Ηegumen / Abbot
The Shishatovac Monastery witnessed the genocide of Serbs and the extermination of Orthodoxy during World War II. Blessed Raphael (Momčilović) was born on April 23, 1875, in the village of Derone in Bačka. He studied in the monastery school and then learned iconography at the Bodjan Monastery. In 1897, he took monastic vows under the name Raphael and was ordained a deacon, and later a hieromonk. After studying in Russia and Italy, he returned to Serbia, where he served in various monasteries, and in 1935 he was accepted into the brotherhood of the Shishatovac Monastery.
As the abbot, he created numerous icons and portraits of church figures, including a portrait of Patriarch Gavril, a martyr of World War II. On August 25, 1941, Abbot Raphael was arrested by the Ustaše and subjected to brutal torture. He was beaten but survived and was transferred to a hospital, where he died on September 3, 1941, from his injuries.
Blessed Martyr Raphael was buried in an unmarked grave, but his soul dwells in eternal bliss. The day of his martyrdom, September 3, should be celebrated as the day of glorification of his holy deed.
