Saint Vasilije
|
Sveti Vasilije or Saint Vasilije of Ostrog |
Saint Basil of Ostrog (Saint Vasilije Ostroski / Свети Василије Острошки) was Bishop of
Zahumlje in
Herzegovina. He was born in Popova on
December 12 1610 and became a
monk at the
Monastery of the Dormition
Tvrdoš near
Trebinje.
His modesty forbidding him to push himself forward to occupy the high positions his piety and capabilities recommended him for, he was elected as
Bishop of Zahumlje and Skenderia against his will. Humbly submitting to the will of the Holy Spirit, he devoted himself to his new position, performing
miracles for the well-being of his flock. He made a
pilgrimage to
Mount Athos during his episcopacy.
After his death in
1671 he was buried at the
Ostrog Monastery he had founded in
Montenegro, and his tomb in a cave-church soon became a site of pilgrimage for both Christians (Orthodox and Catholic) and Muslims drawn by reports of miracles occurring through the intercession of the saint. The monastery of
Ostrog is now one of the major pilgrimage sites in the Balkans, and large numbers of pilgrims gather particularly at
Pentecost.
St. Vasilije is commemorated on
April 29.
*
Saint Vasilije (Basil) from the
Prologue from Ochrid by Bishop
Nikolaj Velimirović
