PAUL STEPHENSON
paulstephenson@mac.com

This is one of several translated excerpts. See the translations page for full contents

Athonite documents

By Leonora Neville

Paul Lemerle, Gilbert Dagron, and Sima M. Cirkovic, eds. Actes de Saint-Pantéléèmôn, Archives de l'Athos; 12. Paris: P. Lethielleux, 1982.

Document #4: A.M. 6546 (CE 1048)

The document is an agreement between monks in which Gregory the hegoumenos of the Holy Apostles of Dometios and John hegoumenos of Xylourgos concluded an amicable agreement regarding a boat house that had been destroyed by the monks of Dometios. The emperor Constantine Monomachos had issued an edict resolving the affair which the monks did not follow to the letter.

 

+Sign of Gregory monk of Demetios.

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. I, Gregory, monk and hegoumenos [1] of the monastery of the holy and famous Apostles named of Dometios, making by my own hand the honored and life-giving cross, make surety to you Ioannikios monk and hegoumenos of the monastery named Xylourgos, by placing my own hand on this decision. Whereas some years ago, for spiritual benefit of your blessed uncle the monk lord Theodoulos, I gave him an abandoned place in the cove of my field of our holy father Onouphrios, for him to make there a storehouse, or rather to say a boathouse, receiving for the sake of this 5 nomismata.[2] And after not a few years had passed with this boathouse, I do not know how to say, either from the wiles and ambushes of crooked Satan, or from rejoicing over a neighbor's misfortune and not fearing God, moving in a disordered rage my students tore down this hospice. The monk Ioannikios was not moderately vexed but rather disgusted at this disorder. You, the said monk Ioannikios, informed our mighty and holy emperor about this disorder happening in this storehouse, and not only the destruction of this storehouse but also of the two boats and the other things that were there. The monk and priest Nikodemos and Joseph informed our mighty and holy emperor regarding this situation by [bringing] the letters of the monk Ioannikios. And then the monk Nikodemos came with imperial letters to our most honored spiritual father and protos lord Theophylakt and to the general meeting [of Athonite monastic leaders] which was underway. Then our most holy protos, having read the reverend and divine pittakion [3] to all the hegoumenoi and we hearing all of the things in it, then taking it from the meeting, we came with one accord to this place and we found this hospice entirely fallen and deserted. By justice, the penalty in imperial order ought to have been imposed on the monk Gregory for this anarchy. We, wanting to unite and make peace between both parties, calling the monk Ioannikios and the brothers with him, yielding to our request by the cooperation and grace of God, we made peace for both. Therefore appropriately gathered in peaceful agreement, I, the said Gregory, give to you, for the sake of my blessed monk and for salvation my humble soul, a place 8 orgya in length and the width as that of the storehouse of Philadelphia opposite. In return you, the monk Ioannikios, give to us for this place in our monastery 6 nomismata. The road is on the right of the property of Philadelphia. If then from now on the monk Gregory or his students and successors or any inheritors searches as for a thief making any movement regarding this hospice, saying either small or great things for the destruction and rejection of the judgment made by us --and you are not to be hindered from fishing-- then first of all he is to be a stranger and foreign to the Holy and Consubstantial Trinity, bring down the curse of the 318 Holy Fathers, alienated from all ecclesiastical and secular courts, being fined also 72 nomismata payable to the community and double the cost of the improvements and new things which you have added in the storehouse. Thus what was given freely by me for spiritual reasons is to remain strong and unshaken in eternal lordship and ownership for all time and ever-running years, and in return you the monk Ioannikios and your brothers and successors do not have permission to make a further extension beyond what has been agreed for this storehouse. Then the imperial order, which was the imperial and divine pittakion of our reigning lord emperor, was read again. This reconciling pledge, called a spiritual donation, was written at the exhortation of the monk Gregory and our most reverend spiritual father protos lord Theophylakt and all of the other hegoumenoi, made clear by their own signatures below, by the hand of Athanasios monk of the monastery of lord Sisoe, month on May, indiction 1, year 6546.

+ Theophylakt monk and protos

+ John monk and priest of the Great Lavra

+ Athanasios monk and priest of Vatopedi

+ John humble monk of Zygos

+ Epiphanios monk, priest and hegoumenos of Skamadrenos

+ Hilarion monk of holy Nikephoros, witnessing, I sign by my own hand.

+ Loukianos monk of Kalinkios

+ Joseph monk of Gematos

+ Anthony monk of Philtheos

+ Nikephoros monk and hegoumenos of Veroiotos

+ Theodore monk and hegoumenos of Koletzes

+ Symeon monk and hegoumenos of Galeagras +

+ Arseneios monk of Neakeion

+ John monk and hegoumenos of the monastery of the Savior

+ Bartholomew monk of the monastery of Makrygeni

+ Theodore monk of the monastery of holy Demetrios, I sign the honored cross by my own hand on the text by the hand of the scribe.

+ Barnabas monk of the Savior of Saravaros.

+ Gregory monk and priest of the monastery of Charon

+ Nikephoros monk and priest of the monastery of holy Peter of Alopos

+ Anthony monk of Kales Amos and oikonomos of Mese [4]

+ Leontios monk of the monastery of hold Demetrios of Skylopodari, I sign the honored cross to the text by the hand of Nikodemos monk and priest of the monastery of the All-Holy Theotokos of Xylourgos +

+ Leonotios monk and hegoumenos of Phalakros.

 

Notes

[1] The hegoumenos was the leader of a monastic community.

[2] Although described in terms of a pious donation, Gregory had sold the land to Theodoulos for 5 nomismata. After Theodoulos's death, leadership of his monastery, Xylourgos, passed to his nephew Ioannikios.

[3] A pittakion was an imperial administrative order in the form of a letter.

[4] The oikonomos was an estate manager, who oversaw monastic lands and holdings.