Venerable (Monastic) 15th century

Saint Joannicius of Devich

c. 1330s - 1430

Also known as Joannicius of Devic · Ioannikije of Devic

An ascetic who founded the monastery of Devic in Kosovo, where his relics became a source of healing for the sick.

Feast Day

April 26

Also Dec 2

Draft

Draft — pending review. Not yet verified for publication.

Hymn / Apolytikion Icon gallery Video / Media

Commemorated as

Our Venerable Father Joannicius, Wonderworker of Devič

Come to them for

Healing

Life

Joannicius of Devič was a fifteenth-century Serbian ascetic who, after years of solitary struggle, became the founder of the monastery of Devič in the Drenica region of Kosovo. A Serb from Zeta, he withdrew in youth to a life of silence and prayer, first in a cave by the Black River (Crna Reka) and later in the forests of Devič, where his reputation for holiness drew the attention of the Serbian ruling house.

By tradition he healed the ailing daughter of Prince George (Djuradj) Branković, who in gratitude founded the monastery of Devič, dedicated to the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple. Joannicius reposed on December 2, 1430, when he was nearly a hundred years old, and his relics at Devič became a noted source of healing, particularly for the mentally ill and the afflicted, who came to his tomb from among both Serbs and Albanians.

Timeline 4 moments Read Hide

youth Withdrawal to solitude A Serb from Zeta, Joannicius gave himself to Christ from his youth and settled at Crna Reka (the Black River) in a narrow cave, where, by tradition, Saint Peter of Koriša had earlier lived in asceticism.
maturity The wilderness of Devič Seeking deeper seclusion, he moved to the Drenica region and the thick forest of Devič, where he spent many years in solitude, fasting, and unceasing prayer, and a small community gathered around him.
c. 1427-1430 Healing of Branković's daughter and the founding of Devič Prince George Branković (ruled 1427-1456) brought his gravely ill daughter to the ascetic, who healed her. In gratitude the prince founded the monastery of Devič, dedicated to the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple.
December 2, 1430 Repose Joannicius reposed at Devič, almost a hundred years old. His relics were kept at the monastery and became wonderworking.

Contributions & Legacy

2 contributions Read Hide

Ascetic and founder

The tradition recounts that Joannicius came from Zeta and devoted himself to the monastic life while still young. His first retreat was a cave at the mouth of the Black River, a site already hallowed by the memory of Saint Peter of Koriša; from there he moved into the forested heights of Devič in the Drenica valley, drawing disciples who built a church near his cell.

The foundation of the monastery is linked to the healing of the daughter of Prince George Branković, the Serbian despot whose reign spanned the years before the Ottoman conquest. In thanksgiving the prince endowed the monastery of Devič under the patronage of the Entrance of the Theotokos, and it has remained associated with the saint's name ever since.

Relics and healings

After his repose the relics of Joannicius were venerated at Devič as a source of miraculous healing. The tradition records that his tomb drew the sick and the demon-possessed, both Serbs and Albanians, who sought relief there, and that the mentally afflicted in particular were healed.

The saint is commemorated on December 2, the day of his repose, and also on April 26. The monastery of Devič suffered repeated desecration in the modern era, including the destruction of its buildings and the violation of the saint's tomb during the upheavals in Kosovo at the close of the twentieth century.

Notes

Principal feast of his repose is Dec 2; also commemorated Apr 26.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints