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Lives of the Serbian Saints

tr. Yanich and Hankey, 1921

The Life of the Holy Father Maxim, Archbishop and Serbian Despot

This blessed and glorious Maxim was the first-born son of the despot Stephen the blind and Angelina; the blind Stephen was the middle son of George Brankovich of Smederevo, and Angelina was the daughter of Prince Scanderbeg. In Holy Baptism Maxim was called George, and his younger brother was John. Both of them were born in a foreign land because their father was persecuted by his own people, and was obliged in these straits to save his life by coming to the Prince of Albania, whose daughter he married. It is not known for how long a time the saint and his brother John lived in a foreign land, but afterwards they came with their mother to Sirmie. And because they were the children of the Serbian despot, they looked to receive some land for their support. But the Serbians of Sirmie had a despot already in the person of Vulk Brankovich, a kinsman of Stephen the blind, so that this hope of the unhappy sons of Stephen was vain, and they lacked all but their title. It is said that they went to live in Kupinovo on the river Sava, and there waited lest haply their fortune should change. When Vulk died, George, afterward called Maxim, thought to take the power of despot because he was the first-born: but already, in the reign of Vulk, the despot was straitened in power and land, so that George received no more—for at this time the Hungarians ruled in Sirmie. Thus to be despot was only to have the title and a little support for life, and George was made monk by the higumen of the monastery Monasia of Stephen the Tall. He was called Maxim, and he gave the title of despot to his brother John, who is known among our people as the last Serbian despot.

Maxim lived as a monk in Kupinitza, fasting and praying. At this time the Hungarians were in Sirmie, and there was no bishop and but few priests. Then the monk Maxim, zealous for the Orthodox Faith, called to Sirmie the metropolitan of Sofia, Levit: and he came and ordained Maxim to be priest in Kupinitza, and afterwards made many other priests also. But because the Turks oftentimes invaded Sirmie to plunder it, the monk-priest Maxim, with his brother the despot John, went a short way further into the mountains and established themselves in Berkasovo, where John died. And when the Turks came from Bosnia and threatened death to the people of Slavonia and Sirmie, Maxim, seeing their peril, went by the river Danube to Wallachia, and took with him the bodies of his father and brother. He came then to the lands of Rodul, the voievode of that district, who received him gladly. Not long after the metropolitan of Wallachia died, and Rodul, after taking counsel with his people, raised up Maxim to the empty throne, honouring in him the despot’s dynasty. It came to pass after this that the voievode of Moldavia, Bogdan, made ready for war against the voievode Rodul. But Archbishop Maxim took on himself the labour of uniting them again, and changed bloodshed into peace, and brought back the two voievodes to love and concord. Then this Bogdan, who had made peace, gave to the archbishop a staff wrought of silver.

After the death of Rodul, Mina came to the throne, an evil man who loved the Turks better than the Christians. When blessed Maxim saw that he could not remain a friend with Mina, and that Mina was against him because he was a Serbian and of the despot’s dynasty and archbishop in Wallachia, he was afraid—not indeed that he would lose his diocese, but that he would lose his life. Therefore he waited only for a fit time to escape. Now Maxim, by the advice of his nobles, desired to make peace with the Hungarian king, and looked about him to see who could be sent to do this work aright. When he heard that, through the intercession of blessed Maxim, Rodul had made peace with that king, he sent Maxim to make peace with the Hungarian king. Maxim rejoiced greatly because of this opportunity, and when he had brought to a good end the mission with which he had been charged at Buda Peste, he returned not to Wallachia, but sent the king’s letters and established himself with his kinsman Yakshich in Sirmie. And here he chose out the place called Krushedol, and laid the foundations of the monastery of that name. But Mina had now left the Orthodox Faith and become a Mohammedan. And the people of Krayova with their nobles set up the young man Nagul, of Bessarabia, to be voievode over them, with this one counsel, that he should call back Maxim to take once more his former dignity. Nagul consented and recalled the holy man. Now the nobles, knowing that Maxim had a cousin, a girl, Militza by name, worthy to be the wife of their young voievode prayed the archbishop to bring her with him. When he heard these things the blessed Maxim came in haste, that he might not leave the throne empty, and gladly brought the girl with him. She married the voievode Nagul, and Maxim ascended the archbishop’s throne. And because he desired to mark his new dignity, he built two monasteries in this country, and so, by these buildings, repaid the people for making him archbishop. But he longed with all his heart and soul to pass the last days of his life in the monastery of Krushedol. And the voievode gave him leave and rich alms also, that he might make an end of the building which was only begun. So he consecrated a new metropolitan for the people of Wallachia, returned safely to his fatherland, finished what was not yet done in his monastery, strengthened the brothers in virtue, purified his soul with penitence, and went to eternal life on the eighteenth day of January in the year 1560.¹ His body, glorified by the miracle of incorruption, was placed with that of his brother John and their father Stephen, and buried in the church of the Annunciation in front of the altar. In the name of Jesus Christ Our Lord, to Whom be glory as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. Amen.

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