Platon Atanacković

Platon Atanacković (Sombor, Vojvodina, Habsburg Monarchy, 10 July 1788 – Novi Sad, Habsburg Monarchy, 21 April 1867) was a writer, linguist, patron of Serb culture,[1] bishop of the Eparchy of Bačka and president of Matica srpska.[2]

Platon Atanacković

Born in the then Austro-Hungarian-occupied Vojvodina, he became the bishop of Bačka and promoted education among his people in the diaspora and the home country. With help of the German translation of Frédéric Eichhoff's works,[3] he demonstrated the cognition of Sanskrit and Serbian (Srodstvo slavenoserbskog jezika sa sanskritam or Affinity of Slavo-Serbian languages and Sanskrit, Letopis Matice srpske, 1843).[4]

Platon's secular name was Pavle. He was involved in literature, politics and humanitarian work. He taught for 70 years as a professor in Szentendre, Hungary. In 1829, he became a monk in Krušedol Monastery, after his wife died. Soon, he was elevated to the ecclesiastical rank of abbot, and then Archimandrite. He became in 1839 bishop of the Budim. Back then, he got transferred to the state government in the Eparchy of Bačka.

He did much for education and the promotion of culture in the nation. He helped financially to establish the Serbian Law Academy in Novi Sad,[5]and he established a foundation in Sombor for the education of poor students,[6] and assisted the Serbian National Theatre.