| Antonije Bagaš - Arsenije | |
| More: | no |
| Spouse-Type: | Wife |
| Noble Family: | Bagaš |
| House-Type: | Nobility |
| Birth Place: | Kostur |
| Burial Place: | Agiou Pavlou |
| Occupation: | Orthodox Christian abbott |
| Religion: | Orthodox Christianity |
Anthony Bagaš, also known as Arsenije Bagaš (Serbian: Антоније Багаш;), was a Serbian nobleman from Kastoria who retreated to Mount Athos in between 1356 and 1366, where he later bought and restored the ruined Athonite monastery of Saint Paul (Agiou Pavlou) with the help of Nikola-Gerasim Radonja (the son of sebastokrator Branko Mladenović) in the 1380s, becoming its abbott and taking the monastic name Arsenios (Arsenije).[1] The two were successful in receiving donations from both the Byzantines and Serbs, and refurbishing the monastery with revenue from Serbian silver and gold mines, making it one of the major Serbian monasteries.[1] He translated hagiographical works into Serbian.[2]
He had a brother, Nikola, who in 1385 donated the monastery of Mesonesiotissa near Edessa, together with villages, churches and other property to the Saint Paul monastery of Arsenije.[3] Some scholars believe that the Bagaš family was originally from Vranje in Serbia[4] while some other scholars believe that historical sources do not confirm it.[5]
Byzantium through British eyes : papers from the twenty-ninth Spring Symposium of Byzantine Studies, London, March 1995, p. 141