| Ilija Krpić | |
| Birth Date: | 1887 8, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Popovac (Čelinac), Austro-Hungarian Empire |
| Death Place: | Mrkonjić Grad, Kingdom of Yugoslavia |
| Nationality: | Yugoslav |
| Known For: | one of thefounders of the Serbian Cultural-Educational Society “Prosvjeta” |
Ilija Krpić (August 8, 1887 - August 16, 1932) was a Serbianarchpriest who worked on the promotion of Serb national interests in Medna. He is one of thefounders of the Serbian Cultural-Educational Society “Prosvjeta”. Due to his resistance against thepolicies of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he was persecuted by the Austro-Hungarianauthorities. Krpić founded the Agricultural cooperative and spread cooperative awareness amongthe peasants, earning him a great reputation among them. Due to his growing popularity, Krpićbecame a threat to his political opponents. This led to his assassination in Mrkonjić Grad on August 16, 1932.
Ilija Krpić was born on August 8, 1887, in Popovac near Čelinac.[1] He graduated from high schooland seminary in Reljevo. He was engaged in national work very early.[2] He participated in allstudent organizations that were opposed to Austria-Hungary, so he was persecuted by the Austro-Hungarian authorities.[3] He is one of the 29 founders of the Serbian educational and cultural society "Prosvjeta".[1] The application for the establishment of Prosvjeta was submitted in 1901, and theauthorities, after much suspicion and hesitation, approved the establishment of Prosvjeta in1902.[1]
After finishing the seminary, he was ordained a deacon on July 31 and a priest on August 1,1911.[1] He was appointed parish priest in Medna near Mrkonjić Grad.[1] When the World War I broke out, the Austro-Hungarian authorities began huge reprisals against the Serbianpopulation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ilija Krpić was first taken as a hostage to the Bočaccamp.[1] Later he was imprisoned in Bosanski Brod, and at the end interned in Arad, where hishealth deteriorated.[2] By 1917, he returned to Medna.
After the liberation and the establishment of the Kingdom of SHS, he became involved in politics. Hewas an active member and one of the founders of the Agrarian Party. He became a member of theRegional Assembly in Travnik.[3] He founded the agricultural cooperative in Medna, Through hisefforts, he managed to develop a strong cooperative consciousness among the population,particularly among the peasants.[4] This led to him gaining a great reputation among the peasants,which made his political opponents consider him a big threat to their interests. Unfortunately, he waskilled on August 16, 1932, in Mrkonjić Grad by his political opponent, the state's forest officer NikolaČulić.[1] [2] [3] [4]
Ilija Krpić left behind his wife Stana and four children: Mica, Milorad, Smilja, andLeposava.[5] [1] Milorad and Mica joined the ranks of the Yugoslav Partisans. Milorad unfortunately died fighting in the partisans, while Mica became a prominent fighter. In honor of her contributions, the school in herbirthplace Medna was named after Mica Krpić.[5] [1] Ilija's eldest daughter Leposava was a schooldirector in Belgrade, while her daughter Branislava Bošković was a professor of French language,married the Yugoslav diplomat and ambassador Petar Bošković .