Gerasim Zelić

Who was Gerasim Zelić?

Gerasim Zelić was a renowned Serbian Orthodox Church archimandrite, traveller and writer. His chief work is Žitije, in three volumes. They are memoirs of his travels throughout western Europe, Russia and Asia Minor from the latter half of the 18th century to the first decade of the 19th century and the famous personalities he met. He had valuable original notes on people, religions, manners, customs, trade, etc.

As much as Dositej Obradović is an emblematic figure of the 18th century Habsburg Serbian Enlightenment so is Gerasim Zelić. In may ways the East-West travel itineraries of the two men are similar, covering the Levant, the German lands, France and Russia, though Zelić went first to Russia. While both lament their people's plight under Ottoman rule and promote similar solutions, their perspectives are different, Dositej's cosmopolitanism contrasting with Zelić's clericalism, though their intentions are the same: the emancipation of their people from tyrannical rule of the two empires, the Habsburg and the Ottoman.