Hieromartyr
Bishop Theodore (Nestorović), Bishop of Vršac
? — †1594
Also known as: Феодор Вршацкий
Hieromartyr Theodore (Nestorović), Bishop of Vršac — he led the 1594 Banat Uprising of the Serbs against Ottoman rule, which coincided with the Ottomans' public burning of the relics of St. Sava of Serbia; after the revolt was crushed, he was captured by the Pasha of Temesvár and flayed alive.
Hieromartyr Theodore was bishop of the city of Vršac in the Banat region (modern Serbia, Vojvodina), then under Ottoman rule. He led (or was placed at the head of) the 1594 Banat Uprising of the Serbs against Turkish rule, during which the insurgents marched under church banners bearing an icon of St. Sava of Serbia. The uprising coincided with the Ottomans' public burning of the relics of St. Sava on Vračar hill in Belgrade — an event of immense significance in the history of the Serbian Church, which came as the Ottoman authorities' response to the uprising.
After the revolt was crushed, the Pasha of Temesvár (modern Timișoara) captured Bishop Theodore in Vršac and subjected him to an extremely brutal execution — flaying him alive.
He was glorified by decision of the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church on May 26/29, 1994, exactly 400 years after his death and the burning of St. Sava's relics.