Circle of Serbian Sisters

The Circle of Serbian Sisters, known in Serbian as Kolo Srpskih Sestara, is a Serbian women's charitable society established in Belgrade in 1903. It emerged from a combination of civic, educational, humanitarian, and national initiatives at a time when Serbian women were increasingly organizing formal institutions to provide social assistance and support public causes. The society's creation was first proposed by Ivan Ivanić and Branislav Nušić, while Nadežda Petrović, Delfa Ivanić, and Savka Subotić were among the principal organizers. Mabel Grujić and Blanš Vesnić, the wives of prominent Serbian diplomats and statesmen, were also among the early founders. Following the May Coup in Serbia in 1903, leadership and public attention around the organization developed further, with Nadežda Petrović and other prominent figures playing important roles. Savka Subotić served as the society's first president but resigned in 1905. She was succeeded by Ljubica Luković, who led the organization for approximately a decade until her death. Under Luković and other early leaders, the Circle developed practical relief work rather than functioning solely as a social or cultural association. It supported the education and training of nurses, established the IV Reserve Hospital in Belgrade's Vračar district, and organized aid stations along major railway routes. These stations supplied soldiers with food, hot drinks, and medical care during the Balkan Wars and at the beginning of the First World War. The society's relief activities also extended to civilians and wounded people affected by conflict. The Circle's historical role combined humanitarian service with Serbian national and community support. In addition to caring for the sick, injured, and displaced, it assisted the Serbian Chetnik Organization in Ottoman-held areas of southern Serbia. This activity reflected the political and national environment of the early twentieth-century Balkans and means that the organization cannot be understood only as a conventional charitable provider. Its public image drew on the traditional Serbian cultural model of the Kosovo Maiden, a figure associated with tending to wounded warriors and preserving communal memory. Regional branches or related organizations were established in areas inhabited by Serbs. The original Belgrade headquarters operated from an Art Nouveau building at Resavska 11 from 1903 until 1942. The building later became associated with the folklore society Ivo Lola Ribar and was no longer the Circle's headquarters. The society was restored in 1990 after the interruption of its earlier institutional life. In its restored form, the Circle operates through regional organizations connected with dioceses of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Circle of Serbian Sisters is therefore best understood as a nonprofit charitable and community organization rather than a commercial consumer brand. Its historical identity rests on women's voluntary organization, nursing and medical relief, wartime aid, assistance to Serbian communities, and the preservation of Serbian cultural and religious ties. Publicly available reference material does not establish a commercial product portfolio, corporate ownership, current executive roster, financial information, or a single official website.

The Circle of Serbian Sisters was founded in Belgrade in 1903 as a women's charitable society. Its formation reflected the growth of organized women's civic activity in Serbia and the period's need for structured assistance to soldiers, civilians, and Serbian communities. Ivan Ivanić and Branislav Nušić are credited with first proposing the society, while Nadežda Petrović, Delfa Ivanić, and Savka Subotić were among the main organizers. Mabel Grujić and Blanš Vesnić were also associated with the founding group. After the May Coup of 1903, the organization acquired a more visible role in Serbian public life and was led or supported by several prominent cultural and civic figures. Savka Subotić became the first president. She resigned in 1905, after which Ljubica Luković assumed the presidency and remained in that position for roughly ten years, until her death. During this formative period, the Circle developed a broad program of practical charity. It helped organize nurse-training courses, founded the IV Reserve Hospital in Belgrade's Vračar neighborhood, and built a chain of aid stations near major railway lines. The stations provided hot drinks, food, and medical attention to troops during the Balkan Wars and at the beginning of the First World War. These activities made the society an important part of Serbia's wartime relief infrastructure. The organization's work also extended beyond conventional medical charity. It assisted the Serbian Chetnik Organization in Ottoman-held territories of southern Serbia and provided aid to wounded and suffering people in a manner associated with the Serbian cultural image of the Kosovo Maiden. This combination of social relief, national assistance, and women's public action was characteristic of the Circle's historical identity. It connected humanitarian work with the protection of Serbian communities and national causes during a period of territorial conflict and political change. The Circle maintained its headquarters at Resavska 11 in Belgrade. The Art Nouveau building served as its home from 1903 until 1942. It subsequently came to be used by the folklore society Ivo Lola Ribar, which holds performances there. The Circle also developed regional organizations in places where Serbs lived, giving it a networked rather than exclusively Belgrade-based character. The organization was restored in 1990. In the post-restoration period, its regional structure operated within diocesan contexts of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Available reference material does not provide a complete account of every intervening institutional change, nor does it identify a current central president, executive board, budget, or official web presence. The historical record does, however, establish the Circle as a long-running Serbian women's charitable institution whose principal activities have included nursing support, wartime relief, aid to Serbian communities, and cultural or religiously affiliated community work.

• 1990

  Organization restored

  [1]Circle of Serbian Sistersen.wikipedia.org

  The Circle was restored and subsequently operated through regional organizations connected with Serbian Orthodox Church dioceses.

• 1942

  End of headquarters' documented use

  [1]Circle of Serbian Sistersen.wikipedia.org

  The Circle's Art Nouveau headquarters at Resavska 11 ceased to serve as its home after nearly four decades.

• 1912

  Expansion of wartime relief work

  [1]Circle of Serbian Sistersen.wikipedia.org

  The Circle organized nursing and medical assistance, including aid stations along railway routes during the Balkan Wars and the early First World War period.

• 1905

  Ljubica Luković succeeds Savka Subotić

  [1]Circle of Serbian Sistersen.wikipedia.org

  Following Savka Subotić's resignation, Ljubica Luković became president and led the society for approximately the next decade.

• 1903

  Society founded in Belgrade

  [1]Circle of Serbian Sistersen.wikipedia.org

  The Circle of Serbian Sisters was established as a women's charitable society in Belgrade.

A Serbian women's charitable and community organization focused on humanitarian relief, nursing support, aid to Serbian communities, and cultural-religious continuity.

• Humanitarian service

  Nursing and medical support

  The society supported nurse-training courses and helped establish the IV Reserve Hospital in Belgrade. These initiatives formed part of its practical response to military and civilian medical needs rather than a commercial healthcare product line.

• Humanitarian service

  Railway aid stations

  During the Balkan Wars and the beginning of the First World War, the Circle created a network of aid stations along Serbia's major railway lines. The stations offered food, hot drinks, and medical attention to troops and others affected by wartime movement.

• 1990

  Restoration of the organizationStrategy

  Background

  The Circle's earlier institutional activity had been interrupted before the organization was restored in 1990.

  Action taken

  The society was re-established, with regional organizations later operating within Serbian Orthodox Church diocesan structures.

  Aftermath

  The restored organization continued the Circle's community and charitable identity through regional activity.

  Source

• 1905

  Change in presidential leadershipOther

  Background

  Savka Subotić resigned as the society's first president two years after its establishment.

  Action taken

  Ljubica Luković was elected to succeed her.

  Aftermath

  Luković led the organization for approximately a decade and oversaw much of its early charitable development.

  Source

1. 1Circle of Serbian Sistersen.wikipedia.org