Serbs of Romania

The Serbs of Romania (Sârbii din România, Срби у Румунији/Srbi u Rumuniji) are a recognized ethnic minority numbering 18,076 people (0.1%) according to the 2011 census. The community is concentrated in western Romania, in the Romanian part of the Banat region (divided with Serbia), where they constitute the absolute majority in two communes and the relative majority in one other. The community represents the oldest Serbian community outside of Serbia.

Historical background
Slavic presence is attested in Romania since the Early Middle Ages. The Avar Khaganate was the dominant power of the Carpathian Basin between around 567 and 803. Most historians agree that Slavs and Bulgars, together with the remnants of the Avars, and possibly with Vlachs, inhabited the Banat region after the fall of the khaganate. Place names of Slavic origin recorded already in the Middle Ages show the early presence of a Slavic-speaking population.

Early modern period
From the late 14th- to the beginning of the 16th century a large number of Serbs lived in Wallachia and Moldavia. Following Ottoman expansion in the 15th century, Serb mass migrations ensued into Pannonia. Serbian Orthodox monasteries began to be built in the area from the 15th century, including Kusić and Senđurađ built by despot Jovan Branković, and in the 16th century including Bezdin and Hodoš built by the Jakšić family. In the Ottoman period, some thirty Serbian Orthodox monasteries were built in the territory of Romania.

Ottoman pressure traditionally forced members of several South Slavic communities to seek refuge in Wallachia - although under Ottoman rule as well, the latter was always subject to less requirements than regions to south of the Danube.

The Serbian Uprising in Banat (1594) included territories that are part of modern Romania. There were reprisals, contemporary sources speaking of "the living envied the dead". After the crushing of the uprising in Banat, many Serbs migrated to Transylvania under the leadership of Bishop Teodor; the territory towards Ineu and Teiuș was settled, where Serbs had lived since earlier – the Serbs had their eparchies, opened schools, founded churches and printing houses.

Serbs-proper probably constituted the vast majority of mercenary troops known as seimeni, given that their nucleus is attested to have been formed by "Serb seimeni" (as it was during their revolt in 1655), and that the rule of Prince Matei Basarab had witnessed the arrival of a large group of Serb refugees.

The Great Migrations of the Serbs in 1690 and 1737–39 led to additional settlement of Serbs.

Modern
These groups are, however, hard to distinguish one from another in early Wallachian references, as the term "Serbs" is regularly applied to all Southern Slavs, no matter where they might have originated. This only changed in the 19th century, through a transition made clear by an official statistic of 1830, which reads "census of how many Serbs are resident here in the town of Ploiești, all of them Bulgarians" (Giurescu, p. 269).

The Bărăgan deportations (1951–56) saw minorities (including Serbs) from the Banat region bordering Yugoslavia deported to south-eastern Romania due to the deteriorating Yugoslav–USSR relations and the perceived "elements who present a danger through their presence in the area" to the Romanian Communist regime.

Demographics
According to the 2011 census, there was 18,076 people of the Serb minority, down from 22,561 people in 2002.

The vast majority of the Serbs in Romania today live in about sixty localities in the west and south-west part of Romania, starting with the village of Turnu and the towns of Nădlac and Arad on the north-side of Mures river, all the way to the commune of Sviniţa located north of the Danube on the border with Serbia. Serbs live primarily in the (counties of Arad, Timiş, Caraș -Severin and Mehedinti). The number of Serbs is constantly decreasing, it has effectively halved in the last eight decades: according to the statistics of the Serbian Diocese of Timisoara in 1924 there were 44,078, following the 2002 census – 22,561; according to the 2011 census, approximately 18 000 Serbs live in Romania, which represents less than 0.1% of the country's total population.

In Caraș-Severin County, the Serbs constitute an absolute majority in the commune of Pojejena (52.09%) and a plurality in the commune of Socol (49.54%). Serbs also constitute absolute majority in the municipality of Svinița (87.27%) in the Mehedinți County. The region where these three municipalities are located is known as Clisura Dunării in Romanian or Banatska Klisura (Банатска Клисура) in Serbian.

Localities
The following localities had a Serb population greater than 1% according to the 2011 census. Serbian placenames are included in brackets.


 * Arad County
 * Felnac (Фелнак/Felnak or Фенлак/Fenlak) — 5.52%
 * Secusigiu (Секусић/Sekusić) — 2.77%
 * Caraș-Severin County
 * Socol (Соколовац/Sokolovac) — 50.38%
 * Pojejena (Пожежена) — 45.76%
 * Berzasca (Берзаска) — 20.82%
 * Naidăș (Најдаш) — 15.27%
 * Moldova Nouă (Нова Молдава) — 11.19%
 * Mehedinți County
 * Svinița (Свињица/Svinjica) — 90.27%
 * Timiș County
 * Beregsău Mic (Nemet) — 50%
 * Cenei (Ченеј) — 16.1%
 * Peciu Nou (Улбеч) — 13.52%
 * Sânpetru Mare (Велики Семпетар) — 12.71%
 * Variaș (Варјаш) — 9.61%
 * Saravale (Саравола) — 7.38%
 * Giulvăz (Ђулвез) — 6.44%
 * Cenad (Чанад) — 6.39%
 * Foeni (Фењ/Fenj) — 5.87%
 * Topolovățu Mare (Велики Тополовац) — 5.43%
 * Giera (Ђир) — 4.51%
 * Recaș (Рекаш) — 4.27%
 * Denta (Дента/Denta) — 4.25%
 * Deta (Дета/Deta) — 3.96%
 * Birda — 3.46%
 * Sânnicolau Mare (Велики Семиклуш) — 2.98%
 * Checea (Кеча) — 2.82%
 * Parța (Парац) — 2.02%
 * Săcălaz (Секелаз/Sekelaz) — 1.98%
 * Becicherecu Mic (Мали Бечкерек) — 1.78%
 * Brestovăț (Брестовац/Brestovac) — 1.63%
 * Timișoara (Темишвар) — 1.52%
 * Moravița (Моравица/Moravica) — 1.35%

Culture and heritage


Three well-known Orthodox hierarchs came from the Branković family from Ineu: Sava I, of Lipova and Ienopole (at the beginning of the 17th century), Longin of Ienopole (1628 – after 1645) and Sava II, the metropolitan of Transylvania at Alba Iulia (1656-1683). They assumed the role of leaders of the Serbian and Romanian Orthodox population and defended them against Catholics and Evangelicals, stoically enduring Catholic and Calvinist persecutions. Earlier, the despot Đorđe Branković renounced his title and domains and, being ordained as a monk with the name Maksim, moved to Wallachia at the call of the ruler and became metropolitan. In Târgovişte he opens the first printing house in Romania, where the Serbian monk Makarije worked, later also Dimitrije Ljubavić. Metropolitans Sava II and Maksim were canonized by the Romanian and Serbian Orthodox Churches.

Saint Iosif/Josif of Partoș was metropolitan of Timisoara in 1643, respectively between 1648-1656. He was born in Dubrovnik, later moving to the Banat Partoș Monastery. Shortly after his death he was proclaimed a saint. He was canonized by the Romanian and Serbian Orthodox Churches. His relics are found in the Timișoara Orthodox Cathedral.

The Serbs has left a rich heritage, especially Orthodox Churches and Monasteries in Banat and to some extent in southern Crișana. Most of the Serbs in Romania are Orthodox Christians; the vast majority belong to Serbian Orthodox Church Eparchy of Timișoara.


 * There are Serbian Orthodox Churches with several in Timișoara (Темишвар/Temišvar), with two in Arad (Арад), Reșița (Решица/Rešica), Lugoj (Лугош/Lugoš), Ineu (Јенопоље/Jenopolje), Buziaş (Бузјаш/Buziaš), Sânnicolau Mare (Велики Семиклуш/Veliki Semikluš), Pecica (Печка/Pečka), Nădlac (Nađlak/Нађлак), Ciacova (Чаково/Čakovo), Jimbolia (Жомбољ/Žombolj), Orşova (Оршава/Oršava), Moldova Nouă (Нова Молдава or Бошњак/Nova Moldova or Bošnjak), Deta (Дета) and Oravița (Оравица/Oravica)
 * There are also village churches in Cenad (Нађчанад/Nađčanad), Variaș (Варјаш/Varjaš), Felnac (Фенлак/Fenlak), Turnu (Torno/Торња), Moravița (Моравица/Moravica), Brestovăț (Брестовац/Brestovac), Sânpetru Mare (Велики Семпетар/Veliki Sempetar), Peciu Nou (Улбеч/Ulbeč), Cenei (Ченеј/Čenej), Svinița (Свињица/Svinjica), Secusigiu (Секусић/Sekusić), Moldova Veche (Стара Молдава/Stara Moldova), Denta (Дента), Saravale (Саравола/Saravola), Foeni (Фењ/Fenj), Socol (Сокол/Sokol), Baziaș, (Базјаш/Bazjaš), Zlatița (Златица/Zlatica), Pojejena (Пожежена/Požežena), Belobreșca (Белобрешка/Belobreška), Divici (Дивић/Divić), Radimna (Радимна/Radimna), Șușac (Шушка/Šuška) and Berzasca (Берзаска/Berzaska)

List of Serbian Orthodox monasteries in Romania:
 * Sveti Đurađ monastery (Манастир светог Ђорђа - Манастир свети Ђурађ / Manastir svetog Đorđa - Manastir sveti Đurađ). According to the legend, it was founded in 1485 by the Serbian despot, Jovan Branković. It was rebuilt in the 18th century.
 * Šemljug monastery (Манастир Шемљуг / Manastir Šemljug). It was founded in the 15th century.
 * Sveti Simeon monastery (Манастир светог Симеона / Manastir svetog Simeona).
 * Bazjaš Monastery (Манастир Базјаш / Manastir Bazjaš), built 1225
 * Bezdin Monastery (Манастир Бездин / Manastir Bezdin).
 * Zlatica monastery (Манастир Златица / Manastir Zlatica).
 * Kusić monastery (Манастир Кусић / Manastir Kusić).
 * The "St. Peter and Paul" Serbian Church, raised in 1698-1702 in Arad, early Baroque architecture

Notable people

 * Milica Despina of Wallachia (c. 1485 – d. 1554), Princess consort of Wallachia, regent of Wallachia from 1521 to 1522.
 * Jovan Nenad (?–1527), Hungarian general and self-proclaimed "emperor", born in Lipova (northern Banat).
 * Đorđe Branković (1645–1711), Transylvanian count, born in Ineu.
 * Sava II Branković, Orthodox priest and Saint
 * Jovan Tekelija (1660s — 1721 or 1722), nobleman and military officer, born in Arad.
 * Peter Tekelija (1720–1792), Russian general-in-chief, born in Arad.
 * Dimitrie Eustatievici (1730 - 1796), Imperial Austrian philologist, scholar and pedagogue, born in Grid.
 * Dositej Obradović (1742–1811), Serbian writer and translator, born in Ciacova (Čakovo).
 * Sava Tekelija (1761–1842), doctor of law, born in Arad.
 * Konstantin Danil (1798-1873), Serbian painter, born in Lugoj.
 * Aleksa Janković (1806-1869), Prime Minister of Serbia, born in Timișoara.
 * Danilo Stefanović (1815-1886), Prime Minister of Serbia, born in Timișoara.
 * Pavel Petrović (1818–1887), a globe-trotting artist who painted the nobility and other interesting historical figures of his day from Europe to China and from Hawaii via South and North America back to Europe again.
 * Ion Ivanovici (1845–1902) Romanian military bandleader and composer.
 * Alexandru Macedonski (1854–1920), Romanian poet, novelist, and literary critic, paternal Serb descent.
 * Stevan Aleksic (1876–1923), Serbian painter, born in Arad.
 * Jovan Hadži (1884-1972), zoologist, born in Timișoara.
 * Ivan Tabaković (1898–1977), Yugoslav painter, born in Arad.
 * Emil Petrovici (1899–1968), Romanian linguist, born in Serbia.
 * Slavomir Gvozdenovici or Gvozdenović (b. 1953), writer and the founder of the Union of Serbs of Romania.
 * Miodrag Belodedici or Belodedić (b. 1964), Romanian footballer, born in Socol (Sokol).
 * Slavoliub Adnagi or Adnađ (b. 1965), the current Serbian member of the Chamber of Deputies.
 * Andrei Ivanovitch (b. 1968) an international classical pianist and winner of a number of international competitions.
 * Lavinia Miloșovici (b. 1976), Romanian gymnast, born in Lugoj.
 * Srdjan Luchin (b. 1986) Romanian footballer
 * Iasmin Latovlevici (b. 1986) Romanian footballer
 * Deian Boldor (b. 1995) Romanian footballer