AVKSENTIJE III PETROV ČEŠMEDŽIJEV, METROPOLITAN OF HERZEGOVINA

Abstract

This work presents the biography of Metropolitan Avksentije III Petrov Češmedžijev, a monastic bishop of Bulgarian origin who from 1838 to 1848 headed the Orthodox Metropolitanate of Herzegovina. Emphasis is laid on the gap in the existing Serbian (as opposed to Bulgarian-language) historical literature regarding his biography. Using primary and narrative sources and available literature, the work details his education and ordination as monk and bishop, as well as his life before arriving in Herzegovina. Of particular importance is the complex question of his administration of the Metropolitanate of Herzegovina, especially his dealings with members of his flock, and the reasons for his removal from office. Details are given of his later actions in the Metropolitanate of Veles and Ćustendilska, his disobedience towards the Patriarch of Constantinople, and his participation in the Velikdenski Action of 1860. The work concludes with an examination of his confinement and return to Constantinople, as well as his significant role in the movement for an autonomous Bulgarian exarchate.