The Cult of St Petar of Koriša: Stages of Development and Patterns

Abstract

In this paper a research has been presented into the stages of development the content and the function of the cult of St Petar of Koriša, the only Serbian medieval hermit included among the saints. The creation of cult writings (Service and Life) and the gradual shaping near Prizren of the monastery of this titular saint have been simultaneously analyzed. The results have shown that, from the beginning of the 13th century to the middle of the 14th, the formation of his cult went through several developmental stages and in conformity with the supreme models of Byzantine hagiography. During the process, the original hermitage grew into an anchoretic community which, in turn, grew into a lavra and, eventually, into a monastery of coenobitic type. The cult of St Petar of Koriša had been fostered in the monastery until the end of the 17th century, when the devastating Ottoman raids urged the translation of the saint's relics to the Monastery of Crna Reka.