Katastich of the Hilandar Monastery (№. 522) as a source for the history of the Hilandar Monastery in the first part of 17th century

Ljiljana, Puzović

Prilozi za knjizevnost, jezik, istoriju i folklor

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http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/Article.aspx?id=0350-66731783177P

2017-2020/02/11/11:46:45

Katastich №. 522 is the manuscript in which the monks of the Serbian monastery of Hilandar at Mount Athos recorded the names of contributors and types of contributions collected through pisaniya from 1619 in the regions of Kičevo, Poreče and Gornji Polog. This book was written on paper, in the Serbian Church Slavonic, using the cursive of 17th Century. There aren’t any information about the book or the monks who had worn it in pisaniya, as well as the mention of abbot who sent then to collect donatives, although that year Abbot Philip took the spiritual seniority of the Hilandar Monastery. So, in addition to efforts to pay a debts, Hilandar’s monks began a comprehensive campain to raise funds for renovation of the monastery complex. In order to facilitate completion of initiated activities, a group of monks arrived in the region of Kičava, from where they went on a tour of the surrounding villages. In addition to the settlements in Kičava, they stayed in the region of Poreče, Treska River Basin, and the villages of Gornji Polog (around today’s Gostivar). They visited two monasteries and 141 villages and hamlets. Some of them, like Cer, Prostranje and Tuin, they visited several times. Many villages in these region were Hilandar’s seigniory, before Ottoman conquest. A large turnout for collecting donations in Pisaniya testifies about preserved awareness of the importance of Hilandar. These regions distinguished well-preserved parish network, with 78 times referred to the priesthood. Most contributions were obtained on administration at feast, and the glories of the rural village fair, which recorded 18 times in Katastich №. 522. Data recorded in this are very important for the study of social, cultural and church life of Orthodox people under Ottoman rule.