Jovan Sundečić

Jovan Sundečić (1825–1900), was a Serbian, Montenegrin, poet from Livno, Bosnia and Herzegovina, priest of the Serbian Orthodox Church and a secretary of Prince Nikola I of Montenegro. He is most famous for writing lyrics of contemporary anthem of Montenegro Ubavoj nam Crnoj Gori ("To Our Beautiful Montenegro"). [.he was also living in #REDIRECT Livno as a priest of orthodox churchGlas Crnogorca, October 19 1999: Jovan Markuš: [http://www.njegos.org/heritage/himne.htm Двије црногорске химне] ]

Life

Jovan was born in 1825 in the village of Golinjevo near Livno, Pashaluk of Bosnia, Ottoman Empire. His family is of the Šundić brotherhood from Župa near Nikšić in Old Herzegovina. After finishing the Orthodox Seminary in Zadar, Dalmatia province of the Austrian Empire and becoming a Priest, he was assigned parish priest and teacher to the Serb colony of Peroj in Istria, Austrian Littoral. After working as a professor at the Zadar Seminary, he became famous as a "priest-poet" and great political and national activist, because of which he decided to move to Montenegro. Nicholas named him his personal secretary in 1864, a post on which Jovan worked until his retirement in 1874, though he remained honorary secretary until his death.

In 1865 Jovan founded the "Orlić" (Орлић) yearly, the second publication in Montenegro. He was also the editor and owner of the first Montenegrin weekly, "The Montenegrin" (Црногорац) of Duke Sima Popović, which was published from 1871 to 1873, as well as the owner of the first Montenegrin literary magazine "The Montenegriness" (Црногорка) from 1871. From 1892 to 1894 Jovan also worked as editor of "Education" (Просвјета). He contributed greatly to education in Montenegro by drafting the Statute and completely organizing the renewed Cetinje Seminary in 1869, which was subsequently transformed into the Seminary Teachers' School. An active diplomat, Nicholas sent Jovan on numerous missions. For his works, he was awarded 1st rank of the Order of Prince Danilo I, the highest Montenegrin medal. He died in 1900 in Cetinje, Princedom of Montenegro.

In 1865 at his Cetinje-based Orlic Jovan published his poem dedicated to Prince Nikola, the "Montenegrin National anthem", a proposition for an anthem of the newly arising Montenegrin realm. In 1870 on Lučindan it was for the first time publicly sang accompanied with lyrics. It was sang in the rooms of the Cetinje Reading Room the Serb Vocal Society "Unity" from Kotor of Petar II Petrović Njegoš. The bandmaster was the choirmaster of the Czech Society Antun Shultz. Tomorrow on 18 October 1870 the poem was under its new name "To Our Beautiful Montenegro" handed over to Nikola I, who used it as the state anthem of Montenegro until its statehood was extinguished with the unification of Yugoslavia. The Montenegrin composer Jovan Đurov Ivanišević adapted the music better in 1887 in his published songs in Prague. It was then, by the order of the Ministry of Education, proclaimed as the only state anthem. After the recognition of an independent Princedom of Montenegro at the 1878 Congress of Berlin, "To Our Beautiful Montenegro" became a standard protocol song in Cetinje.

In 1878 Jovan Sundečić together with the Ragusan Luko Zore, Medo and his brother Niko Pucić, Vjekoslav Pretner, Pero Budmani, Antun Kazali, Ivan August Kaznačić and Vuk Vrčević founded the "Slovinac" pro-Serbian Dubrovnik-based list.

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