View source for Hilandar

{{Short description|Serbian Orthodox monastery, Mount Athos, Greece}}
{{redirect|Chilandar|the village in Iran|Chilandar, Iran}}
{{distinguish|Hilander Foods}}
{{Infobox monastery
| name            = Hilandar
| native_name     = '''{{lang|grc|Χιλανδαρίου}}<br>{{lang|sr|Хиландар}}'''
| full            = Holy Imperial Monastery of Hilandar
| image           = View of the Hilandar monastery, Mount Athos, Greece.jpg
| caption         = Exterior view
| diocese = [[Mount Athos]]
| denomination    = [[Serbian Orthodox]]<br>[[Eastern Orthodox Church]]
| order           = [[Monastic community of Mount Athos]] 
| archbishop      = [[Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople]]
| established     = 1198
| prior = [[Saint Sava]]
| dedication      = [[Trojeručica|Three-handed Theotokos]] ([[Virgin Mary]])<br />The Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple
| public_access   = Men only
| celebration     = 
| founder         = [[Saint Sava]] and <br>[[Stefan Nemanja|Saint Symeon]]
| location        = [[Mount Athos]], [[Greece]]
| map_type        = Mount Athos
| coordinates     = {{coord|40.3400|24.1209|type:landmark_region:GR|display=inline,title}}
| website = [https://www.hilandar.org/ Hilandar website] <br> [https://www.hilandar.info Hilandar data]
}}
The '''Hilandar Monastery''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|ɪ|l|ə|n|d|ə|ɹ}}, {{respell|HIL|lin|dər}}, {{langx|el|Μονή Χιλανδαρίου|Moni Chilandariou}}, {{langx|sr|Манастир Хиландар|Manastir Hilandar}}) is one of the twenty [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox]] monasteries in [[Mount Athos]] in [[Greece]] and the only [[Serbs|Serbian]] [[Serbian Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] monastery there.

It was founded in 1198 by two [[Serbs]] from the [[Grand Principality of Serbia]], [[Stefan Nemanja]] (Saint Symeon) and his son [[Saint Sava]]. St. Symeon was the former Grand Prince of Serbia (1166–1196) who upon relinquishing his throne took monastic vows and became an ordinary [[monk]]. He joined his son Saint Sava who was already in Mount Athos and who later became the first [[List of heads of the Serbian Orthodox Church|Archbishop of Serbia]]. Upon its foundation, the monastery became a focal point of the Serbian religious and cultural life,{{sfn|Fine|1994|p=38}}<ref>{{cite book|author=Ken Parry|title=The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fWp9JA3aBvcC&pg=PA233|date=10 May 2010|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-4443-3361-9|pages=233ff}}</ref> as well as assumed the role of "the first Serbian university".<ref>{{cite book|author=Om Datt Upadhya|title=The Art of Ajanta and Sopoćani: A Comparative Study : an Enquiry in Prāṇa Aesthetics|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LCPx0R1TqOMC&pg=PA65|date=1 January 1994|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-81-208-0990-1|pages=65ff}}</ref> It is ranked fourth in the [[Mount Athos|Athonite]] hierarchy of 20 sovereign monasteries.<ref>{{cite web|title=The administration of Mount Athos |url=http://www.mountathos.gr/active.aspx?mode=en%7B403b9a55-a81c-400d-a576-ef00e13fc586%7DView |access-date=2016-04-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311090150/http://www.mountathos.gr/active.aspx?mode=en%7B403b9a55-a81c-400d-a576-ef00e13fc586%7DView |archive-date=2016-03-11 }}</ref>

It is regarded as the [[History of Serbia|historical]] [[Serbs|Serbian]] [[List of Serbian Orthodox monasteries|monastery]] on Mount Athos, traditionally inhabited by [[Serbian Orthodox Church|Serbian Orthodox]] [[monk]]s.<ref>{{cite book |author=James Francis LePree [[Ph.D.]], Ljudmila Djukic |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PETPEAAAQBAJ&dq=serbian+orthodox+hilandar&pg=RA1-PA206 |title=The Byzantine Empire: A Historical Encyclopedia | date=9 September 2019 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=9781440851476 |page=206 |quote=Quote 1: Hilandar Monastery, a Serbian Orthodox monastery built in 1198, is one of twenty monasteries located on Mount Athos in Greece. A monastic presence on Mount Athos is first attested to in the eighth century. The mountain itself was consecrated to the Virgin Mary, based on the tradition that it was granted to her as a garden. Quote 2: Mount Athos has been a center of Eastern Orthodox monasticism and home to a large number of monasteries for many centuries. It is located on the peninsula with the same name in northern Greece, also known to Greeks and other Orthodox peoples as the Holy Mountain. Today there are 20 monasteries on Mount Athos: 17 Greek, 1 Russian, 1 Serbian ([[Hilandar Monastery]]), and 1 Bulgarian.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Michael Prokurat, Michael D. Peterson, Alexander Golitzin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E0RPOYa77IUC&dq=serbian+orthodox+church+hilandar&pg=PA286 |title=The A to Z of the Orthodox Church | date=6 April 2010 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=9781461664031 |page=28 |quote=Quote: founded the Serbian Monastery of Hilandar on Mt. Athos"}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Richard C. Frucht |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d77OEAAAQBAJ&dq=serbian+orthodox+church+hilandar&pg=PA534 |title=Eastern Europe: An Introduction to the People, Lands, and Culture - Volume 1 | date=22 December 2004 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=9781576078013 |page=53 |quote=Quote: Upon his abdication, Stefan became an Orthodox monk and moved to Mount Athos, in northern Greece, to join his son Rastko, who had joined the church a few years earlier and taken the name Sava. Together, they convinced the Orthodox patriarchate to approve a Serbian monastery on Athos. This monastery, Hilandar, became the cultural center of Serbia in the medieval period. By 1219, Sava was able to win the grant of an autocephalous Serbian Orthodox Church, which firmly established Serbia as an Orthodox kingdom and gave it a stable cultural identity.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=John Anthony McGuckin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K9GPEAAAQBAJ&dq=serbian+orthodox+church+hilandar&pg=PA65 |title=The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Its History, Doctrine, and Spiritual Culture | date=13 December 2010 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=9781444337310 |page=65 |quote=Quote: St Sava had already founded the Serbian monastery of Hilandar, on Mount Athos (1197), and in his own country he efficiently organized the infrastructure of the churches, crowning his brother as king in 1221 with a golden crown supplied for the occasion by Pope Honorius III.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Mitja Velikonja |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rqjLgtYDKQ0C&dq=serbian+orthodox+church+hilandar&pg=PA45 |title=Religious Separation and Political Intolerance in Bosnia-Herzegovina | date=2003 |publisher=Texas A&M University Press |isbn=9781603447249 |page=45 |quote=Quote: Serbian Monastery of Hilandar"}}</ref> The ''Mother of God through her Icon of the Three Hands'' ([[Trojeručica]]) is considered the monastery's abbess.<ref>[http://www.blackwellreference.com/public/tocnode?id=g9780631232032_chunk_g978063123203212_ss1-13 Hilandar – The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity]</ref> The monastery contains about 45 working monks.{{When|date=May 2023 }}

==Etymology==
The etymological meaning of "Hilandar" is probably derived from the Greek word ''[[chelandion]]'', which is a type of [[Byzantine]] transport ship, whose skipper was called "''helandaris''".<ref name="Metochia p. 15">Tibor Zivkovic - Charters of the Serbian rulers related to Kosovo and Metochia. p. 15</ref>

==Founding==
The monastery was founded in 1198; prompted by the [[Mount Athos]] monastic community, [[Byzantine]] Emperor [[Alexios III Angelos]] (1195–1203) issued a golden sealed [[chrysobull]] donating the ancient monastery ''Helandaris,'' "to the [[Serbs]] as an eternal gift...," thereby designating it, "to serve the purpose of accepting the people of [[Serbs|Serbian]] descent, who seek to pursue the [[monk|monastic]] way of life, as monasteries belonging to [[Kingdom of Georgia|Iberia]] and [[Amalfi]] endure on the [[Mount Athos|Mount]], exempt from any authority, including the authority of [[Protos (monastic office)|Protos]]."<ref>{{cite web|title=За спас душе своје и прибежиште свом отачеству|url=http://www.srpsko-nasledje.rs/sr-c/1998/06/article-15.html|access-date=2016-04-05}}</ref> Hilandar was thereby handed over to [[Saint Sava]] and [[Stefan Nemanja|Saint Symeon]] with the mission of establishing and endowing a new monastery, elevated to the imperial rank.<ref name="Metochia p. 15"/> Since then, the monastery became a cornerstone of the religious, educational and cultural life of [[Serbian people]].<ref name="McGuckin2010">{{cite book|author=John Anthony McGuckin|title=The Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, 2 Volume Set|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JmFetR5Wqd8C&pg=PA560|date=15 December 2010|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-4443-9254-8|pages=560–}}</ref>
[[File:Svsimeon.jpg|thumb|left|160px|[[Stefan Nemanja]], [[Grand Principality of Serbia|Grand Prince of Serbia]]]]

Upon securing Serbian authority within the monastery, [[Saint Sava]] and [[Stefan Nemanja|Saint Symeon]] jointly constructed the monastery's Church of the [[Presentation of Mary|Entry of the Lady Theotokos into the Temple]] between 1198 and 1200, while also adding [[Saint Sava]]'s Tower, the Kambanski Tower, and [[Stefan Nemanja|Saint Symeon]]'s monastic chambers - cells. [[Stefan Nemanja|Saint Symeon]]'s middle son and [[Saint Sava]]'s older brother, Serbian [[Grand Prince]] [[Stefan the First-Crowned|Stefan "the First-Crowned" King]] provided financial resources for this restoration. As Hilandar's founder, [[Stefan Nemanja|Saint Symeon]] issued a special founding charter or [[Golden Bull|chrysobull]], which survived until [[World War II]], when it was destroyed as a result of the [[German bombing of Belgrade|Operation Punishment]] and the notorious April 6, 1941 [[Nazi Germany]] bombing of [[Belgrade]] that leveled to the ground the [[National Library of Serbia]] building in [[Kosancicev Venac]]. Following 1199, hundreds of monks from [[Serbia]] moved to the monastery, while large pieces of land, [[metochion]]s and tax proceeds from numerous villages were provided to the monastery, especially from the [[Metohija]] region of [[Serbia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hilandar.info/strana_sr.php?strana_id=139|title= Хиландарски поседи и метоси у југозападној Србији (Кособу и метохији) |publisher=hilandar.info|access-date = 2015-07-21}}</ref>

[[Stefan Nemanja|Saint Symeon]] died in the monastery on February 13, 1200, where he was buried next to the main church of the [[Presentation of Mary|Entry of the Lady Theotokos into the Temple]]. His body remained in Hilandar until 1208 when his [[myrrh]]-flowing remains were transferred to Serbia and interred into the mother-church of all Serbian churches the [[Studenica Monastery]] according to his original desire, which he previously completed in 1196.<ref>Vlasto, ''The Entry of the Slavs Into Christendom: An Introduction to the Medieval History of the Slavs'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=fpVOAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA219 p. 219]</ref> Following the relocation of [[Stefan Nemanja|Saint Symeon]]'s remains, what would eventually become world-famous [[vitis|grapevines]] began growing on the spot of his old tomb, which gives to this day miraculous grapes and seeds that are shipped all over as a form of blessing to childless married couples.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Monastery of Hilandar|url=http://slovo-aso.cl.bas.bg/hilandar.html|access-date=2016-04-04}}</ref> Following his father's death, [[Saint Sava]] moved to his [[Karyes, Mount Athos|Karyes]] hermitage cell, where he finished the writing of the [[Karyes Typikon]], a book of directives, which shaped the eremitical [[monk|monasticism]] all across the Serbian lands.<ref name=Bogdanovic-Karejski>{{harvnb|Bogdanović|1997|loc= Предговор, para. 13, Карејски типик}}</ref> He also wrote the [[Hilandar Typikon]] regulating spiritual life in monasteries, organization of services and duties of monastic communities. The Hilandar Typikon was modeled in part after the ''[[typikon]]'' of the [[Monastery of Theotokos Evergetis]] in [[Constantinople]].<ref name=Bogdanovic-Hilandarski1>{{harvnb|Bogdanović|1997|loc= Предговор, para. 14<!--Хиландарски типик-->}}</ref>

==The Nemanjić period and late Byzantine Empire ==
[[File:Sveti Sava Kraljeva Crkva Detalj.jpg|thumb|190px|[[Saint Sava]], first [[archbishop]] of the [[Serbian Orthodox Church]]]]
[[File:Простор код трпзарије у Хиландару.jpg|thumb|190px|Space next to the supper room in Hilandar.]]
After the [[Fourth Crusade]] and [[Fourth Crusade|Crusader]]s' sack of [[Constantinople]] in 1204, the whole [[Mount Athos|Athos]] came under the [[Frankokratia|Latin Occupation]] which exposed the Athonite monasteries to an unprecedented pillage.{{sfn|Subotić|1998|pp=34-35}} As a result, [[Saint Sava]] travelled to [[Serbia]] to secure more resources and support for the monastery. He also undertook a voyage to the [[Holy Land]] where he visited [[Mar Saba|The Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified]] in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]]. There he received Hilandar's most revered relic, the miraculous icon of the [[Trojeručica|Three-handed Theotokos]] ([[Trojeručica]]) painted by [[St. John of Damascus]]. According to [[St. John of Damascus]]' last will, he ordered the [[Mar Saba monastery]] brethren to add this miraculous icon to the old prophesy made by the monastery's founder Saint [[Sabbas the Sanctified]]. Saint [[Sabbas the Sanctified]] adjured his monks centuries earlier to donate the icon of the Milk-feeding Theotokos and his [[hegumen]] cane to the "namesake monk of royal blood from a faraway land" who would experience, during his pilgrimage to the monastery, the fall of his hegumen cane to the floor, previously affixed above his grave, while venerating icons and praying on that spot.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hilandar.info/strana_sr.php?strana_id=179|title= Miraculous Icon - The Virgin with three hands (Bogorodica Trojeručica) |publisher=hilandar.info|access-date = April 21, 2016}}</ref>

[[Serbs|Serbian]] kings [[Stefan Radoslav]] and [[Stefan Vladislav]], who were [[Saint Sava]]'s nephews, significantly endowed the monastery with new land possessions and proceeds. In order to effectively deal with consequences of the [[Fourth Crusade|Crusader]] Latin plunder, King [[Uroš the Great]] constructed a large fortification surrounding the monastery with the protective tower named after the [[Transfiguration of Christ]]. [[Stefan Dragutin|King Dragutin]] also expanded proceeds to the monastery and land or [[metochion]] income. He participated in improving and reinforcing defensive fortifications. Following the end of the [[Frankokratia|Latin Occupation]] of this part of Byzantium, a new wave of raids hit the [[Mount Athos|monastic republic]]. In the early 14th century, pirate [[mercenaries]] of the [[Catalan Grand Company]] repeatedly raided the [[Mount Athos|Holy Mountain]], while looting and sacking numerous monasteries, stealing treasures and Christian relics, and terrorizing monks. Of the 300 monasteries and monastic communities on [[Mount Athos|Athos]], Hilandar was among only 35 that survived the violence of the first decade of the 14th century. The monastery owes this fortune to its very experienced and skillful deputy [[hegumen]] at the time Danilo, who later became the Serbian archbishop [[Saint Danilo II|Danilo II]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Vásáry |first= István |title=Cumans and Tatars: Oriental Military in the Pre-Ottoman Balkans, 1185–1365 |date= 24 March 2005 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |language=en |isbn=1139444085 |pages=109–110}}</ref>

{{multiple image
| footer = [[Stefan Milutin]], [[List of Serbian monarchs|King of Serbia]] and the Church of Entrance of the Theotokos
| width1 = 120
| image1 = Ljevis31.jpg
| width2 = 210
| image2 = Манастир Хиландар - panoramio (11).jpg
}}[[File:Christ pentocrator serbia hilandar.png|thumb|Serbian icon of [[Christ Pantocrator]] ({{langx|sr|Христос Пантократор}})]]
Consequently, Serbian [[King Milutin]] played a major role in building the Hilandar monastery complex by reconstructing and expanding it.{{sfn|Subotić|1998|pp=37-38}} In 1320 he completely reconstructed the main church of the [[Presentation of Mary|Entry of the Lady Theotokos into the Temple]] which finally took its present shape as it became a symbol of Hilandar. The monastery complex was expended further north to encompass new monastic cells and fortifications. During his reign, several towers were completed, notably the Milutin Tower, located between monastery's docks and its eastern wall, and the Hrussiya or Basil's Tower situated on the shore.<ref name="orthodoxia">{{cite web |title=Chilandar Monastery |url=http://www.ortodoxia.it/Chilandar%20Monastery.htm |website=orthodoxia.it}}</ref>{{sfn|Subotić|1998|p=38}} Milutin also added a new main entrance gate which a chapel dedicated to [[Saint Nicholas]] built in, in addition to the newly erected monastery dining chamber. An unmatched iconographic work took place during Milutin's era starting from the main church, through the dining chamber, to the cemetery church. At that time the number of Serbian monks skyrocketed and monasticism flourished even further as Byzantine Emperor [[Andronikos II Palaiologos]] donated large pieces of land to the monastery's estate in Greece.
[[File:Serbian Double Eagle Serb Dynasty Nemanjic Hilandar Monastery.png|thumb|[[Serbian eagle|Serbian Double Eagle]] [[Nemanjić dynasty|Nemanjić]] [[Rock (geology)|Stone]], crafted during [[Serbian art|Saint Sava time]], 12th century]]
At the time of [[Serbian King]] and [[Emperor Dusan]], the whole Mount Athos came under his sovereign power.{{sfn|Subotić|1998|p=40}} This is the period of Hilandar's greatest prosperity.<ref name="orthodoxia" /> The Emperor significantly supported the monastery and bequeathed a number of land possessions in Serbia and Greece to it. Ever since his reign (14th century) and until today, Hilandar owns one fifth of the entire landmass on [[Mount Athos|Athos]].<ref name="Kazhdan">{{cite book |editor1-last=Kazhdan |editor1-first=Alexander P. |title=The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium |date=1991 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195046526 |pages=6–7}}</ref> In addition to the Emperor himself, Dusan's aristocracy also supported the monastery. In 1347 Emperor Dusan sought refuge in Hilandar while escaping the plague pandemics that devastated Europe. He also took his wife [[Helena of Bulgaria, Empress of Serbia|Empress Jelena]] with him, thus creating a precedent and violating the strict tradition of "avaton" that bars women from stepping into Mount Athos. Oral tradition holds that during her stay in Hilandar, the Empress was not allowed to plant her foot on the Athos ground as she was carried around by her escort. In memory of Emperor Dusan's visit, the Hilandar monks erected big cross and planted the "imperial [[olive tree]]" on the spot where they welcomed him. Serbian Emperor also built the Church of St. [[Archangels]] and expanded the monastery's hospital around 1350, while Empress Jelena endowed the [[Karyes, Mount Athos|Karyes]] monastic cell dedicated to [[St. Sava]] which belongs to Hilandar. Both Hilandar and Mount Athos already enjoyed tremendous reverence in Serbia as the monastery's deputy [[hegumen]] Sava became Serbian Patriarch [[Sava IV]]. Following Emperor Dusan's death in 1355, the monastery prospered even further. In addition to Dusan's son Serbian Emperor [[Uros V]], powerful noblemen also supported Hilandar, such as Prince [[Lazar Hrebeljanovic]] who constructed the [[narthex]] along the west side of the main [[Presentation of Mary|Entry of the Lady Theotokos into the Temple]] Church in 1380. By the end of the 14th century, Hilandar served as a refuge to numerous members of Serbian nobility. <!--[[Albanian nobility|Albanian nobleman]] [[Gjon Kastrioti]] donated tax proceeds collected from villages [[Rostuša]] and [[Trebište]] in Macedonia to the monastery in 1426. His sons, including [[Skanderbeg]], were among the remaining local Christian Orthodox aristocrats supporting Hilandar. As Kastrioti and his sons purchased [[adelphate]]s securing their rights to retire and reside in the monastery, the Hilandar Saint George Tower, became known as the "Arbanasi Tower" ({{langx|sr|Арбанашки пирг}}) in their honor.<ref>{{cite book|last=Slijepčević|first=Đoko M.|title=Srpsko-arbanaški odnosi kroz vekove sa posebnim osvrtom na novije vreme|year=1983|publisher=Himelstir|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZFRpAAAAMAAJ|access-date=7 July 2011|page=45|language=sr|quote=Заједно са синовима Константином, Репошем и Ђурђем приложио је Иван Кастриот манастиру Хиландару село Радосуше са црквом св. Богородице и село Требиште....Због тога је и пирг св. Ђорђа прозван »арбанашки пирг». Репош је умро у манастиру Хиландару 25. јула 1431. године и ту је сахрањен. (Together with his sons Konstantin, Repoš and Đurađ, Ivan Kastriot donated village Radosuše with church of saint Mary and village Trebište to the monastery Hilandar... Therefore the tower of Saint George was named "Albanian tower". Repoš died in Hilandar on July 25, 1431 and he was buried there.}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last= Petković |first= Sreten |title= Hilandar |orig-date=1989 |year=2008 |location= Belgrade |language= sr |isbn=978-86-80879-78-9 |page=21 |quote= ... a Ivan Kastriot sa sinovima iz Albanije otkupljuje jedan pirg od Hilandara da bi po potrebi tu mogao naći utočište. (... and Ivan Kastriot with his sons from Albania bought one tower of Hilandar to provide a shelter for them in case of need). }}</ref> Upon retiring and taking monastic vows, Kastrioti's son Reposh joined the Hilandar brotherhood where he died on July 25, 1431. Kastrioti followed his son and also joined the monastic community in Hilandar as monk Joachim. He died in the monastery on May 4, 1437.<ref name="doiserbia.nb.rs">[http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/Article.aspx?ID=0350-76530637081B Mount Athos, Wallachian princes (Voyvodes), John Kastriotis, and the Albanian tower, a dependency of Hilandar] Bojović Boško (2006), Balcanica, 2006 Volume, Issue 37, Pages: 81-87. doi:10.2298/BALC0637081B. Full text in French, Abstract in English</ref>-->

==Ottoman and modern period==
[[File:Monastery Hilandar in 1896.jpg|thumb|left|Hilandar Monastery during [[Aleksandar Obrenović|King Aleksandar Obrenović]]'s visit in 1896.]]
[[Byzantine Empire|The Byzantine Empire]] was conquered in the 15th century by the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turks]] and their newly established [[Ottoman Empire]]. The Athonite monks tried to maintain functioning relations with the [[List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire|Ottoman sultans]] and following [[Murad II]]'s occupation of Thessaloniki in 1430 they pledged their obedience to him.{{sfn|Subotić|1998|p=91}} Murad II left Mount Athos its self-rule and allocated for some remaining privileges. Hilandar retained its property rights and autonomy in the hinterland.{{sfn|Subotić|1998|p=92}} This was additionally confirmed and secured in 1457 by Sultan [[Mehmed II]] following the [[fall of Constantinople|1453 Fall of Constantinople]]. Thus, the Athonite independence was somewhat ensured.

In the second half of the 15th century, Hilandar moved to third place in the hierarchy of Athionite monasteries. It also became a refuge for Serbian monks seeking to evade the conflicts of the time. Following the fall of the [[Serbian Despotate]] to the Ottoman Turks in 1459, Hilandar lost major guardians and benefactors as its brotherhood looked for support from other sources.{{sfn|Subotić|1998|pp=92-93}} For a period of time, the [[Vlachs|Wallachians]] provided patronage to the monastery, initiated by [[Mara Branković]],{{sfn|Subotić|1998|p=95}} daughter of the Serbian despot [[Đurađ Branković]]. In 1503, the wife of Serbian [[Stefan Brankovic|Despot Stefan Brankovic]], [[Saint Angelina of Serbia|Angelina Brankovic]] asked for the first time Grand Prince of Moscow [[Vasili III of Russia|Vasili III Ivanovich]] to protect the monastery. Deputy hegumen Paisios with three other monks visited Moscow in 1550 and inquired about help and protection at [[Sublime Porte|High Porte]] in Istanbul from [[Russian Tsar]] [[Ivan IV]], also known as [[Ivan the Terrible]].{{sfn|Subotić|1998|p=98}} He took Hilandar under his personal protection and built the new monastic cells. In March 1556, Tsar [[Ivan IV Vasilyevich]], whose maternal grandmother [[Ana Jakšić]] was by birth member the Serbian [[Jakšić family|Jakšić noble family]] and paternal great-great-grandmother [[Helena Dragaš|Helena, Empress Consort of Byzantium]] was also Serbian, also granted the Hilandar Monastery a plot of land with all necessary buildings in [[Moscow]] within a short walking distance from the [[Kremlin]].<ref>Robert Payne, Nikita Romanoff, "Ivan the Terrible", Rowman & Littlefield, 2002 pp. 436</ref> The 16th century saw the monastery acquire significant estate in the area, cementing their presence in the Mount Athos region.{{sfn|Subotić|1998|pp=100-102}}

In the 17th century the number of Serbian monks decreased, and the disastrous fire in 1722 saw a decline: in his account of 1745, [[Russia]]n pilgrim Vasily Barsky wrote that Hilandar was headed by Bulgarian monks, even though the presence of Serbian monks was also noted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mountathos.gr/active.aspx?mode=en{cf4d1b6f-9cd3-48a9-83c9-5097706a1a15}View|title=Chilandari|publisher=Mount Athos|access-date=2008-10-09|quote=In the 17th century the number of monks coming from Serbia dwindled, and the 18th was a period of decline, following a disastrous fire in 1722. At that time the Monastery was effectively manned by Bulgarian monks who were in dispute with Serbian monks over Hilandar property sale to Bulgarian monks of [[Zograf monastery]].|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502220126/http://www.mountathos.gr/active.aspx?mode=en%7Bcf4d1b6f-9cd3-48a9-83c9-5097706a1a15%7DView|archive-date=2009-05-02}}</ref> [[Ilarion Makariopolski]], [[Paisius of Hilendar|Paìsiy Hilendàrski]], [[Sophronius of Vratsa]] and [[Matey Preobrazhenski]] had all lived there. The monastery was dominated by Bulgarians until the late 19th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pravoslavieto.com/manastiri/aton/hilendar/index.htm|title=Хилендарски манастир|publisher=Православието|language=bg|access-date=2008-10-09}}</ref>

[[File:Hilandar, obnova.jpg|thumb|right|A view of the Hilandar Monastery in 2006, after the Great Fire, and during first stages of the reconstruction process.]]
[[File:Манастир Хиландар - panoramio (3).jpg|thumb|A view]]

In 1902, Serbian dominant presence on Athos returned, grew great, and the Athonite ''protos'' was the Serbian representative of Hilandar.<ref>Panagiotis Christou, "To Agion Oros", Patriarchal Institute of Patristic Studies, Epopteia ed., Athens, 1987 pp. 313-314</ref>

===Contemporary===
In the 1970s, the Greek government offered power grid installation to all of the monasteries on Mount Athos. The Holy Council of Mount Athos refused, and since then every monastery generates its own power, which is gained mostly from renewable energy sources. During the 1980s, electrification of the monastery of Hilandar took place, generating power mostly for lights and heating.

In 1990, Hilandar was converted from an [[idiorrhythmic]] monastery into a [[cenobitic]] one.<ref name="Dorobantu">{{cite thesis | last=Dorobantu | first=Marius | title=Hesychasm, the Jesus Prayer and the contemporary spiritual revival of Mount Athos | publisher=Radboud University | location=Nijmegen | type=Master's thesis | date=2017-08-28 | url=https://theses.ubn.ru.nl/handle/123456789/4780 | access-date=2022-08-28}}</ref>

On March 4, 2004, there was a devastating fire at the Hilandar monastery, which destroyed much of the walled complex and all the wooden elements.<ref>{{cite conference |title=Consequences of a Wrong Decision: Case Study of Chilandar Monastery Fire |conference=Structural Faults & Repair - 15th International Conference |first1=Nađa Kurtović |last1=Folić |date=2014 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301340306}}</ref> The library and the monastery's many historic icons were saved or otherwise untouched by the fire. Vast reconstruction efforts to restore Hilandar are underway.

==Sacred objects==
[[File:VergineTricherusa.jpg|thumb|left|[[Icon]] of the [[Theotokos]], "The Three-handed", ''[[Trojeručica]]'']]

Among the numerous [[relic]]s and other holy objects treasured at the monastery is the [[Wonderworking]] [[Icon]] of the [[Theotokos]] "Of the [[Akathist]]", the [[feast day]] of which is celebrated on January 12. Since Mount Athos uses the traditional [[Julian Calendar]], the day they name as January 12 currently falls on January 25 of the modern [[Gregorian Calendar]].

[[File:Moni-Helandariou-3.jpg|thumb|right|A sculpture on a rock presenting Saint Symeon, the founder of Hilandar Monastery]]

The monastery also possesses the Wonderworking Icon of the [[Trojeručica|Theotokos "Of the Three Hands"]] (Greek: ''Tricherusa'', Serbian: Тројеручицa), traditionally associated with a [[miracle|miraculous]] healing of [[St. John Damascene]].<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Maunder |editor1-first=Chris |title=The Oxford Handbook of Mary |date=2019 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780192511140 |page=127 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-gqlDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA127}}</ref> Around the year 717, St. John became a monk at [[Mar Sabbas]] monastery outside of [[Jerusalem]] and gave the icon to the monastic community there. Later the icon was offered to [[Saint Sava|St. Sava of Serbia]], who gave it to the Hilandar. A copy of the icon was sent to Russia in 1661, from which time it has been highly venerated in the [[Russian Orthodox Church]]. This icon has two feast days: June 28 (July 11) and July 12 (July 25). Also Emperor [[Stefan Dušan]]'s sword is in the [[monastery treasure]].

There are some 1200 Slavic manuscripts. Archives include 172 Greek and 154 Serbian documents from the medieval era, which provides a glimpse into the economic and social structure of the period.<ref name="Kazhdan" /> The Serbian variant of Old Church Slavonic developed at the monastery thanks to its [[scriptorium]].

==Towers==
* [[Saint Sava Tower, Hilandar|Saint Sava Tower]], 12th century
* [[Saint George Tower, Hilandar]], 12th century
* [[Milutin Tower, Hilandar]], 13th century
* [[Albanian Tower|Jovan Tower]], 15th century

==See also==
*[[Serbian Orthodox Church]]
*[[Raška architectural school|Raška Serbian Architectural Cchool]]
*[[Hilandar Research Library]]
*[[Miroslav Gospel]]
*[[Saint Sava]]
*[[Stefan Nemanja]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
{{refbegin|2}}
*{{cite book |ref={{harvid|Bogdanović|1997}} |author1=Dimitrije Bogdanović|author2=Vojislav J. Đurić|author3=Dejan Medaković|author4=Miodrag Đorđević|title=Chilandar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sd7VAAAAMAAJ|year=1997|publisher=Monastery of Chilandar|isbn=9788674131053 }}
*{{cite book|author1=Miodrag B. Branković|author2=Marin Brmbolić|author3=Milorad Miljković|author4=Verica Ristić|title=Chilandar Monastery|year=2006 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cIrPAAAACAAJ|publisher=Republički zavod za zaštitu spomenika kulture|isbn=978-86-80879-48-2}}
* {{Cite book|last=Ćirković|first=Sima|author-link=Sima Ćirković|year=2004|title=The Serbs|location=Malden|publisher=Blackwell Publishing|isbn=9781405142915 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Wc-DWRzoeIC}}
*{{cite book|author=Branislav Cvetković|title=Eight centuries of the Monastery of Chilandar at Mount Athos|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AeokAgAACAAJ|year=2002|publisher=Zavičajni muzej|isbn=978-86-902543-2-3}}
*Đurić, V.J. (1964) Fresques médiévales à Chilandar. in: Actes du XIIe Congrès international d'études Byzantines, Ochride, 1961, Beograd, 68
* {{Cite book|last=Fine|first=John Van Antwerp Jr.|author-link=John Van Antwerp Fine Jr.|title=The Late Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest|year=1994|orig-date=1987|location=Ann Arbor, Michigan|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=0472082604 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LvVbRrH1QBgC}}
*Hostetter, W.T. (1998) In the heart of Hilandar: An interactive presentation of the frescoes in the main church of the Hilandar monastery of Mt. Athos. Belgrade, CD-ROM
*{{cite book|author1=Rajko R. Karišić|author2=Mihajlo Mitrović|author3=Gordana Najčević|title=Chilandar - unto ages of ages|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CrJNAAAACAAJ|year=2003|publisher=R. R. Karišić|isbn=978-86-85345-00-5}}
*{{cite book|author=Sreten Petković|title=Chilandar|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uMB0QgAACAAJ|date=1 January 1999|publisher=Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of the Republic of Serbia|isbn=978-86-80879-19-2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Радић|first=Радмила|title=Хиландар у државној политици Краљевине Србије и Југославије 1896-1970|year=1998|location=Београд|publisher=Службени лист СРЈ|isbn=9788635504018 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bCQzAAAAMAAJ}}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Subotić |editor1-first=Gojko |title=Hilandar Monastery |date=1998 |publisher=The Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences |isbn=86-7025-276-7}}
* {{Cite book|last=Todić|first=Branislav|title=Serbian Medieval Painting: The Age of King Milutin|year=1999|location=Belgrade|publisher=Draganić|isbn=9788644102717 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NqALAQAAMAAJ}}
* {{Cite book|editor-last1=Živković|editor-first1=Tibor|editor-link1=Tibor Živković|editor-last2=Bojanin|editor-first2=Stanoje|editor-last3=Petrović|editor-first3=Vladeta|title=Selected Charters of Serbian Rulers (XII-XV Century): Relating to the Territory of Kosovo and Metohia|year=2000|location=Athens|publisher=Center for Studies of Byzantine Civilisation}}
*Živojinović, M. (1998) Vlastelinstvo manastira Hilandara u srednjem veku. u: Subotić G. (ur.) Manastir Hilandar, Beograd: SANU - Galerija
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite journal |last=Fotić|first=Aleksandar|title=Lʹ Eglise chrétienne dans lʹEmpire ottoman: Le monastére Chilandar à lʹépoque de Sélim II|journal=Dialogue: Revue trimestrielle d'arts et de sciences|year=1994|volume=12|number=3|pages=53–64|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pzhLAQAAMAAJ}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Fotić|first=Aleksandar|title=Dispute Between Chilandar and Vatopedi over the Boundaries in Komitissa (1500)|journal='Αθωνικὰ Σύμμεικτα: Athonika Symmeikta|year=1999|volume=7|pages=97–107|url=https://www.academia.edu/1772848}}
* {{Cite book |last=Fotić|first=Aleksandar|chapter=Despina Mara Branković and Chilandar: Between the Desired and the Possible|title=Осам векова Хиландара: Историја, духовни живот, књижевност, уметност и архитектура|year=2000|location=Београд|publisher=САНУ|pages=93–100|chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/364918}}
* {{Cite book |last=Fotić|first=Aleksandar|chapter=The Collection of Ottoman Documents in the Monastery of Hilandar (Mount Athos)|title=Balkanlar ve Italya'da Sehir ve Manastir Arsivlerindeki Turkce Belgeler Semineri|year=2003|location=Ankara|publisher=Türk Tarih Kurumu|pages=31–37|chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/36776873}}
* {{Cite book |last=Fotić|first=Aleksandar|chapter=Non-Ottoman Documents in the Kâdîs' Courts (Môloviya, Medieval charters): Examples from the Archive of the Hilandar Monastery (15th-18th C.)|title=Frontiers of Ottoman Studies: State, Province, and the West|volume=2|year=2005|location=London|publisher=Tauris|pages=63–73|chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/364913}}
* {{Cite book |last=Fotić|first=Aleksandar|chapter=The Metochion of the Chilandar Monastery in Salonica (Sixteenth-Seventeenth Centuries)|title=The Ottoman Empire, the Balkans, the Greek Lands: Toward a Social and Economic History|year=2007|location=Istanbul|publisher=The Isis Press|pages=109–114|chapter-url=https://www.academia.edu/364929}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Fotić|first=Aleksandar|title=Xenophontos in the Ottoman Documents of Chilandar (16th-17th C.)|journal=Хиландарски зборник|year=2008|volume=12|pages=197–213|url=https://www.academia.edu/364884}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Hilandar}}
{{Wikiquote|Hilandar Monastery}}
*[http://www.hilandar.org/ Official website] {{in lang|sr}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090502220126/http://www.mountathos.gr/active.aspx?mode=en%7Bcf4d1b6f-9cd3-48a9-83c9-5097706a1a15%7DView Hilandar monastery at the Mount Athos website]
*[http://www.sv-luka.org/Chilandar/index.htm Another page dedicated to Hilandar Monastery] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111117150323/http://www.sv-luka.org/Chilandar/index.htm |date=2011-11-17 }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130228135902/http://www.rastko.org.rs/rastko-bo/duhovnost/putopisi/djcapin-hilandar_2003.html Photos from Hilandar]
*[http://www.hilandar.org/images/stories/english/Newsletter_of_the_Reconstruction_of_Hilandar_no2_web.pdf ''Towards Former Beauty'']{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Information on the recent fire and reconstruction work {{in lang|en}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20030604042748/http://www.cohums.ohio-state.edu/cmrs/rcmss/ Hilandar Research Library] Ohio State University Collection—the largest collection of medieval [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] manuscripts on [[microform]] in the world
*[http://www.hilandar.info/ Monastery Chilandar,  O manastiru Hilandar] {{in lang|sr}}

{{Mount Athos}}
{{Serbian Orthodox Church}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hilandar Monastery| ]]
[[Category:History of the Serbs]]
[[Category:Nemanjić dynasty]]
[[Category:Medieval Serbian architecture]]
[[Category:Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)]]
[[Category:Serbian architectural styles]]
[[Category:Serbian Orthodox Church]]
[[Category:Serbian design]]
[[Category:12th-century Serbian Orthodox church buildings]]
[[Category:Christian monasteries established in the 1160s]]
[[Category:Serbian Orthodox monasteries]]
[[Category:Monasteries on Mount Athos]]
[[Category:1198 establishments in Europe]]
[[Category:Monasteries of the Byzantine Empire]]
[[Category:Medieval Athos]]
[[Category:Greece–Serbia relations]]
[[Category:Rebuilt buildings and structures]]
[[Category:Byzantine Serbia]]
[[Category:Educational institutions established in the 11th century]]
[[Category:Burial sites of the Nemanjić dynasty]]
[[Category:Nemanjić dynasty endowments]]
[[Category:Burial sites of Serbian royal families]]
[[Category:Medieval Serbian Orthodox Church buildings]]