On the feast day of Saint Basil of Ostrog, May 12, 2025, as part of the celebration of the Days of the St. Sava Theological Seminary, the founder of the “Petar Mandic” Endowment delivered a lecture titled “The Story of Tesla’s Priestly Ancestors”.

Lecture on Tesla’s Priest Ancestors

As part of the cooperation agreement between the “Petar Mandic” Endowment and the Belgrade Theological Seminary, another lecture in the series on the relationship between Christianity and science was held.

The lecture was titled “The Story of Tesla’s Priest Ancestors.”

Below, we share the video recording of the lecture delivered by Presbyter Oliver Subotic, published on the Hram Television portal. This lecture also presented a family story about the influence of Nikola Tesla’s priestly ancestors on the genius inventor.

Family Ties

Before a large audience of students, professors, and guests, Father Oliver spoke about the spiritual heritage of the Tesla family, with particular emphasis on the character of Tesla’s father, Archpriest Milutin Tesla, and his uncle, Archpriest Petar Mandic, who later became Metropolitan Nikolaj.

Spiritual Heritage

It was emphasized that Nikola Tesla's priestly ancestors, through multiple generations, were bearers of spirituality, enlightenment, and service to the Serbian people. This legacy formed a deep foundation upon which Tesla built his personality during his childhood and youth.

Father Oliver reminded the audience that Tesla often spoke about the influence of his family home and upbringing, and that it was precisely within the ecclesiastical and spiritual environment of the Military Frontier that his character was shaped. Special attention was given to the influence of the Serbian Orthodox ethos, folk wisdom, and the priestly vocation.

In his presentation, Dr. Subotic pointed out key details showing that Nikola Tesla was not detached from his spiritual and national identity, as some modern narratives tend to suggest. On the contrary, he carried within himself strong traces and influences of his faith and priestly heritage. This influence, however, should neither be underestimated nor exaggerated, but rather understood as realistically as possible based on available historical documentation.

Context and Significance

On this occasion, the English-language book Nikola Tesla: A Spiritual Portrait was also presented.

The lecture sparked great interest and left a strong impression on the attendees. A brief discussion followed, during which students asked questions, and conversations about spiritual and family roots continued even after the formal part of the program.