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Nikanor Ivanović | |
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| Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral | |
.jpg) Nikanor II, along withPrincess Darinka leading the funeral Procession of Prince Danilo I byAnton Karinger (1862)[1] | |
| Native name | Никанор Ивановић |
| Church | Serbian Orthodox Church |
| Metropolis | Montenegro and the Littoral |
| In office | 1858 – 1860 |
| Predecessor | Petar II Petrović-Njegoš |
| Successor | Ilarion Roganović |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1825 (1825) |
| Died | 9 April 1894(1894-04-09) (aged 68–69) |
Nikanor Ivanović orNikanor II (Serbian Cyrillic:Никанор Ивановић; 1825–1894) wasBishop of Cetinje and Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Highlands from 1858 to 1860.
Nikanor Ivanović was born inDrniš, where his family came fromNjeguši.[2] He was, probably, taughttheology inZadar. There, before 1857, he was raised to the dignity ofarchimandrite. Then he stayed inSavina Monastery. In 1857,Danilo I Petrović-Njegoš, the sovereign of thePrincipality of Montenegro elected him as the secretary and vice chairman of the Montenegrin Senate, and then as the newMetrpolian of Montenegro and the Highlands. This office has been vacant since 1851, whenPetar II Petrović-Njegoš, the last hierarch who combined metropolitan dignity with secular power in Montenegro, died. His successor Danilo II decided to change the existing system of state so that Montenegro could be recognized internationally as an independent country (claims to its territory were reported by theOttoman Empire, claiming that the metropolitan princes only exercised spiritual authority). The decision was supported by theRussian Empire.
In 1860, Prince Danilo I was assassinated inKotor (then part of theAustrian Empire) and was buried in theCetinje Monastery.[3] Metropolitan Nikanor did not appear at his funeral, which resulted in his removal from office by the new PrinceNicholas I.
Despite the historical fact that Nikanor II, for political reasons, did not attend the funeral of Prince Danilo, he was nevertheless depicted in the paintingThe Funeral Procession of Prince Danilo of Montenegro byAnton Karinger (1862), accompanied by his widow,Princess Darinka. Although Karinger was aware, through the press, that Metropolitan Nikanor Ivanović had not accompanied Danilo’s body to Cetinje, he chose to include him in the composition. On the contrary, he omitted Danilo's daughter,Princess Olga, who was carried on horseback by her mother, in order to preserve the poise, grace, and dignity of Princess Darinka's figure.
In European political iconography and propaganda, the sovereign was traditionally portrayed as God’s anointed ruler on earth. In secular states he lost this sacred prerogative, but assumed instead the role of father of the nation, guardian of its church. In return, a representative of the church was expected to symbolically absolve the deceased ruler and bless his successor. Karinger’s canvas, which emphasizes through its vertical axis the symbolic elevation of the late prince, could not have functioned without the presence of a cleric—hence the fictional inclusion of Nikanor Ivanović.[4]
The hierarch went toCrimea, Russian Empire and from there toItaly. He died on 9 April 1894 inGorizia, then part of theAustro-Hungarian Empire.[5]
| Preceded by | Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Highlands 1858–1860 | Succeeded by |
