The cradle and fruitful island of Serbian spiritual culture, monasticism, the ark of the Serbian rulers.
The Hilandar monastery on Athos is the cradle and fruitful island of Serbian spiritual culture, monasticism, the ark of the Serbian rulers. Like a gracious vine that grew from the burial place of its founder, St Sava of Srpska, Hilandar has produced abundant spiritual fruit, giving Serbia many pious patriarchs and bishops, the first of whom was its founder, St Sava of Srpska. Blessed Hilandar - so every believing Serbian will probably say about this monastery! It is the place where the world famous Icon of the Theotokos "Trojeruchenica" is located. According to legend, the third hand to the icon was made of silver by St. John of Damascus in gratitude for healing his severed hand.
Originally the monastery was called the Monastery of St. George Hilindar, the name of the hermit who asceticized there in the late 10th century. Only the well has been preserved from the first monastery. The monastery fell into disrepair, but the breath of life, breathing from the Serbian princely house, still warms Hilandar, supporting its prosperity in every way. The monastery is dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is located in the north of the peninsula at a distance of thirty minutes' walk from the northeast shore, and is a kind of northern monastic "outpost" in the series of monasteries of St. Sergius. In the hierarchical list of St. Hilandar monasteries it ranks 4th and belongs to the Constantinople Patriarchate. Currently there are 10 paracels in the monastery, 30 churches outside the monastery with cells, about 70 Serbian monks live in Hilandar.
The builders, ktitors and blessed patrons of Hilandar monastery are considered to be St. Savva (Rastko) and Simeon of Serbia (Stefan Nemanja), son and father of a noble Serbian princely family. Sava came to Athos first. At the age of 17 he secretly fled from his princely title to Athos and took monastic vows in the Solunsk monastery and then went to Vatoped. His father subsequently joined him as well. In 1198 by a decree of the Byzantine emperor Alexios III Angelus, the Hilandar monastery was given to the two Serbs for restoration. Their relatives, the Serbian king Stefan Uroš Milutin, and after him, the king Stefan Dusan, invariably sponsored the monastery generously, and it prospered for a long time. Hilandar became the most important Athonian monastery for all the Slavs, a bridge of friendship between Serbia and Byzantium, one of the centers of enlightenment and the spread of Hesychasm for the vast Slavic world. The patrons of the monastery were the Byzantine emperors of the Paleolog dynasty - Andronicus II and Michael VII. With their help the monastery became the owner of many lands, its endowments are now larger than those of the Great Lavra! Even after the fall of the Byzantine Empire, during the Turkish dominion, Hilandar flourished, in the 16th and 17th centuries it was supported by the rulers of Wallachia and the Russian tsars.
Like all Athos, the monastery was burdened by the heaviest taxes of the Ottoman Empire. At the end of the XVIII century Hilandar was already inhabited by Bulgarians. After the brotherhood of the monastery supported the revolt against the Ottomans, the monastery was occupied and devastated by the Turkish army. And after the fires in 1722 and 1891 the monastery was almost completely destroyed. However, the Serbian Tsar Alexander I paid the monastery's dues, helped rebuild it, and the Serbs returned. After that, Hilandar thrives to this day, despite the fact that in 2004 a terrible fire destroyed almost half of the monastery's structures.
Ever since Hilandar was founded, its benefactors took care of its security by building defensive constructions and the monastery itself was built as a fortress. One of the landmarks of Hilandar is the tower (pyrgos), built around 1200, which was rebuilt several times. By the beginning of the XIII century, the cathedral church of the monastery has acquired its present form and is an example of Byzantine architecture. In 1320, it was painted by George Kaliergi, a native of the Greek province of Macedonia. Unfortunately, in 1803-1804 the cathedral was painted again, and many of the ancient frescoes were lost. There is also a wooden iconostasis from 1774, behind it is an ancient marble iconostasis, the marble floor is also very interesting. Some of the icons in the temple date back to the 16th century. However, lovers of ancient frescoes have a lot to see in Hilandar: besides the katholicon there are also 13 parakleys painted with frescoes of the XIII-XVIII centuries! And most recently, very interesting 14th century frescoes were discovered under plaster in the Chapel of the Annunciation in the cemetery. There are the same amazing discoveries in the refectory of the monastery. Just recently in it, on the pediment above the northern apse there were found beautiful Byzantine frescoes, dated XIV century, they represent scenes from the Old Testament. The main part of the walls was painted by the Serbian monk-agiographer Georgi Mitrofanovich (1623). At the end of the 17th century the chapel of John the Baptist was painted, which is on the fourth floor. Monastery fial (bowl for the consecration of water), built in 1784, in 1847 was also painted frescoes - monk Makarii Galatisi with helpers. Near the phial grow two cypress trees, it is believed that they were planted by St. Sava himself. In moments of danger, the monks hid their most precious possessions in them.
A real miracle is the ancient vine, which grows from the tomb of St. Simeon. As his relics were transported to Serbia, by the ascetic's miraculous promise it grew to comfort the orphaned brethren of Hilandar. Through the prayers of St. Simeon, the vine gives help to the childless, and many send gifts of gratitude for children born.
The monastery holds many shrines. Apart from the very famous icon of the Mother of God "The Lady of Three Hands", there are icons of the Mother of God "Akathist", "The Mammalogist", "The Conceiving Ecclesiarch", "The Priestess", the Staff of Saint Sava, particles of the Life-Giving Cross, crown of thorns, blood of the Lord, canes and swabs of Christ, the right foot of St. Ecclesiasticus. Panteleimon, the right hand of St. Nicephorus, Patriarch of Constantinople, parts of the relics of St. Barbara, St. Catherine, the Great Martyr, Eutychian Patriarch of Tsaregrad, St.Simeon Stolpnik, Gregory the Theologian, St. Marina, Patriarch Nicephorus, the prophet Isaiah, John the Baptist, and others.
Since 1979, the monastery has had a museum with exhibits from the monastery sacristy, library and archives. One of the most amazing treasures is the royal gate from the time of George Hilendar. There is also famous mosaic icon of Hodegetria of XII century, as well as other unique treasures. Not far from the monastery in the direction of the monastery Zografu there are two cells of the monastery founders, and in the cell in honor of the Holy Trinity there are fragments of ancient frescoes of the XIII century.
In 2004, Hilandar underwent a terrible fire that destroyed a third of the buildings, only the ones built by St. Sava remained untouched. Some of the brethren say that this was an admonition from St. Sava, who wrote and established the monastic charter of the monastery from which they had departed. Interestingly, according to the ancient charter, the monastery is not allowed to have an abbot - the Queen of Heaven herself wished to become its Abbess. And everyone hopes that by Her mercy and prayers of the first Archbishop of Serbia Hilandar will blossom again.
For if there are no earthly means, strength and hands, the Mother of God, through the prayers of all those who honor Her as the Heavenly Intercessor, will find more than two hands for Her gracious help!
