Draft:Atanasije Gereski

Atanasije Petrov Gereski(Čerević, 1810 - Novi Sad, 30 March 1885) was a Serbian merchant and philanthropist who sepnt half a century in Odessa before returning home.

Biography

He was born in Čerević, in Srem, to parents Petar and Marta. He completed elementary school in his hometown, and his commercial trade apprenticeship in Dunafeldvar and Vienna, where he spent six years in a large store.

For a while he worked as a merchant in Trieste, from where he contacted his brother with a request for help and some money, which his brother could not provide. Then he was helped by a Serbian teacher in Trieste, Dimitrije Vladisavljević, who took him to a tutor of the [[Saint Spyridon Church, Trieste|Serbian church and from whom he received, from the church fund, six Spanish thalers. Atanasije was not the only Serb who received help in this way, and the tutor said to him on that occasion: "If God helps you, you will return that money to us" and Atanasije really did and sent precious gifts to the church.[1] Then he found himself on a ship going to Constantinople, but the captain convinced him to stay on the vessel since the next stop was Russia. That captain took him to Odessa free of charge, where Atanasije spent fifty years. For the first few years, he worked in other people's shops, and later opened his own shop and in time acquired enough wealth to help others less fortunate.

He enjoyed a great reputation in Odessa and occupied a significant position in Russian high society. For his services in Russia, he was awarded two gold and one silver medal.

In his old age, he returned to Čerević, and from there in 1880, after the death of his wife Jelena Spiridonova, he moved to Novi Sad.

Benefactor

Since all his children died, Gereski decided to bequeath his property to educational and cultural institutions.

In 1878, he earmarked 21,000 Russian rubles for the establishment of a boarding school next to the Serbian Orthodox High School, called "Athanaseum Gereski", so that the annual interest could support the education of eight poor students. The dormitory was not opened, but students received scholarships from this fund. In 1883, he bequeathed the estate to the Serbian girls' school in Novi Sad, and the largest part to Matica Srpska. After his death, from 1891, the administration of Matica used the income from the "Atanasije Gereski Fund" to help "deserving and poor Serbian writers". According to his wish, the fund should have been handed over to the management of a related institution in Novi Sad or the administration of the Serbian National-Church Funds in Sremski Karlovci in the event of Matiča's relocation or termination.

He was buried in the gate of the Church of St. Sava in Čerević.