Lazar Cukovic
Lazar Ćuković was a prominent Serbian merchant from Risan in the 19th century. He was the father of the great benefactor Vasa Ćuković. The people called him Serdar out of respect, although in Austria-Hungary no one in Risan officially wore such a title.
Origin and family
The Ćukovićs are one of the oldest and most prominent Risan families. In Venetian documents, they are also mentioned under the surname Faočić. On the upper level of the cemetery above the church of St. Peter and Paul, the coat of arms of Ćuković, the horse of Joan Ćuković and the inscription Faocich can be seen. According to Sava Nakićenović, they came to Risan in 1692 from Dračevo, Herzegovina. According to family tradition, they come from the Herzegovinian village of Ljubomir, and according to Venetian documents, they have been there since before, as stated by Nakićenović. [1]
He married twice. His first wife was Stana Drobnjaković from Risan. With her he had four children, the first of whom was a son, Lazarus, whom he had when he was 35 years old. He named his son after his father. After the birth of their son Lazar, it was a great celebration, because the folk tradition considers it very lucky that the first child is a male. When his son Vaso was eight years old, Lazar's first wife Stana died, with whom he had another son Simo and daughters Daša and Marija. They lived in a secluded house on Pješčina in Risan. [2] With his second wife, Saveta Stijepović, he had a son, Marko, who went to America with his half-brother Vaso, where his daughters Aleksandra (Lesa) and Vukosava died young. [3]
Life
Lazar Ćuković was a successful merchant, who in the opinion of the people did not know how to deceive anyone. He had a large estate and raised cattle, and his son Vaso, as a child, helped keep the cattle, but also groomed them. He was also considered a very educated man. Lazar was a member of the Risan Theater Company since 1851 and often rented books from the Risan Library and Reading Room. He was buried in the cemetery of the Banja monastery near Risan. [4] Ćuković was the wedding godfather of the Duke of Banjan and the hero Maksim Baćović, who stayed with Lazar during his schooling in Risan. He was the godfather of two of his sons at their baptism.
Memorial
His son Vaso founded the Lazar and Stane Ćuković Fund in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1922, in memory of his parents. The foundation educated poor children. Until before the Second World War, when the fund existed, it financed the education of 99 Rishnans, some of whom became top intellectuals. [5]
Lazar Tomanović about Serdar Lazar In 1885, Lazar Tomanović visited the newly conquered territories of Montenegro, which were liberated from the Turks. On the way to the Kosijerevo monastery, in Grahovo, he was met by a friend, a serdar, a man of many years, a very respected person, Lazar Ćuković, who also went to that monastery to kiss the relics of St. Arsenij, the heir of St. Sava. They traveled together. [6] In Grahovo, the middleman rebuked Tomanović and his companions for not fasting, and they blamed the host where they were staying. [7]
Interesting facts
Lazar's son Vaso, as the founder, beat up a boy, because he threw a dog into the sea. When he came home, he saw that his father had already heard about it and was afraid of being beaten. Still, his father kissed him and praised him for protecting the weaker. The boy who committed violence against the animal was the son of Felbeber, the Austro-Hungarian commander of the place, so this caused a bigger conflict, but Lazar remained consistent. [8]
References
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