СРПСКА ПРАВОСЛАВНА ЦРКВА СВЕТОГ КНЕЗА ЛАЗАРА У МОНОШТОРУ
THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAINT PRINCE LAZAR IN MĂNĂȘTUR (ARAD)

Summary/Abstract: The article describes the Serbian Orthodox church of Saint Prince Lazar in the village of Mănăștur (Arad county) in Romania, with its iconostasis painted by priest Ivan Aleksić, a descendant of the famous Aleksić family of painters in Arad. The erection of this church in Mănăștur at the end of the 19th century was preceded by a lengthy settlement which commenced in 1864 on the occasion of the hierarchical separation of Romanians from the Metropolitanate of Karlovci, when it was decided to assign the church community to the Romanian Diocese of Arad. The Serbian side considered this decision as abusive and took numerous actions to maintain it within the jurisdiction of the Serbian Diocese of Timișoara and the Serbian Church. The final outcome occurred towards the end of the century, with the division of the parish into two parts: the Serbian one, subordinated to the Serbian Diocese of Timișoara, and the Romanian one, subordinated to the Romanian Diocese of Arad. The existing church of Saint Paraskeva was attributed to the Romanian community, while the Serbian community, using the granted compensation, built a new church. With the idea of highlighting the continuity of the tradition in preserving the religious and national identity of the Serbian people in Banat, the new church was dedicated to one of the most venerated saints of the Serbian pantheon, Saint Prince Lazar, this fact being visible in the manner this saint is depicted on his icon. The church of Saint Prince Lazar is one of the examples that it does not only represent a mere local parish church, but it is also a significant monument of the Serbian people in Romania. Although the outcome of the settlement in Mănăștur was rather inconvenient for the local Serbian community, the constant and thorough effort along several decades of the church hierarchy as well as of the locals in keeping this parish under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Timișoara and the Serbian Church depicts a fine example of great patriotism, along with a great wish and above all a real need to preserve the Serbian Orthodox belief and nation, implicitly to contribute to the survival of the Serbian people living in this part of Banat.

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