Serbianisation, Serbianization, Serbification, Serbisation or Serbization of the Albanians of Donja Kamenica in the Sr. Zaglavski area of the Timočki District, and in and around Belgrad and Šumadija.

In the village of Donja Kamenica, in the Sr. Zaglavski area of the Timočki District, there were 13 houses of the Aram family in 1913. Local tradition says that in the 18th century, a man named Avram, of Muslim faith, moved to the village. Upon settling there, he was immediately baptized on the day of St. Sava, adopted the saint as his patron, and gave his son the Christian name Sava.

Serbisation of Albanians in Belgrade, Junkovac and Lepenički

Similarly, in Radnje near Belgrade, four Arnautović houses celebrated St. Sava in 1903. It is possible that their ancestors underwent a similar process of conversion and cultural assimilation. Ilija Saković, the parish priest of Belgrade, noted that in Junkovac, Lepenički, five so-called Arnaut houses also celebrated St. Sava.

These examples show that Albanian families who migrated or settled in Serbian territories were gradually assimilated into the Serbian Orthodox culture. They adopted Serbian Christian names, celebrated Serbian saints and became part of the local community.

This Serbification of Albanian families in regions such as Šumadija and Lepenica is supported by the evidence of place names like Arbanasi, Arnautovac, and Arnautske kolibe, marking the areas where these communities once lived.

Reference

Archpriest St. M. Dimitrijević, Saint Sava in folk belief and tradition one of the easily achievable duties towards our enlightener. BELGRADE. Printing House “ST. SAVA”, Brankova 16. Telephone 249. 1926.p.52.