Saintsavaism(s) and Nationalism: An Overview of the Development of the Serbian Orthodox Phenomenon of Saintsavaism, with a Special Focus on the Contribution of Justin Popovic (1894–1979)

Abstract

This article provides a reflection on a relatively controversial phenomenon in the Serbian Orthodox Church, namely saintsavaism (serb. svetosavlje). The controversy accompanying the term is related to its association with the Serbian nationalism that erupted during the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990’s. This article aims to demonstrate that this particular interpretation of saintsavaism is, in fact, only one of at least four distinct understandings of the notion. Moreover, this article will argue that the author who contributed most significantly to the development of saintsavaism as the guiding principle of the Serbian Church to this day, namely, Justin Popovic (1894–1979), envisioned saintsavaism as, indeed, a totalizing worldview, and recognized its national significance, without, however, reducing it to simple ‘nationalism’. In order to make this case clear, the article will analyze in detail Popovic’s seminal work on saintsavaism (available only in Serbian), Saintsavaism as a Philosophy of Life (1953).