#unrealisedlove
Museum item: Đura Jakšić, The Girl in Blue, 1856.
Digital item: Two photographs
Donor of digital item: Dragana Đukić
Note from donor:
In the last years of the 19th century in the region of Sokobanja lived a priest with his three sons: Dobrivoj, Jovan and Dragutin. They lived in a modest house with a substantial library surrounded by a large orchard next to Sokobanja Park. All three sons were taught theology in order to inherit their father’s position. Two of the brothers, Jovan and Dobrivoj were already married, so it fell on Dragutin to follow suit.
That April, the beginning of the 20th century, as if out of his dreams in silk and lace appeared the beauty Darinka. Darinka Sibinović and Dragutin Popović dreamed of their future and happiness together. Unfortunately neither people nor God allowed them to be together. Darinka’s family, wealthy Knjazevic industrialists were after a rich son in law so married their daughter to Sava Živadinović, a wealthy merchant from Belgrade. Darinka moved to Belgrade and never saw Dragutin again. In his unhappiness Dragutin decided to dedicate himself to God. He entered the church and was given the name Domitian. After years in the monastery was promoted to Bishop of Niš.
His love, Darinka, gave birth to two children and was widowed at the age of twenty-eight, losing her husband to WW1. In 1919 Domitian stayed in Šabac hospital to care for the wounded. Along with many others, he contracted typhus and died. They buried him in the church of Niš.
The love between Dragutin and Darinka was restored a few decades later. Once again it was spring, and again April, again in Sokobanja. The girl Radmila, coming from the Sibinović family and the boy, Milorad, from the Popović side. The spark of love from ancient times was again renewed into a flame. Radmila and Milorad married and their descendants are born from their love – their children and grandchildren; Jovan, Mirjana, Tatjana, Natalija, Tamara, Anja, Ana, Dragan, Andrija, Balša… Real love always finds its path.