199^th Anniversary of the Birth of Jovan Đorđević

Published: November 25, 2025

On this day, 199 years ago, Jovan Đorđević (1826 – 1900), founder and director of the Serbian National Theatre, was born. As a playwright, writer, educator and cultural visionary, he is one of the most important founders of Serbian theatrical life in the 19th century.

His name is inextricably linked to the creation and shaping of the Serbian National Theatre, an institution to which he gave a clear mission and strong identity. Born in Sent, educated in Szeged, Novi Sad, Timisoara and Pest, Jovan Đorđević was one of the founders of the SNT and its first director, but he did much more than that: he managed artistic affairs, edited the repertoire, translated plays, directed performances, participated in building the institutional structure of the theater and worked to raise funds for its development. Within the Theater Society and the Society of the Serbian National Theater, he performed key functions — from president of the artistic department to vice president and deputy head of the society, which testifies to the trust he enjoyed and the central role he played in shaping theater policy at that time. The vision of the theater as a national institution also took him to Belgrade, where in 1868, with part of the Novi Sad ensemble, he participated in the founding of the National Theater. In doing so, he spread the idea from Novi Sad to the entire country. In addition to theater, Đorđević left a deep mark on education and society: he was a professor at the Great School, secretary of the Matica Srpska, Minister of Education, and an active publicist. As a playwright and translator, he enriched the repertoire of Serbian theaters, and he is also known as the author of the text of the Serbian anthem „God of Justice“, which was first performed in his play Mark’s Sabre. The history of the Serbian National Theater cannot be imagined without the figure and work of Jovan Đorđević – his work laid the foundations of our theater, and the SNT still carries the spirit of his creative and educational endeavor today. The medal that bears his name — the „Jovan Đorđević Gold Medal“ — is awarded as the highest honor at the Serbian National Theatre.