Jovan Vladimir
| Jovan Vladimir | |
|---|---|
| Prince of Duklja | |
A Serbian Orthodox icon of Prince Jovan Vladimir, who was recognized as a saint shortly after his death
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| Reign | c. 1000 – 22 May 1016 |
| Predecessor | Petrislav |
| Successor | Dragimir (uncle) |
| Born | c. 990 |
| Died | 22 May 1016 Prespa, First Bulgarian Empire |
| Burial | Prespa |
| Spouse | Theodora Kosara |
| Father | Petrislav |
| Saint Jovan Vladimir | |
|---|---|
A Greek icon of Saint Jovan Vladimir (Ἰωάννης ὁ Βλαδίμηρος in Greek)
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| Wonderworker, Great Martyr, Myrrh‑gusher | |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Major shrine |
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| Feast | 22 May |
| Attributes | Cross, his own severed head, crown, and regal clothes |
| Patronage | Bar, Montenegro |
Jovan Vladimir or John Vladimir (Serbian Cyrillic: Јован Владимир; c. 990 – 22 May 1016) was the ruler of Duklja, the most powerful Serbian principality of the time, from around 1000 to 1016. He ruled during the protracted war between the Byzantine Empire and the First Bulgarian Empire. Vladimir was acknowledged as a pious, just, and peaceful ruler. He is recognized as a martyr and saint, with his feast day being celebrated on 22 May.
Jovan Vladimir had a close relationship with Byzantium but this did not save Duklja from the expansionist Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria, who conquered the principality around 1010 and took Vladimir prisoner. A medieval chronicle asserts that Samuel's daughter, Theodora Kosara, fell in love with Vladimir and begged her father for his hand. The tsar allowed the marriage and returned Duklja to Vladimir, who ruled as his vassal. Vladimir took no part in his father-in-law's war efforts. The warfare culminated with Tsar Samuel's defeat by the Byzantines in 1014 and death soon after. In 1016, Vladimir fell victim to a plot by Ivan Vladislav, the last ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire. He was beheaded in front of a church in Prespa, the empire's capital, and was buried there. He was soon recognized as a martyr and saint. His widow, Kosara, reburied him in the Prečista Krajinska Church, near his court in southeastern Duklja. In 1381, his remains were preserved in the Church of St Jovan Vladimir near Elbasan, and since 1995 they have been kept in the Orthodox cathedral of Tirana, Albania. The saint's remains are considered Christian relics, and attract many believers, especially on his feast day, when the relics are taken to the church near Elbasan for a celebration.
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Wikipedia