St Sava is among the best known and loved Serbian saints. Born in 1173, as a young man he left the home of his father, the King of Serbia, went to Mount Athos, became a monk and founded the great monastic house of Hilandar. In 1219 he was appointed the first archbishop of the newly organized autocephalous Serbian Orthodox Church. He died in 1236 and was later canonized as the spiritual enlightener of the Serbian people.