Holy King Milutin: Ruler at the Crossroads of Worlds

The presentation of the Collection of Papers “Holy King Milutin: Ruler at the Crossroads of the Worlds”, published by the Foundation of the Holy Monastery Hilandar, will be held in the Gallery of the National Museum Kraljevo, on Thursday, October 5th, 2023, starting at 6 p.m.

Sixteen distinguished experts and researchers of the Serbian Middle Ages responded to the invitation of the Foundation of the Holy Monastery Hilandar to present the personality of King Stefan II Uroš Milutin, his reign and legacy in a comprehensive and picturesque way. The contributions were specially written for this occasion and this book, designed as a collection of monographic type, on the occasion of the 700th anniversary of the death of the Holy King.

Through thorough and multidisciplinary scientific argumentation, in some cases opposing views, they build a unique synthesis that depicts in layers and in detail the epoch of the golden age of the Serbian Middle Ages. At the same time, they provide us with an insight into all current knowledge of contemporary historiography and bring fresh new solutions to many open questions of that era. In the end, before the reader is the possibility of a deeper and more refined understanding of the personality and works of King Milutin. The book reveals to us a man and a ruler who, at the crossroads of the worlds—East and West, visible and invisible, personal, and general—bravely faced numerous challenges and changed the established paradigms of the great powers. Devoted to the legacy of his own ancestors, he had a decisive influence on the shaping of our being.

This work from the auspices of the publishing workshop of the Fatherland Endowment of the ancient Hilandar, reveals the greeting letter and blessing of the Hilandar abbot, a real “key” for the modern reader to understand the mystical dimension of the words that “God gives grace to the pregaoc”.

The papers are completed by nine maps and as many as 228 illustrations, which contribute to a better understanding of the era. The collection ends with an extensive bibliography, while each author’s text is followed by a summary in English.

The warm recommendations of reviewers, prominent world Byzantologists and historians of the Middle Ages, further assure that this is an indispensable book both for researchers and for lovers and admirers of Serbian heritage and culture. Participating in the promotion are Danica Popović, PhD, editor of the Collection of Papers, Vladimir Vukašinović, PhD, professor of the Faculty of Theologicy of the University of Belgrade, Milivoj Ranđić, director of the Foundation of the Holy Monastery Hilandar and, in the role of moderator, Gordana Gavrić, advisor to the director of the Foundation of the Holy Monastery Hilandar.