Life
Saint Danilo, Archbishop of Serbia, is one of the most significant figures of Serbian ecclesiastical and literary history in the fourteenth century. He was born around 1270, probably into Serbian noble families with estates in the region of Hum or the coastal lands. In his youth he entered the monastic life, and he became especially attached to the monastery of Hilandar on the Holy Mountain of Athos, which was in general the spiritual and cultural nursery of Serbian ecclesiastical thought.
He spent several years in Hilandar as a monk and abbot, forming himself in prayer, fasting, and the study of theology and literature. There he absorbed the spirit of the hesychastic tradition of the Holy Mountain — the contemplative monasticism that was experiencing a flourishing at that time through the Athonite monks. This spiritual substrate would leave its mark on his later literary and pastoral activity as well.
His political and ecclesiastical skill manifested itself in a series of diplomatic missions entrusted to him by the Serbian rulers, especially King Milutin. Danilo was a trusted man at the Serbian court, and simultaneously an irreproachable monk — a combination that was rare and precious. He served briefly as Bishop of Banjska, then as Bishop of Hum, and in 1324, after long and intricate ecclesiastical and court circumstances, was elevated to the position of Archbishop of Serbia — head of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
As Archbishop (1324–1337) Danilo devoted all his energy to strengthening the Church and Serbian spiritual culture. He visited the dioceses, cared for the faithful and the clergy, and paid special attention to monastic life. Together with King Stefan of Dečani and then with Emperor Dušan, he guided the construction of the monastery of Dečani — a foundation that became one of the finest achievements of Serbian and Byzantine architecture and fresco painting.
Danilo’s enduring value rests, however, also on his literary work: as the author and compiler of the collection known as the “Lives of the Kings and Archbishops of Serbia” he left a hagiographic and historiographic text that is an invaluable source for understanding Serbian medieval history. The collection describes rulers and archbishops from Nemanja to Danilo’s contemporaries, written in the elevated rhetorical style of the Byzantine-Serbian literary tradition, permeated with a theological interpretation of history and with praise for the saints.
He reposed in 1337, leaving the Church a successor worthy of his example. He was canonized as a saint, and his memory is celebrated on December 20 by the Julian calendar.
Tropar (Tone 4)
Shepherd and scribe of the Orthodox faith, O Archbishop Danilo, thou didst wisely guide the Serbian Church and preserve the lives of the saints for future generations. Intercede with Christ God, O Serbian hierarch, to save our souls.
Kontakion (Tone 6)
Led by the grace of God, O holy Danilo, thou didst unite monasticism and episcopacy within thyself; having inscribed the Lives of the Kings, thou didst leave to future generations the light of the faith. Pray that we too may be enlightened by the light of Christ.