ARSENIJE III ČARNOJEVIĆ LED THE GREAT MIGRATION

BIJELJINA, JUNE 25 /SRNA/ – On June 26, 1690, Serbian Patriarch Arsenije III Čarnojević held a council of Serbian bishops and clergy from both sides of the Sava and Danube Rivers at the Kalemegdan fortress in Belgrade.

The council took place after the Austrians suffered defeat in their war against the Turks, in which Patriarch Arsenije III, as an ally of Vienna, led the Serbs.

During that time, the patriarch was negotiating with Austrian Emperor Leopold I through Bishop Isaija Đaković about crossing the Sava and Danube.

Thus began the Great Migration of Serbs, who crossed the rivers two days before the Turks recaptured Belgrade.

Heading north, the Serbs settled in about 50 locations across Vojvodina and Hungary, including Szentendre /Sentandreja/, the northernmost point of the Serb diaspora.