Ekklesiastikoi -Cr'kovnici at Holy Mount and Their Duties Cover Image

Црквењаци на Светој Гори и њихове дужности
Ekklesiastikoi -Cr'kovnici at Holy Mount and Their Duties

Author(s): Mirjana Živojinović
Subject(s): History
Published by: Istorijski institut, Beograd
Keywords: ekklesiastikos; kellion; vineyard; Holy Mount; monastery; Protaton; officer; Karyes; duty; hierarchy

Summary/Abstract: According to the available data, the term ekklesiastikos was unknown on the Mount Athos in the tenth and eleventh century. The earliest mention of cr’kovnik is in the Typikon of Chilandar. However, the practice of having rich and famous monasteries sending one klerikos to the church of Protaton in Karyes had been mentioned in the year of 1089. Well established and known monasteries, such as Great Laura, Vatopedi, Iviron, and Chilandar, each gave one ekklesiastikos, while remaining monasteries provided the total of eight. Protaton provided the kellion in Karyes for the ekklesiastikos, as well as the vineyard in the vicinity, which became the property of the monastery that sent him and had the responsibility to support him. In the fourteenth century kellia of ekklesiastikoi were getting destroyed, either during the times of Turkish incursions or as a result of monastery’s own financial hardships. When those unfortunate events took place, the monastery was not able to send an ekklesiastikos in Karyes, who were needed for the church of Protaton to normally function. Protaton ensured that ekklesiastikoi’s cells got repaired, in order for monasteries to send ekklesiastikoi to Karyes. The order of ekklesiastikoi in the church of Protaton corresponded to the seating arrangement of their hegoumenoi in the Council of the protos. This order of precedence had to be respected. When this order was not respected, arguments occurred. One such argument took place in the fourteenth century between the monks of monasteries of Docheiariou and Xenophon. Ekklesiastikoi (cr’kovnici) of St. Panteleimon and Chilandar monasteries were noted in the decisions of the Brothers’ Assemblies, usually in front of the hegoumenarches, paraekklesiarches, trapezarios, paradocheiares, and related officers. Ekklesiastikoi of the church of Protaton had the same responsibilities as those in other monasteries. The two of the most important were to take part in processions and to maintain the order during the services. The ekklesiastikos jurisdiction resembled that of ekklesiarches, as noted by the mention of the latter as ekklesiastikos in the Typikon of Chilandar. In addition, it appears that ekklesiastikoi and epiteretai have taken over from epistemonarches. Lastly, ekklesiastikoi’s signatures on the acts of protos and his Council (1316, 1366, 1375, 1377), show that this officer, along with others from the Protaton church and representatives of smaller monasteries, especially the ones from Karyes and its surroundings, witnessed property transactions within Karyes, and participated in the creation of legal acts in the Protaton office. The ekklesiastikos who took part in making the decisions of protos and his Council in the fourteenth century, advanced in the hierarchy of Mount Athos, and took place right after the ekklesiarches and epiteretes.

  • Issue Year: 2008
  • Issue No: 56
  • Page Range: 69-86
  • Page Count: 18
  • Language: Serbian