Charters of Despot Stefan to the Great Lavra Monastery

"By me kings reign, and princes decree justice" [Prov. 8, 15–16], said the King of Ages, the Lord Almighty, through Solomon the All-wise. Since we have received this passing Kingdom and abundant goodness from His mighty hand, the created being ought, as far as possible, to be like unto Him who opens His hands and fills every living thing with goodness, so that we may be not only recipients of this passing kingdom but also heirs of the eternal Kingdom, from which, hence, proceeds the good ordering of the supreme authority entrusted to us.

Therefore I too, the right-believing Despot Stefan in Christ God and by the grace of God lord of the Serbs, write this for the knowledge of all.

There came to me, on the affairs of the monastery, the most honorable among the priest-monks, the former abbot of the Holy and Great Lavra of our venerable father Athanasius, which is on the Holy Mountain of Athos, the hieromonk lord Teofan, and with him the honorable among the priest-monks, the priest Dorotej. And in conversation, among other things, I desired and asked this of them: that after my death I might have a commemoration in the Holy Lavra, as it has long been established in the holy great monasteries to keep commemorations for right-believing sovereigns. For this commemoration I have therefore donated to the monastery of the Holy Lavra two silver and gilded candlesticks of sixty litrae of silver [about 20 kg], as well as, every year, twenty litrae of silver [about 6 kg] from the customs at Novo Brdo. And concerning this I have ordained thus: what is to be given from the customs at Novo Brdo, twenty litrae of silver, is to be handed over to the steward of the Great Lavra, the one who shall be in its [the Lavra's] metochia, and he is to give it to the Monastery. And in Petrus the village of Izvor, together with the toll levied on passage, such as the toll was from of old. And the village of Brnica [Brnjica]. And the village of Kvasičevica. And thus the Monastery [the Great Lavra] is to hold them [the villages] as an everlasting donation. And the villages are to be free: from the winter tribute, though not from the summer levies (unđe), and from the soće tax, and from all labors [labor dues] for me, small and great, save in three cases: should it happen that I go to war in person, then those villages too are to go with me; those villages are to take part in pursuits [against brigands] and in the mustering of the frontier army, as happened there, on the frontier - they are bound to do this with the Sovereign's frontier commander; should it happen that some other metochion of the Great Lavra go to the building of Belgrade, then these above-mentioned villages too are to go together with it, but not to the building of any other town!

And for this, after my death, a commemoration is to be made for me, as the Monastery keeps the customary commemorations for right-believing sovereigns: on the third day, and the ninth, and on the twentieth day, and on the fortieth day, and at the half year, and at the end of the year, with koliva, and with a libation, and with a common meal. And at each commemoration twenty Liturgies. Thus they are to do for me in the first year. In the remaining years they are to keep a commemoration for me once a year, likewise with a common meal and with koliva, and with a libation. And every month three Liturgies. And should it befall me, because of my sins, by God's permission, to be driven into exile and for death to overtake me in a foreign land and my grave to be there, and even should this [which I have given] to the Monastery be lost - unless, in case of some necessity, I myself take this away [which I have given] - the Monastery is bound to fulfill all this in full, and that for as long as the Great Lavra shall exist.