Tryng out

St. Angelina came from a family of Orthodox Albanian princes and from childhood was brought up in the fear of God. She was destined to become the wife of the Serbian Despot Stefan Brankovich, son of Despot George Brankovich (1427-1456). The Serbian despot George was one of the ktitors of the Russian monastery. In the archives of the monastery, there is a letter dated around 1430, which testifies to the assistance provided by Georgy Brankovich to Rusik. In 1441, Stefan, together with his brother Grgur, went to Turkey to visit and support sister, forcibly taken into the Sultan's harem. Both brothers were captured, accused of conspiracy, imprisoned and blinded. At this time, their father, despot George, died, and his youngest son, Lazar (1456-1458), became the temporary ruler, who then ceded the throne to his elder brother Stephen, who returned from imprisonment. Two months before the fall of Serbia under the blows of the Turks, some courtiers betrayed their sovereign and secretly contributed to his overthrow even before the start of the Turkish invasion. They slandered Despot Stefan and expelled him from the Fatherland. Prince Stephen endured many troubles and needs. He went through Budim to his sister Countess Katarina, and then arrived in the city of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia and from there he went to Albania to find a safe haven there. The noble princely daughter Angelina fell in love with the blind suffering prince Stefan with all her heart and, with the blessing of her parents, married him. Parents gave their consent and blessed the young. Wishing with all her heart to share her fate with a noble exile, in 1461 Angelina married Stephen in Skadar. The fruit of their blessed marriage was two sons, George and John, and a daughter, Mara. However, their happiness did not last long - they again had to flee from the invasion of the Mohammedans and hide in Italy. On October 9, 1476, blessed Stephen reposed in the Lord. Subsequently, he was canonized as a saint. Saint Angelina had to drink to the full the cup of widowhood, exile and maternal pain for the good upbringing of three children. She asked for help from the Hungarian king Mattiy Korvin, who graciously gave her and her sons the city of Kupinovo on the Sava River. Taking with her the incorruptible remains of her husband, Angelina made her way through Vienna and Buda to Kupinovo, and there, on February 15, 1486, in the church of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke, she placed the relics of her husband Stephen. The Hungarian king granted the eldest son of Angelina George the title of despot, but George abandoned it in favor of his younger brother John. In 1495, George took the monastic vows with the name Maxim. In 1502, the young despot John, who became the last despot of Serbia, passed away to the Lord. St. Angelina with the monk Maxim moved to the lands of the Wallachian governor John Radul, taking with them the relics of her husband Stephen and son John. Voivode John was also distinguished by his piety and love of God. For some time he provided patronage to Athos. In the Russian Monastery, letters of this sovereign were preserved on the granting of annual alms to Rusik. He was the patron of the monastery from 1492. He provided especially generous assistance from 1502, to St. Angelina. Probably, it was she who inspired the governor to increase the alms of the Panteleimon monastery, which had completely lost its patronage. In Wallachia, the monk Maxim, the son of Angelina, received episcopal consecration.

Upon the return of St. Angelina and Maxim to the Sremskaya region, monk Maxim was appointed Metropolitan of Belgrade and Srem. Together with their mother, they erected the Krushedol Monastery in the name of the Annunciation Holy Mother of God. Here St. Maximus transferred his episcopal see from Belgrade, thus renewing the Srem Archdiocese. Soon on January 18, 1516 he passed away to the Lord and was buried in Krushedol. So the righteous Angelina was destined to outlive her husband and both sons, whom the Lord glorified as saints. Preserving her worldly name, the nun Angelina took monastic vows in the monastery of the Presentation of the Lord built by her not far from Krushedol and completely devoted herself to prayer, works of mercy and care for churches and monasteries. This worthy of emulation Christian, wife, mother and nun for her labors and good deeds was lovingly nicknamed by the people as Mother Angelina. So, having lived pleasing to God and holy, she rested from her labors and peacefully departed to the Lord on July 30, 1520. The nun Angelina was buried in the same convent, and a few years later her holy body was found incorruptible, transferred to the Krushedol Monastery and placed in the same reliquary with the relics of her son, Saint Despot John. In 1716, the Turks burned the holy and miraculous relics of Saint Angelina together with the Krushedol Monastery. Only the left hand of Saint Angelina was preserved. Memory of St. Angelina is celebrated three times a year: July 1, July 30 and December 10.