Biography of the 44th Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church

His Holiness Pavle

November 15, 2009

His Holiness Serbian Patriarch Pavle was born Gojko Stojčević on September 11, 1914 to a farmer family in the village Kućanci in the county of Donji Miholjac, in Slavonia. He finished primary school in his native village and junior high school in Tuzla. He graduated from the Fourth Men’s Gymnasium in Belgrade and simultaneously attended the Medical School. He studied at a seminary in Sarajevo and graduated in 1936, and the Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Belgrade, where he previously completed two years of the Medical School. As novice Gojko, he made a wooden cross that is still kept in the Monastery of Vujan today as an object of special value. He took monastic vow in Blagoveštenje Monastery in the Ovcar-Kablar Gorge and was given monastic name Pavle on the eve of the Annunciation in 1946 where he was ordained a hiearodeacon the same year.

From 1949 to 1955, he was a monastic of Raca Monastery performing different disciplines. In 1954 he was promoted to hieromonk. He did postgraduate studies at the Orthodox Theological Faculty at the University of Athens from Christmas 1955 to May 1957, when he studied the New Testament and liturgics. He was elected as Bishop of Raska-Prizren in 1957. He dedicated his service in the Raska-Prizren Eparchy to construction and restoration of churches and monastieries, in particular to restoration of the monastic lifestyle aimed at preservation of the Ortodox religion and tradition. On December 1, 1990, Bishop Pavle was elected the 44th Serbian Patriarch and took over St Sava’s throne from Patriarch German. His Holiness published the Monograph on Devich Monastery and Liturgical Studies, published in the Church Reader in 1972, which later on served as a basis for the three-volume edition entiled Questions and Answers and published in 1998. „Life According to the Gospel“ and „Prayers and Pleas“, the collections of speeches and addresses the Patriarch gave on various ocassions were also published.

The most monumental contribution of H. H. Patriarch Pavle was the translation of the New Testament published in 1984 under his supervision. This was the first official Serbian translation of the New Testament approved by the Serbian Orthodox Church. The revised edition of the translation was published in 1990. Patriarch Pavle also contributed by working on restoration and establishment of new eparhies, restoration of the Seminary in Cetinje, opening of the Spiritual Academy of St Vasilije of Ostrog in Srbinje. Bearing in mind numerous contributions of Patriarch Pavle, especially his scientific and theological work, the Faculty of Orthodox theology of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade bestowed upon him the degree of honorary doctor of theology in 1998. Patriarch Pavle was hospitalized at the Military Medical Academy since November 13, 2007.

His tenure as Patriarch lasted 19 years.

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