Lena
03-03-2012, 03:18 PM
The Serbian monastery of Chilandar stands in a gentle valley in the northeast side of the Athos promontory. Chilandar is one of the Holy Mountain oldest monasteries. In all probability it was built in the late 10th century by monk George called Chelandari. It was immediately dedicated to the Presentation of the Mother of God. The original monastic settlement was abandoned because of many pirate and plunderer attacks. It was reconstructed in the late 12th century by Serbian monks of noble origin, Symeon and Sava.
Before he entered the monastic order, Sava’s name was Rastko and he was the youngest son of the Grand Zhupan Stefan Nemanya. He was only seventeen when he decided to abandon the secular way of living. Shortly after that Sava moved to the monastery Vatopedi. Here he waited for his father who had abdicated the throne in the meantime and entered a monastic order at Studenica with the name Symeon.
He arrived to Mount Athos carrying sumptuous gifts for the Holy Mountain monasteries. Symeon and Sava wanted to establish a Serbian monastery on Mount Athos. In 1198 they received Chilandar as a gift from the Emperor Alexios III, who also granted it full independence. The gift was ratified by a chrysobull, where it was laid down that it should be "a gift in perpetuity to the Serbs". During the same year Symeon and Sava started to reconstruct Chilandar, assisted by Stefan, the second son of Nemanya and heir to his Grand Zhupan throne.
In 1199 Symeon died in the uncompleted monastery, before the icon of the Virgin Hodegetria. His original tomb was in the southwest part of the nave. A vine sprout from it in a miraculous way, breaking through the wall of the church. In the same year the Monk Sava founded a kellion in Karyes and dedicated it to his patron St. Sava of Jerusalem.
Monastery changed its appearance in the late 13th century. With the permission of the Byzantine Emperor Andronicos II Palaeologos, King Milutin had the old church brought down, and a new one built instead. It was painted at the time of erection, but the frescoes were repainted in the early 19th century. The exonarthex was erected by Prince Lazarus between 1375 and 1380. All the rulers of the sacrosanct Nemanyich Dynasty were generous benefactors of the Chilandar monastery.
Their example was followed by other Serbian feudal lords, the families of Mrnyavchevich, Brankovich, Lazarevich and others. The monastery also prospered thanks to the assistance from the tzars of Russia, starting from Ivan the Terrible down to Peter the Great, as well as the Wallachian rulers. At a later date the funds were provided by the Serbian rulers of the Obrenovich and Karadjordjevich dynasties In Chilandar, which represents the spiritual and cultural centre of the Serbian people, many valuable treasures have been collected during the eight centuries of its existence. In the altar area and treasury there are two crosses embodying fragments of the true Cross, and there are also splinters from the Crown of Thorns, and the reed of Our Lord's Passion There is also the Royal Door curtain embroidered in gold on silk by the nun Euphemia in 1399, as well as the cup and flag of Tzar Dushan.
The monastery houses the oldest and the largest Serbian library of codices, illuminated manuscripts, incunabulas, charters, chrysobulls and copperplates.Chilandar boasts the largest number of miracle-working icons, not only on Mount Athos but throughout the Christian world. The only Serbian monastery on Mount Athos now supports some thirty monks, who follow the strict rules of the Chilandar Typikon written by St Sava.
http://www.ortodoxia.it/immagini/Hilandaru.jpg
http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp6/SerbianCulture/Ikone%20Hilandarske%20Riznice/vhosteter-hilandar_html2.jpg?t=1220810034
Before he entered the monastic order, Sava’s name was Rastko and he was the youngest son of the Grand Zhupan Stefan Nemanya. He was only seventeen when he decided to abandon the secular way of living. Shortly after that Sava moved to the monastery Vatopedi. Here he waited for his father who had abdicated the throne in the meantime and entered a monastic order at Studenica with the name Symeon.
He arrived to Mount Athos carrying sumptuous gifts for the Holy Mountain monasteries. Symeon and Sava wanted to establish a Serbian monastery on Mount Athos. In 1198 they received Chilandar as a gift from the Emperor Alexios III, who also granted it full independence. The gift was ratified by a chrysobull, where it was laid down that it should be "a gift in perpetuity to the Serbs". During the same year Symeon and Sava started to reconstruct Chilandar, assisted by Stefan, the second son of Nemanya and heir to his Grand Zhupan throne.
In 1199 Symeon died in the uncompleted monastery, before the icon of the Virgin Hodegetria. His original tomb was in the southwest part of the nave. A vine sprout from it in a miraculous way, breaking through the wall of the church. In the same year the Monk Sava founded a kellion in Karyes and dedicated it to his patron St. Sava of Jerusalem.
Monastery changed its appearance in the late 13th century. With the permission of the Byzantine Emperor Andronicos II Palaeologos, King Milutin had the old church brought down, and a new one built instead. It was painted at the time of erection, but the frescoes were repainted in the early 19th century. The exonarthex was erected by Prince Lazarus between 1375 and 1380. All the rulers of the sacrosanct Nemanyich Dynasty were generous benefactors of the Chilandar monastery.
Their example was followed by other Serbian feudal lords, the families of Mrnyavchevich, Brankovich, Lazarevich and others. The monastery also prospered thanks to the assistance from the tzars of Russia, starting from Ivan the Terrible down to Peter the Great, as well as the Wallachian rulers. At a later date the funds were provided by the Serbian rulers of the Obrenovich and Karadjordjevich dynasties In Chilandar, which represents the spiritual and cultural centre of the Serbian people, many valuable treasures have been collected during the eight centuries of its existence. In the altar area and treasury there are two crosses embodying fragments of the true Cross, and there are also splinters from the Crown of Thorns, and the reed of Our Lord's Passion There is also the Royal Door curtain embroidered in gold on silk by the nun Euphemia in 1399, as well as the cup and flag of Tzar Dushan.
The monastery houses the oldest and the largest Serbian library of codices, illuminated manuscripts, incunabulas, charters, chrysobulls and copperplates.Chilandar boasts the largest number of miracle-working icons, not only on Mount Athos but throughout the Christian world. The only Serbian monastery on Mount Athos now supports some thirty monks, who follow the strict rules of the Chilandar Typikon written by St Sava.
http://www.ortodoxia.it/immagini/Hilandaru.jpg
http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/pp6/SerbianCulture/Ikone%20Hilandarske%20Riznice/vhosteter-hilandar_html2.jpg?t=1220810034