03/26/2026
The first Serbian poetess is considered to be the nun Jefimija of the Ljubostinja Monastery. Before taking monastic vows, Jefimija was a despotess named Jelena. She was born around 1350 into the family of the renowned nobleman Vojihna, the lord of Drama during the reign of Dušan the Mighty. She was married to Despot Jovan Uglješa Mrnjavčević, a great benefactor of the Athonite monasteries.
Her life changed drastically at one point. After her father’s death, Jelena’s only child, her four‑year‑old son Uglješa, also passed away. Both were buried at the Holy Monastery of Hilandar, in the Catholicon — the son in the nave, and the father in the narthex. Since she could never visit her son’s grave, the nun Jefimija wrote verses and presented the Hilandar Monastery with gifts.
Among these gifts was a diptych inscribed with prayerful verses of deep sorrow, which represents the first recorded poem by the first Serbian poetess. The verses were written between 1368 and 1371. The inner part of the diptych was crafted using woodcarving techniques, featuring depictions of the Theotokos, prophets, the scene of Abraham’s Hospitality, and the apostles, framed with silver, pearls, and precious stones. The covers of the diptych were also made of precious metals.
In 1399, the nun Jefimija sent a richly decorated curtain to the monastery for the royal doors of the Hilandar iconostasis. It is not known whether she embroidered the curtain herself; it is more likely that she designed it and oversaw skilled embroiderers as they created this special gift for Hilandar. The red silk curtain is adorned with gold embroidery, depicting a central figure of Christ, two angels, St. Basil the Great, and St. John Chrysostom. In two free fields, inspired verses are embroidered in Cyrillic Serbian.
The Hilandar Monastery carefully preserves both gifts of the first Serbian poetess in its treasury.
