ПОРЕСКЕ ОБАВЕЗЕ „ПЕЋКЕ ПАТРИЈАРШИЈЕ” У ВРЕМЕ ПАТРИЈАРХА КАЛИНИКА I (1691–1710)
FISCAL OBLIGATIONS OF THE „PATRIARCHATE of peć” IN THE TIME OF PATRIARCH KALLINIKOS I (1691–1710)

Summary/Abstract: In the period from the end of the fifteenth to the early twentieth century, old Christian custom of supporting clergy by giving alms and paying religious rites in cash was interpreted by the Turkish authorities as a form of economic exploitation of state resources. This interpretation became the legal basis for taxation of the Orthodox and Monophysite autocephalous churches in Ottoman territory as commercial entities. Fiscal authorities registered all the autocephalous archbishoprics as separate fiscal units – the patriarchates, and their incomes were formally issued to the patriarchs in annual rent. The archbishops of Peć and patriarchs of all the Serbs and the Bulgarians from the midsixteenth century until 1766 in Turkish sources were mentioned as tenants of the tax unit of the Patriarchate of Peć (İpek Patrikliği). The state authorities allowed them to conduct religious services on condition that they regularly paid annual rent – kesim, and had a valid decree of appointment – berat. The annual tax of the Serbian Patriarchate till 1690 was fixed at 100,000 aspers, the same as the fee (peşkeş) for issuing of the berat. The existence of the autocephalous archbishoprics in the Ottoman state depended on the ability of their hierarchy to settle these obligations. According to Ottoman tax registers, Serbian Patriarch Kallinikos I (1691–1710), for these taxes paid to the treasury 5,482 sequins or weight of 19.19 kg of fine gold (23.5 k).

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