Patriarch
Saint Macarius Sokologovich became an important figure in the restoration of the unity and independence of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the 16th century. His patriarchate marked the revival of the Peć Patriarchate, which had lost its independence as a result of the Ottoman conquest. Historian D. Sliepčević characterized this period as the "darkest" in the history of the Church, when Serbian lands were losing their independence.
Macarius, a relative of the Turkish vizier Mehmed-pasha Sokolu, became the patriarch who restored the Peć Patriarchate. His life before being elected to the patriarchal throne remains unknown, but he was the igumen of the monasteries Mileševo or Hilandar. Under him, the patriarchate united all Serbian lands under Turkish rule, restoring ecclesiastical unity.
The saint actively built new churches and monasteries, raised a new generation of clergy, and renewed the Peć Monastery. He also received from the Turkish sultan rights similar to those of the Patriarchs of Constantinople, which gave him the powers of an ethnarch. This allowed him to manage church property and adjudicate marital disputes.
In 1570 or 1571, suffering from illness, Macarius left the patriarchal throne, choosing a successor – Metropolitan Anthony. He reposed in the Lord at the beginning of September 1574. His deeds led to the unity of the Serbian people and strengthened the Church in difficult times.
The Serbian Orthodox Church commemorates the memory of Saint Macarius on August 30/September 12.
