The Resava School

repose, as is stated in the note [SSZN 261]. Some other notes in manuscript books produced at that time are dated similarly - placing the completion of the copying precisely in the period after the falling asleep of Saint Despot Stefan [SSZN 247]. In the days of "the pious and Christ-loving and God-protected lord Prince Stefan, son of the great Lazar," in 1402 "holy and divine books" were copied, which the ecclesiarch Varlaam donated to the community of Dečani [SSZN 204–206]. In 1405 the priest Nikodim copied the Gospel that is preserved in the monastery of Tismana in Wallachia [SSZN 212, 6109]. The monk Dionisije copied the Psalter of King David in the Monastery of Hilandar in 1408 [SSZN 214, 6110]. The book of Saint Gregory the Dialogist was copied by the monk Gerasim in the Skopska Crna Gora; the book was completed and bound in the town of Ioannina in 1409 [SSZN 216]. The book of the interpretations of the Holy Fathers on the Book of Job was translated into Serbian from a Greek exemplar obtained in the community of the Athonite monastery of Esphigmenou, in the Monastery of Hilandar in 1412; the monk Gavrilo labored over this translation [SSZN 218–219]. The book of the all-wise King Solomon was translated "from Greek into our Slavonic tongue" by the monk Gavrilo at approximately the same time on the Holy Mountain of Athos, "in the great Lavra of Hilandar" [SSZN 220]. In the days of "the pious and Christ-loving Despot Stefan," at the time when the most reverend archbishop kyr Venijamin sat upon the throne of the Eparchy of Braničevo, in the month of August 1416 the copying of "books profitable to the soul" was completed, done precisely at the commission of the hierarch of Braničevo [SSZN 221]. The Homilies of Saint Gregory the Theologian were copied by the monk Jakov in 1418 [SSZN 223]. The four biblical Books of Kings were translated from Greek into Serbian in 1418, "in the days of the pious and Christ-loving and God-protected and sovereign lord of the Serbs, Despot Stefan," beneath the mountain Prozrak, near Ljubostinja [SSZN 224]. In 1426, "in the days of the pious and right-believing and God-crowned lord of all the Serbian and Maritime lands and of many parts of the Hungarian and Bosnian lands, the wise and gracious and glorious Despot Stefan," the priest Venedikt completed on Mount Athos the translation of the Hexaemeron of Saint John Chrysostom: this work was translated "from the Greek tongue into the Serbian" tongue, "to the glory of God and of the Most Pure Mother of God of Lešje," as the note states [SSZN 240]. The Hexaemeron in the translation of the priest kyr Venedikt "from the Hellenic tongue into our Slavonic tongue" was copied in the same year by the Athonite monk Jakov [SSZN 239]. On certain books that, despite historical misfortunes, have somehow survived and been preserved to the present day, a note expressly states that they belonged personally to the Holy Despot himself, that is, that they were in his library: such is the case with the Commentary on the Gospel by Saint Theophylact of Ohrid, which is preserved in the monastery of Neamț in Romania [SSZN 242], or with the Ladder of Divine Ascent of Saint John Climacus, preserved in the Monastery of Saint Paul on Mount Athos [SSZN 243]. According to the research of Irena Špadijer, more than twenty books are known today that once belonged to the Despot; judging by the lists of books left by scribes, there were still more. Some books were copied personally for Despot Stefan, such as the book