St Peter of Cetinje

Peter I Petrović, Holy Peter of Cetinje, Metropolitan of Montenegro, was an uncle to Peter II Petrović Njegoš. Those two are the most distinguished figures in the Montenegrin history. Holy Peter Of Cetinje was born in the village of Njeguši in 1748, to the Petrović Clan, which gave five bishops. When he was twelve he took his monastic vows and in 1782 he became the Metropolitan and the Ruler of Montenegro at the same time. He was elected at the national assembly. He dedicated his whole life to God and his people, loving them like a father, but also reproaching them when he felt it necessary. He reconciled the conflicting Montenegrin tribes and defended the land from invaders. And he was successful in both. When he defeated Mahmut-Pasha, the Vizier of Skadar twice, he united Montenegro and Brda. He was particularly famous for his victory over the Napoleon’s army in Dalmatia and Boka Kotorska. He was the first to introduce written law in Montenegro. He was well educated – he spoke seven languages and was a writer. Before Njegoš and Vuk’s reform, he had written in popular language. Although the ruler of the people, he spent his life in a tiny cell, as a common monk. He died on St Luke’s Day, on18 October 1830.

The Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates Holy Peter Of Cetinje on the same day as St Luke, The Evangelist, on 18/31 October. His miraculous relics are preserved incorrupt and are kept in the Cetinje Monastery