Правило 1

One can see how the sacred and honorable work, beautifully conceived in ancient times by our blessed and reverend fathers - the founding of monasteries - is being carried out poorly today. Some, giving their estates and possessions the name of the monastery and promising to dedicate them to God, record themselves as the owners of the donated property. They came up with this trick: to dedicate one name to God, because after dedication they are not ashamed to assign to themselves the same power that they were not forbidden to have before. And such commerce has been added to this business that much of what is initiated is sold in full view of everyone by the initiates themselves, and this causes horror and disgust among those who see it. And such not only do not repent of taking upon themselves authority over what was once dedicated to God, but they also fearlessly transfer this authority to others. So, the Holy Council made a determination about this: no one is allowed to found a monastery without the knowledge and will of the bishop. With the knowledge and permission of the bishop, provided that he performs the proper prayer, as the God-loving laws of the ancients laid down, a monastery is allowed to be founded, and everything that belongs to him, along with himself, must be entered into an inventory and stored in the bishop's archives. The donor by no means has the right, without the will of the bishop, to appoint himself or another as abbot in his place. After all, if the one who gives something to a person can no longer be the owner of this thing, then how can the one who dedicates and donates something to God be allowed to steal power over the donated?