Branko Dobrosavljević

Biography Branko Dobrosavljević was born in the village of Skrad, near Vojnić on 4 January 1886. He completed his high school education as well as the School of Theology at the Seminary in Sremski Karlovci in 1908.

Some sources state that Dobrosavljević and the others were first imprisoned in a police station in Veljun and killed the next day in the "Kestenovac" forest, near Blagaj as part of the 500 Serbs who were killed in the Blagaj massacre,

The victims were taken to a ditch, forced to dig their own graves and then hacked to death with axes. Dobrosavljević and his son were saved until the end. Dobrosavljević was then made to recite prayers as his son was chopped to pieces. Dobrosavljević was then tortured; his hair and beard were torn off, ears cut off and his eyes were gouged out before he was skinned alive.

In 1946 his remains and those of other killed Serbs were transported to a grave in Veljun. In 2000, he was canonized by the Serbian Orthodox Church and officially listed as one of the Serbian Church Saints. He is celebrated on April 24 (Julian Calendar); 7 May (O.S.), the date of his murder.