Serbs of Romania

Serbs in Romania
Sârbii din România
Срби у Румунији / Srbi u Rumuniji

Total population
(18,076 (2011) )
Regions with significant populations
Banat
Languages
Serbian, Romanian
Religion
Serbian Orthodox Church
Related ethnic groups
Croats of Romania

The Serbs (Sârbii) are recognized as an ethnic minority in Romania. According to the 2011 census, there were 18,076 Serbs in Romania or 0.1% of the population. Serbs mostly live in western Romania, in the Romanian part of the Banat region, where they constitute absolute majority in two communes and relative majority in one other.

History

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.

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).

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.

Demographics

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

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.

According to the 2011 census, the following localities had a Serb population greater than 1%:

• Arad County
  • Felnac (Serbian: Фелнак or Фенлак) — 5.52%
  • Secusigiu (Serbian: Секусић) — 2.77%

• Caraș-Severin County
  • Socol (Serbian: Соколовац) — 50.38%
  • Pojejena (Serbian: Пожежена) — 45.76%
  • Berzasca (Serbian: Берзаска) — 20.82%
  • Naidăș (Serbian: Најдаш) — 15.27%
  • Moldova Nouă (Serbian: Нова Молдава) — 11.19%

• Mehedinți County
  • Svinița (Serbian: Свињица) — 90.27%

• Timiș County
  • Cenei (Serbian: Ченеј) — 16.1%
  • Peciu Nou (Serbian: Улбеч) — 13.52%
  • Sânpetru Mare (Serbian: Велики Семпетар) — 12.71%
  • Variaș (Serbian: Варјаш) — 9.61%
  • Saravale (Serbian: Саравола) — 7.38%
  • Giulvăz (Serbian: Ђулвез) — 6.44%
  • Cenad (Serbian: Чанад) — 6.39%
  • Foeni (Serbian: Фењ) — 5.87%
  • Topolovățu Mare (Serbian: Велики Тополовац) — 5.43%
  • Giera (Serbian: Ђир) — 4.51%
  • Recaș (Serbian: Рекаш) — 4.27%
  • Denta (Serbian: Дента) — 4.25%
  • Denta (Serbian: Дета) — 3.96%
  • Birda — 3.46%
  • Sânnicolau Mare (Serbian: Велики Семиклуш) — 2.98%
  • Checea (Serbian: Кеча) — 2.82%
  • Parța (Serbian: Парац) — 2.02%
  • Săcălaz (Serbian: Секелаз) — 1.98%
  • Becicherecu Mic (Serbian: Мали Бечкерек) — 1.78%
  • Brestovăț (Serbian: Брестовац) — 1.63%
  • Timișoara (Serbian: Темишвар) — 1.52%
  • Moravița (Serbian: Моравица) — 1.35%

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  Communes with a Serbian majority in Romania (2002 census)

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  Distribution of Serbs in Romania (2002 census)

Culture

Most of the Serbs in Romania are Orthodox Christians; the vast majority belong to Serbian Orthodox Church Eparchy of Timișoara.

List of Serbian Orthodox monasteries in Romania:

• Sveti Đorđe 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

Jovan Nenad

File:Count Đorđe Branković, Franz Schilhabel, 1849.jpg Đоrđe Branković

Dositej Obradović

Sava Tekelija

Iasmin Latovlevic

Miodrag Belodedic

Andrei Ivanovitch

Ion Ivanovic

Stevan Aleksić

• Jovan Nenad (?-1527), self-proclaimed "emperor", ruler of Bačka, northern Banat, and a part of Srem, born in Lipova (northern Banat).
• Count Đorđe Branković (1645-1711), the Count of Transylvania and alleged descendant of Serbian medieval royal House of Branković, born in Jenopolje.
• Dositej Obradović (1742–1811), writer and translator, born in Ciacova (Čakovo).
• Stevan Aleksic (1876 - 1923), Serbian painter, born in Arad
• Alexandru Macedonski (1854-1920), the famed Romanian poet, novelist, and literary critic.
• Ivan Tabaković (1898–1977), painter, born in Arad.
• Emil Petrovici (1899-1968), Romanian linguist of partly Serbian origin
• Ion Ivanovici (1845-1902) Romanian military band leader and composer
• Andrei Ivanovitch (b. 1968) an international classical pianist and winner of a number of international competitions.
• Miodrag Belodedić (b. 1964), football player, played for Romanian national team, Steaua Bucharest and Red Star Belgrade, born in Socol (Sokol).
• Lavinia Miloșovici (b. 1976), Romanian gymnast, born in Lugoj into a Serb family.
• Iasmin Latovlevici (b. 1986) Romanian football player
• Srdjan Luchin (b. 1986) Romanian football player
• Deian Boldor (b. 1995) Romanian football player

See also

• Krashovani
• Serbs
• Romanians of Serbia
• Raci (ethnonym)

References

• Milojko Brusin, Naša razgraničenja sa susedima 1919-1920, Novi Sad, 1998.
• Constantin C. Giurescu, Istoria Bucureștilor. Din cele mai vechi timpuri pînă în zilele noastre, Bucharest, 1966, p. 73, 268-270.
• Dr. Aleksa Ivić, Istorija Srba u Vojvodini, Novi Sad, 1929.
• Miodrag Milin, Vekovima zajedno, Temišvar, 1995.
• Victor Neumann, Istoria evreilor din Banat, Bucharest, 1999.
• Dr. Dušan J. Popović, Srbi u Vojvodini, knjige 1-3, Novi Sad, 1990.
• Milan Tutorov, Mala Raška a u Banatu, Zrenjanin, 1991.

External links

• (Romanian) Sârbii din Romania
• (Serbian) Srbi u Rumuniji od ranog srednjeg veka do današnjeg vremena
• (Romanian) "Sîrbii", on Divers online