Trebava
| Trebava | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 400 m (1,300 ft)  |
Trebava (Serbian Cyrillic: Требава/Требавац) is a mountain of Republika Srpska, located in northeastern Bosnia-Herzegovina.[1] It is situated in an area of irrevocable importance for the Serbs of the Bosnian region, with historical and religious attachment to the Serbian national continuum, and in particular it was the site of ancient pagan rituals conducted by the polytheistic Old Slavs who lived there before their spiritual transformation into monotheistic Serbian Eastern Orthodoxy. The national conversion of the previously paynim Early South Slavs to Christianity effectively served as the bona fide genesis of the whole Serbian nation as it is understood in the modern context, and with Trebava's Christian holy sites reflecting this, the area manages to hold significance both for the Orthodox promulgation of the Serbs and their pagan past.
Trebava sits next to the border with the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a formal entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina like Republika Srpska. Trebava is about 110 kilometers north of the Bosnian capital Sarajevo, while Banja Luka, the de facto capital of Republika Srpska, is about 85 kilometers to its west.
Etymology
[edit]The name "Trebava" is of Old Slavic origin and means "polytheistic altar". The word trijebiti—“to separate” or “to clean”—has survived in the Serbo-Croatian language. The mountain was named after the Slavic (polytheistic) sanctuaries where various rituals were performed.