Stefan Nemanja

The root of Serbian statehood

Stefan Nemanja is the progenitor of the holy Nemanjić dynasty and the unifier of the Serbian lands. Through his wisdom, diplomacy and sword he succeeded in uniting Raška and Zeta and creating a powerful medieval state, laying the foundations on which Serbia would rest for centuries.

But Nemanja was not only a warrior and ruler. Deeply pious, he understood that the walls of fortresses are nothing without spirit. At the assembly in Ras in 1196, at the zenith of his power, he renounced the throne in favour of his middle son Stefan, took monastic vows as the monk Simeon and joined his youngest son Sava on Mount Athos.

Saint Simeon

He died in Hilandar Monastery in 1199. His relics, which soon began to stream holy myrrh, were carried by Saint Sava to Serbia, to Studenica Monastery, in order to reconcile the quarrelling brothers over them. As Saint Simeon the Myrrh-Streaming, he is still the spiritual father of the Serbian nation today.