822 years ago (in 1198), Byzantine Emperor Alexios III Angelos issued and signed a chrysobull (a type of official document) granting the Monastery Hilandar and the surrounding land to the Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja and his son Sava to constitute a Serbian community on Mount Athos (#Greece). In the charter it was stated “it is an eternal gift to the #Serbs who decide to lead a monastic way of life”. In a short period of time Sava and Simeon had managed to rebuild the monastery and from that time to this day it has been an active spiritual center. After rebuilding the monastery, Stefan Nemanja issued a charter, and the original document was preserved until the #SecondWorldWar, when it was destroyed during the Nazi bombing of #Belgrade on April 6th, 1941.
Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja, a year after he founded it with his son Rastko (Sava), died in 1199 in this very monastery. Stefan Nemanja and Rastko were the ones who created an independent medieval Serbian state and an autocephalous Serbian Church.
Hilandar is the fourth terms of hierarchy of Orthodox monasteries on Mount Athos and one of the most important spiritual and cultural centers of the Serb nation. The monastery has been continuously inhabited since the 12th century and today has more than 50 monks, according to its portal.
The richest collection of original old manuscripts, icons and frescoes has been preserved in Hilandar, representing today the most important treasure of Serbian medieval culture in general.
Since 1988, Hilandar, together with the other 19 monasteries on Mount Athos, has been included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List as part of the medieval monuments united under the protected area of Mount Athos.
Source: fb page Meet.the.Serbs/ Telegraf.rs
