Professor Mikonja Knežević, PhD, senior research associate of the SASA Institute of Ethnography, took part in the forum: “Athens and Jerusalem: Serbian Views in the Medieval Period and Njegoš’s Century” organized by the PI “Zahumlje” in Nikšić. The forum was held on November 14th, 2023 to mark the 210th anniversary of Njegoš’s birth. 

Knežević, PhD, spoke about the presence of ancient motifs in the Serbian medieval literature, both secular and theological, and then, following the traces of Njegoš`s reading, he apostrophized the importance of ancient thought in Njegoš`s poetry. On that occasion, he pointed out the often neglected Christian motifs in Njegoš`s works, which place his meditative poetry in the context of “Christian Neoplatonism”. The intertwining of Christian with Neoplatonist elements, particularly in the domain of mental insight and mystical union marked- of course with different accent emphasis -Serbian views both in the medieval period and in the works of the greatest Serbian poet.