The forging and forgetting the cult of St. Jovan Vladimir in contemporary Montenegro

Abstract

After the fall of Communism, the Serbian Orthodox Church has experienced a significant revival, part of which has been the recollection of past events, personas, sites and shrines in order to reestablish its position in the post-Yugoslav republics. One of these processes of recollection is devoted to the cult of St. Jovan Vladimir (d.1016) and the sites associated with him in southern Montenegro. This article analyzes the forging of this memorialisation in its material form in the Serbian Orthodox Church as well as the erasure of rival processes of memorialisation. The reconstruction of memories and re-consecration of shrines is taking place across Eastern Europe today and the purpose of this study is to identify the key factors that determine the success or otherwise of such projects. It is focussed, in particular, on the 'consecrating' of four key sites closely related to the cult, all of which have been trans-national and transreligious.

On the concept of the regional religious brand: The veneration and pilgrimage of Saint John Vladimir and new pathways for religious tourism

“…As we have shown in the second part of this study, the veneration of the saint and his pilgrimage, unlike how his tourist potential has been alluded in other studies (Saggau, 2021), transcends modern ethnic, lingual, and cultural barriers, thereby preserving a regional cultural landmark in the veneration and pilgrimage of this saint. As a concept, the veneration and pilgrimage of Saint John Vladimir constitute a distinguished spiritual value offered in the region of the former Archdiocese of Ohrid, given the centuries-old cultural ties of the region.…”