scheduled for June 2020, is April 1.

Test version of the website of the journal Nicholai Studies is launched.

After consultations, Srećko Petrović is elected as the editor of the journal Nicholai Studies. Preparation of the material for conceptualization and the website of the journal started. Nikola Vukosavljević is engaged for design of the webpage of the journal Nicholai Studies.

The first meeting of the members of the preliminary Editorial Board in Belgrade. Present: Aleksandar Đakovac, Vladimir Cvetković, Romilo Knežević, Srećko Petrović. The journal Nicholai Studies is founded.