A Role of Chilendar in the history of athonite monasticism

Abstract

The very destiny of Serbia has been connected with the athonite monastery Chilendar since thousand year. Monastery Chilendar since being accepted by the Serbian king had existed for 200 years before as a simple athonite monastery. However in 1198 it was officially given by the byzantine emperor Aleksios III Angelos to the Serbian king Stefan Nemania (his monastic name was Simeon) and his son duke Rastko who later became monk Sava. Those two saints of the Serbian Orthodox Church caused that monastery Chilendar had become the very center of the spiritual and cultural life of the Serbian state and political life during the osman slavery as well. Here in the climate of beautiful athonite nature, in the climate of prayer and in the shelter of the reach collection of libraries. Many of Serbian outstanding personalities received here spiritual and secular training needed for the mission and political work during years of the ottoman slavery. The very help coming from orthodox Russia and Romanian and Moldavian nobility, fathers of Chilendar sheared to the all athonite monasteries being in need regardless of ethnic descend of monks. Those little sums were directed to pay large taxes and renovations of monasteries that were in very bed state. After 500 period of the political-cultural and religious non-existence, Serbia paved the way for new European reality. Also the fate of the Chilendar had not remain neutral for the reconstructed new Serbian state. Once more monastery was filled up the serbian monks. That had rebuild the structures of the monastic life and created the very base for the further development of liberated from the Islamic slavery their Serbian country.