Hieromartyr Rafailo (Momcilovic),
Abbot of the Sisatovac Monastery

Rafailo (baptismal name Georgije, Djordje) Momcilovic was born on April 23, 1875, his parents being Velimir and Persida, in a village Deronje in Backa, where he completed primary school. When he was ten years old, he went to the Kovilj Monastery, and afterwards to the Bodjane Monastery. On October 26, 1896 he took the monastic vows in the Manasija Monastery, Abbot Miron (Djordjevic) serving. On November 23, 1896, Metropolitan Mihailo ordained Rafailo hierodeacon. Simultaneously with spiritual rising and accomplishments, Rafailo improved his knowledge of painting by studying on an advanced level. He was educated in art in Belgrade, Moscow and Italy. He painted the iconostases in the churches in Velika Krsna (1902), the Rakovica Monastery (1905/6), Pacir and Gornji Kovilj (1908-10) and in the Ruzica Church in Belgrade (1925/26). Hieromonk Rafailo painted many single icons, then portraits of clergymen, and he was also a great landscape painter.

At the beginning of the World War II, Archimandrite Rafailo was the Abbot of the Sisatovac Monastery. On August 25, 1941 the Ustashe arrested him, together with three other monastics of the Sisatovac Monastery, and transported by train to Slavonska Pozega. During this transport, Abbot Rafailo was tortured in different ways: they hit him by different objects and tore out his beard. In the concentration camp in Slavonska Pozega the afflictions of hieromonk Rafailo continued. After monstrous tortures he died on September 3, 1941. No one knows where he was buried.

At the regular session of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1999, Abbot Rafailo was canonized and his name was entered in the List of Names of the Serbian Church as the Hieromartyr. His memory feast is on September 3 - the day of his death.