Житие святого Саввы, архиепископа Сербского 501

Saint Sava was the son of the famous founder of the independent Serbian state, the Great Serbian Župan Stefan Nemanja, in monasticism Simeon, glorified by the Church as the patron saint of Serbia. Stefan Nemanja lived in the twelfth century. He united most of the Serbian lands and gave them political independence. His son Savva was the founder of the independent Serbian church. Savva was the youngest of the children of Stefan Nemanja and his wife Anna. The parents, already having several children, turned to the Lord with a prayer that He would give them another son, who would be the instiller of piety in their fatherland and glorify it. They vowed to remain pure until death. The parents' prayer was heard: they had a son, whom they named Rastko in holy baptism, otherwise Rostislav, as if foreseeing the growth in spiritual glory of both their son and, together with him, their dear fatherland. Delighted by the mercy of God, the parents made every effort to raise their son well. After the years of infancy had passed, they placed him in special wards, assigned educators and took care of timely teaching him to read and write. The grace of God did not leave the boy, given to his parents through their special prayer: he grew physically and improved spiritually, unspeakably comforting his parents, leading his life in piety and purity. At the end of his upbringing, his parents gave him a separate area in which he could live independently with his servants and enjoy hunting and other pastimes befitting noble youths. The young man left his parents' house. But worldly amusements did not appeal to him. His thoughts and heart were occupied with completely different subjects. He most often remembered the words of the psalm: “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord” - and the words of the Savior: “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me” (Ps. 111:1; Matt. 10:37–38). he was fascinated by the “path of the Lord” - renunciation of the world, seeking first of all the Kingdom of Heaven and its righteousness. Instead of indulging in empty amusements, Rastko indulged in reflection on the ascetic life and prayed to the Lord to show him His proper path. Rastko had heard about ascetic life on the holy Mount Athos and passionately desired to meet a person who would tell him everything he wanted to know. And so God sent him one monk who knew the holy mountain well. This was a Russian monk from the Russian Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos. He satisfied all the desires of the noble young man, spoke about all the holy monasteries of Athos and about all types of asceticism on the holy mountain. The stories of a visiting monk were fully consistent with the intentions and aspirations of the pious young man: he then irrevocably decided and vowed to God to leave the world and strive on Mount Athos. The young man was only seventeen years old when he decided to leave worldly life. Having fervently prayed to the Lord God, he persuaded several God-fearing men to assist him in fulfilling his intention and to be his companions, and immediately set off on the road, first of all to the house of his parents. The father and mother were incredibly happy at the arrival of their dear son, arranged a feast for this occasion and tried in every possible way to show him their affection. After a few days of visiting his parents, Rastko asks them to go hunting in a nearby wilderness area, rich in all kinds of prey. Parents willingly give their consent. Having received a parental blessing, Rastko, accompanied by his faithful people, sets off on a journey, but not to hunt animals in the desert, but to the holy Mount Athos, for exploits for the sake of spiritual salvation. Having safely reached Athos, Rastko settled in the Russian Panteleimon Monastery, the monk of which had previously told him in detail about the asceticism of Svyatogorsk. The parents soon missed their son. Guessing that their son was carried away by none other than a Russian monk and to no other place than Athos, Stefan Nemanja immediately sent one of his senior commanders with a great detachment. Having received from the Greek Emperor Isaac Angelos 502 a strict order to the prot (abbot) of Mount Athos and to all the Holy Mountain residents and a military detachment from the Thessalonica governor, the authorized Stefan Nemani came to Athos and found the wanted noble fugitive in the monastery of St. Panteleimon. The faithful servant Nemanja was very happy that he had so quickly found whom he was looking for, and hoped to soon return the young man to his parents, who grieved so much for him, and to receive a worthy reward for this. Not hoping that the fugitive would voluntarily and willingly return to his homeland, abandoning his intention, the messengers did not take their eyes off the young man and guarded him so that he would not hide from them again. But Rastko had long ago decided, despite any obstacles, to take monastic vows on Mount Athos and stay there. This intention was known to the abbot of the Panteleimon Monastery, who decided to assist the brave young man. One Saturday, Rastko ordered that a rich treat be arranged for the soldiers sent for him from his father with the local inhabitants. When, after the feast, they lay down to sleep, by order of the abbot, they struck the bell, which, according to custom, called everyone to the night vigil in the church of God. Not only monks, but also soldiers had to go to church. Weighed down by the feast and long vigil, the guards fell asleep in their seats during the reading of the kathismas. Taking advantage of this circumstance, Rastko ordered one of his servants to put on his clothes and stand in his place until the end of the service, while he himself went to the holy altar, pronounced monastic vows there and, disguised, left the church unrecognized. Together with one old monk, he ascended to the pier, or tower, and was imprisoned there. Without wasting time, he took monastic tonsure there with the name of Sava and donned monastic robes. The night vigil was drawing to a close; In the morning the guards woke up and, to their horror, were convinced that the young man they had sought had disappeared again. With great indignation, they approached the monks of the monastery and, threatening violence, demanded that they hand over the young man or show him where he had gone. Hearing great confusion from above the tower and regretting the fate of the monks, who could suffer a lot because of it, the hermit leaned out of the tower window and, showing his tonsured head and monastic clothes, shouted: - I am here, but no longer Rastko, but the monk Savva: here is the hair of my head and my princely clothes; take them to my parents as proof of what happened to me. A terrible grief struck the old governor and his companions: all their labors were in vain; Now it was no longer possible to return the young man to his parents the way he had parted with them, and there was no need to: he had renounced this world. With sadness, those sent by Stefan Nemanja set off on their way back to their homeland. Remaining in the monastery of St. Panteleimon, the newly tonsured monk Savva laid the foundation for his monastic exploits and gave a lot of gold for the construction of the Russian Panteleimon monastery that received him. A short time later, the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos approached, solemnly celebrated in the Vatopedi Monastery on Athos. All the ascetics of Athos were invited to this holiday. The royal monk Savva also received an invitation. With great joy and eagerness, he went to the glorious celebration, for which all the Athonite ascetics, led by the archpriest of the Athonite inhabitants, gathered. Greeted by the attention of all the Athos authorities, Savva had the opportunity to see a completely church celebration on Athos, this holy place beloved by the Most Holy Theotokos. He was so amazed by everything he saw and heard that he immediately decided to stay in the monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos, and began earnestly to ask the abbot of the Vatopedi monastery, Theostirictus, to accept him as one of the brethren of the monastery. Savva’s sincere request was accepted and satisfied: he joined the ranks of the ordinary brethren and diligently began to fulfill all monastic duties and obediences. Upon his very entry into the Vatopedi monastery, Savva hastened to make a rich contribution to the monastery, which so amazed him and satisfied his long-standing pious desires. Meanwhile, the news brought to Serbia by those sent by Stefan Nemanja to search for his son deeply shocked not only his parents, but also the whole country: the royal young man renounced his family and everything worldly and became a monk! At first, the parents were sad at being separated from their son, but they soon realized that everything was God’s will, and being pious Christians, they changed their sadness to joy, seeing in their son a servant of God and expecting good from him both for themselves and for the fatherland. Having gathered their thoughts and feelings, the parents sent Sava a tearful message, in which, expressing regret about the separation, but together giving glory to the Lord God, who through His wisdom arranges everything for good, they convince and beg their son to visit his parents, come to his native Serbia and bring comfort to everyone, promising after the meeting to freely let him back to the holy mountain. Along with the message, the parents sent their son a large sum of gold both for his personal needs and for distribution to Athonite churches and poor people. Saint Sava was consoled by this parental message, but did not want to go to his homeland: he was eager to labor on Mount Athos, where he had longed so much and where he settled safely. Having stayed in the monastery of Vatopedi, Savva often traveled around the holy Mount Athos, wanting to see the holy monasteries, pray in them, see great ascetics, talk with them and receive spiritual edification. With bare feet in simple clothes, he walked all over Athos, climbed the steepest and highest rocks, walked along abysses and rapids, looking for solitary ascetics who huddled like birds on mountain cliffs barely accessible to humans. By making such walks, Savva had the goal not only to satisfy his desire to see and study the ascetic life of Athonite: at the same time, he wanted to help financially those poor people, who were usually single Athonite ascetics. To help them, he did not spare the means that he had in abundance. During such wanderings around Athos, more than once he was exposed to great dangers, but the Lord helped him. In those days, Mount Athos suffered a lot from sea robbers, who, landing on the shore, robbed entire monasteries there and waylaid passers-by both at sea near the shores and on land. Savva had the custom from time to time to prepare warm bread and personally transport it throughout the deserts for distribution to single ascetics who did not have any warm or boiled food, but ate various vegetation. Savva loved to do this on Holy Pentecost on Saturdays. On one of these Saturdays, early in the morning, having loaded the mules with warm bread, he set off hastily, walking ahead barefoot and eager to bring comfort to Christ’s ascetics. The road went near the sea, Savva passed near a place called Milopotam. Here robbers attacked him and captured both himself and those with him. Savva was very upset that his path so suddenly slowed down. From the depths of his soul, he turned to the Lord God with a prayer for his deliverance, and the Lord saved him. The robbers began the interrogation: – I am a student of Father Macarius; he sent me yesterday to Esphigmen on one spiritual matter, but the brethren kept me until this morning in order to send with me bread to bless the elders, for large monasteries have the custom of sending bread as a consolation to hermits who suffer for Christ’s sake and have no other consolation than the alms that the Lord God sends them. This speech of Saint Sava softened the cruel hearts of the robbers, they were moved by faith and released Sava, so that he got to the elder on time. They had just stood up for prayer when the robbers also appeared at the monastery: repenting of their actions, they followed Savva and, seeing the elder, asked him for a blessing and told everything that happened to them on the way. The elder instructed them with the words of God, and they were moved and trusted the elder. These corsairs, or sea robbers, were among the famous nobles. They asked the elder: – Tell us for Christ’s sake, is this monk (i.e. Savva) really your disciple? We see a certain glorious sign on him. “For Christ’s sake, I will tell you, my children: this monk is God’s disciple, and to us one of the brethren; he is the son of the blessed king of Serbia; the all-good God sent him to us to visit His servants: as you see, he left his kingdom and goes around this desert, visiting and comforting, feeding and clothing those who suffer for Christ’s sake in deserts and mountains in the caves and abysses of the earth, like the sun, shining and having mercy on everything, tea of ​​mercy and consolation in eternal life. The robbers, hearing this, fell at Sava’s feet and asked for blessings. Having received a blessing from both him and the elder, they promised not to engage in robbery anymore and went to their homes. Another similar incident occurred during one of Saint Sava’s visits to the Lavra of Saint Athanasius of Athos. Savva rode to the Lavra by boat by sea, accompanied by several members of the brethren. As they approached the monastery, robbers attacked and captured them. One of Savva’s companions somehow managed to escape the hands of the robbers, and he hurried to the Lavra of St. Athanasius and informed the abbot about the misfortune that had befallen them. The abbot and the brethren, hearing about this, were very alarmed and quickly sent one of their brethren, distinguished by his intelligence. Meanwhile, Saint Sava, being in the hands of robbers, with inner prayer cried out to the Lord for deliverance. Soon the brother sent from the Lavra appears and greets the robbers: - Happy arrival! Welcome to the monastery, where you can relax and get everything you need! Looking at the young monk Savva, the cunning monk, as if with great anger, said to him: -Where did you come from? Wasn’t the abbot sent you to such a place, and you are doing the repairs of your own free will? And he wanted to hit Savva. Savva, as if out of fear, rushed away from him, jumped out of the boat and ran. The astonished robbers seemed to have forgotten everything that had happened and said nothing. Only later, in the monastery where Savva had taken refuge, they saw him, found out who he was, and were very sorry among themselves about what treasure they had let go of their hands. After spending some time in the monastery, receiving spiritual and physical consolation together with the abbot and the brethren, Saint Sava returned safely to the Vatopedi monastery. Using the funds that he received from his pious parents, Saint Sava began to build and decorate churches in the Vatopedi monastery. First of all, he created a church in the name of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the monastery fortress, to the east of the great church. Then, in the same fortress, next to the mentioned church, he began to erect a church in the name of St. John Chrysostom, having in his heart the hope that over time his aging sovereign parent Stefan Nemanja will also settle here. After the completion and decoration of these two new churches, Sava did not leave in vain the main Vatopedi church in the name of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary: this church was covered with tiles; Finding such a roof to be fragile, Savva replaced it with tin, which required considerable funds. Then Savva built another church - in the monastery tower, or pier, in the name of the Transfiguration of Spasov. In addition to these main buildings, Saint Sava did not spare funds for interior decorations and utensils for the main Vatopedi Church of the Annunciation; all these jewels remained here as a memory for posterity of the great benefactor of St. mountains that came from the land of Serbia. The thought of bringing his pious father Stefan Nemanja to Athos did not leave Saint Sava. He finally decided to write an eloquent message to his parents, in which he urged his father to leave the earthly kingdom and seek the path to the Kingdom of Heaven, taking on an angelic form and moving to the holy mountain with him. Stefan Nemanja had been thinking about this for a long time; For a long time he had wanted to renounce worldly power and everything worldly and accept monasticism. Now, after the eloquent persuasion of his son, he decided to carry out his intention. Having consulted with his like-minded pious wife Anna, Stefan Nemanja called his son Stefan and, in the presence of nobles and authorities from all over the state, entrusted him with power over Serbia, appointed him great zupan, and he himself announced his intention to renounce the world. Saying goodbye to his nobles and servants, he richly rewarded and endowed everyone, gave freedom to the unfree and provided for the poor. Having thus broken all worldly ties, he pronounced monastic vows and, with the name of Simeon, took tonsure at the hands of his bishop Callinicus in his homestead, in the Studenitsky monastery, which he himself built. His wife Anna followed his example and also took monastic vows from the same bishop and settled in one of the nunneries. The first time after his tonsure, the new royal monk Simeon spent in the Studenitsky monastery, learning the monastic rule and fulfilling the first monastic obediences. Many of the nobles, competing with the piety of their sovereign, did not want to remain in the world, took monastic vows and decided to accompany their former sovereign on a new path; when Simeon decided to go to Athos, they followed him. Going to the holy mountain, Simeon took with him a lot of gold, clothes, horses and all kinds of harness, and other things, and when he arrived at the Vatopedi monastery, he brought all this as a gift to the monastery in which he was supposed to settle and where his son Savva was waiting for him. Touching and wonderful was the picture of the meeting of two royal monks - the still young Sava and his elderly father, now bearing the name Simeon. Such an extraordinary event excited the entire Mount Athos. Everyone wanted to see these wonderful monks, starting with the proto-holy mountain and ending with the simplest ascetics: even from the most remote inaccessible rapids and caves, ascetics and silent ones, who had never left their shelters, rushed to Vatopedi, wanting to enjoy the wonderful and extraordinary spectacle of these two royal monks coming to their mountain to asceticize with them. And not only the Athonite ascetics heard and looked with amazement at such servants of God: the news about them, of course, reached the reigning city, and not only everyone was amazed at this incident, but many of the nobles and noble people followed their example. The new newcomer to Athos, the royal monk Simeon, could immediately see all those ascetics whom he had known for a long time. And he did not leave anyone without his mercy and beneficence. Having distributed a lot of alms to the poor, he sent his offerings of gold and church things to all the monasteries of Athos as a memory of himself. He especially gifted the Vatopedi monastery, which accepted him as one of its brethren, by presenting to the abbot a large sum of gold and many vestments and other church things for the church, as well as horses, mules and harnesses for the monastic needs. Elder Simeon, weakened by illness, wishing, however, to hear the church service, built a cell with a window into the altar on the side of the altar of the main Church of the Annunciation, and through this window he saw and listened to church services every day. Meanwhile, Saint Sava, caring for his parent and not abandoning his usual daily monastic deeds, widely developed his charitable and construction activities on the holy mountain. Paying attention to the Church of St. Stephen, destroyed by robbers and deserted, he restored it, equipped it with everything necessary so that monks could live there, and transferred this monastic refuge to the jurisdiction of the Vatopedi monastery. When developing this monastery, he took care of the construction of a fortress and a watchtower (pyra) to protect against attacks by robbers. Many pilgrims from near and far countries came to the Vatopedi Monastery; there were many people who worked for the monastery out of diligence. All these people often had nothing and could only eat monastic alms. The philanthropic Savva took the needs of these people to heart: he made a large contribution to the Vatopedi treasury so that all these people would not suffer need, would always have food and drink, without burdening the monastery. There were many who came to the monastery only because they had heard about unusual, famous ascetics and wanted to see them. And Savva favored all such from his own means; there were many petitioners, and not one was left unsatisfied. Saint Sava created chambers in the Vatopedi monastery, one with the name of his father Simeon, the other with his own name; these chambers remained forever in their memory. He updated and restored everything that was dilapidated and abandoned at the monastery. Saint Sava, having surveyed many metochia on Athos and within its borders, i.e. monastic lands, desolate and uncultivated by anyone, decided to purchase them for the Vatopedi monastery: having asked the permission of the Byzantine emperor, he built them, populated them and strengthened them for the monastery that received him and his parent. Meanwhile, Elder Simeon, having lived for some time in Vatopedi, decided to fulfill his long-standing desire - to survey the entire holy mountain, venerate the holy churches, visit the ascetics and talk. Together with Saint Savva, they first of all went to the Kareya monastery, where the priest of Mount Athos lived. Having received his blessing and venerated the shrines, Simeon and Savva richly endowed the monastery with money and, especially, precious things: church vessels and other utensils, vestments, and coverings. For such sacrifices, both were forever recorded in the synodik as the second ktitors of the monastery, for the first ktitor was the Greek king Michael, who created a church in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos in gratitude for healing from illness. In a similar way, Simeon and Savva visited the Lavra of the Iveron Blessed Virgin Mary, called Portatissa, and the great Lavra of St. Athanasius of Athos. And these monasteries were enriched by their contributions, and in them both Serbian benefactors were recorded as second ktitors. Visiting monasteries and deserts, making rich contributions, Simeon and Savva gave gifts to monks everywhere and generously distributed alms to all those in need. During this journey, Serbian monks were looking for a place where they could build their monastery. But this required permission from the Greek king. The opportunity to ask for this soon presented itself. The abbot of Vatopedi was faced with an urgent need to go to Constantinople to see the emperor on monastic affairs. At a meeting with the monks, the abbot asked Savva to go to Constantinople in his place. Savva readily agreed. In Constantinople he was favorably received by Tsar Alexei 503, to whom Stefan Nemanja was a matchmaker. The king, of course, had long known about Nemanja’s tonsure and his stay on Mount Athos, and therefore asked in detail about their life. Having given Savva great honor, the king sent rich gifts to Simeon. The king favorably granted all the requests of the Vatopedi monastery. In this case, Savva turned to the king with a personal request: to give him and his father a deserted small monastery on Mount Athos, named Hilandar. The king willingly gave them consent to this, granted them the monastery with all the monasteries that belonged to it and approved this with a charter. Returning to Athos, Savva happily told his parent about his success. Having received possession of their Hilandar, they annexed it to the Vatopedi monastery, in which they lived, and began to build it. This acquisition satisfied Simeon and Savva personally, but did not satisfy their Serbian compatriots, who flocked to Athos in large numbers to worship the shrine. One of these pious admirers turned to Saint Sava with advice about the establishment of such a monastery on Athos, which would be a permanent and independent refuge for their fatherland, and in which those who wished from Serbia could take monastic vows and practice asceticism. Such advice was to the heart of Saint Sava, who passionately loved his fatherland and was concerned about its benefits. He informed his parent, elder Simeon, about this, who also approved of this intention. Savva turned to the abbot of the Vatopedi monastery to cede to them a deserted place to build cells for the Serbs and to establish a special monastery for them. But the abbot, fearing that such benefactors would leave Vatopedi, did not agree to this request. Then Savva and Simeon turned with their request to the protos of Mount Athos and the general council of the Athos monasteries. The cathedral, headed by the protome, readily agreed to satisfy the request and offered to choose any free place to build a monastery for the Serbs. And so the elderly Simeon, together with Savva, again set off to travel around Mount Athos. Unable to ride a horse due to his old age, Simeon traveled on a stretcher mounted between two horses. They saw many beautiful places, but still did not find anything better than their beloved Hilandar. When they returned from the trip and conveyed their thought to the Vatopedi abbot, he now agreed, fearing that the royal monks would become angry and leave the Vatopedi monastery completely. Then Saint Sava began the final construction of the monastery. First of all, he renewed and expanded the ancient main church of Hilandar in the name of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Around the monastery he built a fortress wall with a high pier, or tower. Inside the walls, he erected vast chambers for the residence of monks. Wanting to expand the monastery’s possessions, he asked the archpriest and all the Svyatogorsk residents for permission to annex the town of Maleya to Hilandar. Having magnificently decorated all the buildings, Saint Sava, together with his father Simeon, moved from Vatopedi to permanent residence in Hilandar, and here both began to labor. Wanting to better secure the recreated monastery for himself and for Serbia, Savva, after consulting with his parent, again went to Constantinople to visit Tsar Alexei. Received favorably by the king, he told him about everything that had been arranged by them on Athos, and asked to once again strengthen their creation for them and for their fatherland Serbia, and at the same time asked the king for his personal participation in this enterprise. The king was sympathetic, approved all their acquisitions and on his own behalf granted their possession to his royal monastery on Athos, named Zig, and approved them with a charter. Hilandar, with all the acquisitions and grants attached to it, was ranked among the royal stauropegial monasteries, and was thus placed in a special preferential position on Athos. Great was the joy of Saint Sava and his father, Elder Simeon, when Sava returned with such success from the tsar and presented the royal letters to the prot and the cathedral of the Holy Mountain residents, who now, according to the will of the tsar, transferred the Zig monastery into the possession of Hilandar. Soon new acquisitions were made; The monastery of holy confessors was purchased from the Cathedral of Elders. In favor of Hilandar, the founders granted many metochia, or profitable estates, in their homeland of Serbia. So, under the common name of Hilandar, up to fourteen separate monasteries and estates on Mount Athos were united, which, together with monetary contributions, ensured a completely comfortable life for two hundred monks from the Serbian people. In order to secure the Hilandar monastery for Serbia in the future, it was transferred by the founders to the jurisdiction of the Great Serbian Župan Stefan, the eldest son of Simeonov and brother of Saint Sava, as the hereditary possession of the Serbian sovereigns. Thus the cherished desires of St. Simeon and Savva regarding the creation of a monastery for Serbs on Mount Athos. Provided financially and glorified by the exploits of Simeon and Sava, Hilandar for a long time became the focus of Christian enlightenment not only for the Serbs, but also for other Orthodox Slavs. Saint Sava organized monastic life in Hilandar according to the rules of cenobitic monasteries and wrote his own charter, which he left for the leadership of subsequent generations of ascetics. On the holy mountain there were not only cenobitic monasteries, but also various other forms of asceticism. Many monks chose skete asceticism for themselves: gathering in twos and threes, the monks indulged in feats of silence and contemplation of God. Saint Sava, diligently studying various types of monastic asceticism and trying to test himself in all of them, wanted to asceticize in the monastery. Hermitage asceticism was especially widespread near the monastery, which bore the name Karey. Here Saint Sava bought a place and established a sychastaria, or “silence”, in it, built a church in the name of St. Savva the Sanctified, Jerusalem, for two or three ascetics to stay with her. In this sychastarium, he himself lived for some time in the exploits of silence and contemplation of God and wrote a charter for asceticism here; this charter served to guide the ascetics in subsequent times. Meanwhile, his elderly father Simeon was approaching his departure from this life. The Monk Savva, who constantly had unremitting care for his parent, did not leave him before his death. Once, Savva stayed awake all night in prayer, foreseeing the death of the elder. Leaving one of the monks at his father’s bed, he himself went to the morning service. Soon he was called to his father and saw that he was preparing for his death. Savva took his father off the bed and, as a sign of great humility, laid him on the floor on a matting and carried him on it to the church porch, or porch. Here Elder Simeon, awakening as if from a dream, began to bless his son and the brethren of the Hilandar monastery gathered around him. At this time, some noise was heard and Elder Simeon began to sing the psalm: “Let every breath praise the Lord,” from beginning to end. Everyone heard the angelic singing, and the elder sang along with the angels - and then gave up the ghost. There were sobs about the death of the ever-blessed one, and Savva shed tears of joy and sorrow together: joy because he was honored to see the blessed death of the old man, sorrow because he lost his parent and companion. After the solemn funeral service, the body of the deceased was laid in a marble shrine in the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos of Hilandar. Before his death, the elder bequeathed to his son Savva to eventually transfer his remains to his fatherland Serbia, which was later carried out. Now the Monk Savva was again left alone on Athos and indulged in spiritual exploits, constantly remembering his late parent in his prayers. More than once in night visions the deceased appeared to Savva, consoled him, revealed his stay in the heavenly abodes and predicted that he, Savva, would have to organize the works of faith and piety in their fatherland. As before and with even greater zeal, Savva devoted himself to charitable causes. He constantly distributed alms to the poor and the poor, helped the poor, looked for needy ascetics and supported them; he could not refuse any request for help in building or renewing and maintaining churches and monasteries, and not only on Athos, but also in other, often remote places. Sometimes his usual means, which he received in various ways from his fatherland, became scarce. But then help from above appeared to him. This is the miracle that happened to Saint Savva through the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. More than once Saint Sava visited Constantinople and, as usual, did charity to monasteries and churches. He especially had a love for the church of the Most Holy Theotokos Evergetissa, or Benefactor. Even during his father’s lifetime, he made a great contribution to the commemoration of their family; then he and his parents began to pay an annual rent for the benefit of this church; finally, Saint Sava, at his own expense, built an extension to the monastery in order to have a place to stay during his visits to Constantinople. During one of these visits, a pious and good-looking woman appears to him and says that by Divine will she was commanded to reveal to Savva that on the holy mountain within the boundaries of the Hilandar monastery, in two places in the ground, treasures are hidden that he can use for his needs. The biography of Saint Sava expresses the opinion that Sava received this revelation from the Most Holy Theotokos Herself, but, out of his humility, he did not reveal this. Upon returning to the holy mountain, the Monk Savva took advantage of the instructions he had received and actually opened treasures in two places, but he took them not for his own self-interest, but for the sake of alms to the poor and beggars and to support the Svyatogorsk churches and ascetics. Athos monasteries, especially seaside ones, were often harassed and ravaged by sea robbers, or corsairs. Once they captured the Caracal monastery, plundered the treasures and captured the monks along with the abbot for sale, at least into slavery. The corsairs led the captives to the Lavra of St. Athanasius of Athos, counting on a ransom. The Lavriots bought them from the robbers, but under the condition of depriving the Caracalla monastery of independence and subordinating it, like a metochium, to the Lavra. After this, the ransomed abbot and brethren were mercilessly removed from Caracalla. Then they turned to the constant benefactor Savva, who, taking the plight of the monks to heart, again bought the Caracal monastery from the Lavra with all its rights, returned the exiles there and, having restored the monastery after the robbery, supplied it with everything necessary for the resumption of worship and peaceful monastic life. In a similar way, he restored the monastery of the holy forty martyrs, called Xiropotamus, which had been desolate from the devastation of robbers, richly decorated it with paintings and supplied it with everything necessary. Saint Sava thus appeared as the new ktitor of the monastery and established here forever the commemoration of his sovereign family. From year to year, Saint Sava organized a solemn commemoration of his parent in Hilandar on the day of his death. Then, at his invitation, monks from all the monasteries of Athos gathered together with the priest at their head. By revelation from above, the pious Savva knew that his parent had joined the ranks of the saints behind the grave and prayed to the Lord to glorify him before people on earth, hoping and believing that his pious desire would not remain in vain. On the eve of one of the yearly memorial festivities for Elder Simeon, Saint Sava, after the evening service, turned to the prot with a request to pray to the Lord the next morning at Simeon's tomb for his glorification and handed him the keys to the church, while he himself with his Serbian companions retired for the morning service to another church in a pier, or tower. During the Great Doxology at Matins, an extraordinary fragrance suddenly spread throughout the church, bringing all who were in the church into sweet spiritual joy; and they saw then that the withered bones of Elder Simeon from the marble coffin exuded fragrant myrrh. They reported this to the priest serving Matins, who hastened to inform Saint Sava about this. With great joy, Savva hurried with his brothers to the tomb of Elder Simeon and saw with his own eyes the great mercy of God, which shamelessly justified his ardent faith. With tears of tenderness, he kissed the crayfish, which miraculously exuded the blessed myrrh. Many sick people or those possessed by unclean spirits received healing by being anointed with fragrant myrrh and touching the shrine of the relics. As a result of these miracles, the council of Athonite monks ranked the new miracle worker among the former saints and ordered him to be celebrated together with Saint Simeon the God-Receiver. The cathedral instructed Saint Sava to compile stichera and a canon and describe the working of miracles, which he soon accomplished. They celebrated three days in Hilandar on the occasion of the glorification of St. Simeon. Saint Sava prepared a hearty meal for all those gathered for the celebration and sent them away, generously giving gifts to everyone. Saint Sava labored for many happy years, but still remained a simple monk. Protestant of the holy mountain, Dometius, who especially revered and loved Savva, had long urged him to accept holy orders, but Savva, considering himself unworthy, refused for a long time. Finally, persuaded by the arguments of Dometius, he decided to accept initiation first as a deacon, and then as a priest, which was done by the bishop of the nearby city of Ierisso, Nicholas, who was invited to Hilandar, who had the right to ordain the priesthood on Athos. After some time, Saint Sava went on monastery business to the city of Thessaloniki, where he stayed at the Philokalia monastery, of which he was a benefactor and was considered a ktitor. Metropolitan Constantine of Thessaloniki, who had heard a lot about Savva from Bishop Nicholas of Ieris, after repeated conversations, called upon Savva to serve in the cathedral church along with himself and Bishops Nicholas of Ieris, Michael of Kassandra and Demetrius of Adramit. These cathedral hierarchs blessed him to wear the legguard and elevated him to the rank of archimandrite. With this new honor he returned to Hilandar. The saint reported in detail about everything that happened on Athos to his sovereign brother, the great zhupan Stefan, in Serbia; He also sent myrrh from the tomb of the newly-minted miracle worker - their parent - and a description of miracles and a service. The sovereign Stephen received these messages with great joy; All Serbia rejoiced with him. Stefan fervently desired the transfer of the relics of Simeon to Serbia in accordance with the will of the saint himself. During the disasters caused by the internecine war raised against him by his brother Volkan, Stephen wrote an extensive letter to Saint Sava, fervently urging him to come to Serbia and transfer the holy myrrh-streaming relics of Simeon, with deep faith that their grace-filled power would contribute to the pacification of the fatherland through their prayers. Saint Sava did not hesitate to fulfill his brother’s request and at the same time the will of his father. Raising St. relics, he carried them to Serbia, accompanied by many Athonite ascetics. Before reaching the borders of Serbia, he warned his brother about the approach of St. relics. Stephen, accompanied by the spiritual clergy, dignitaries and people, came out to meet him. Great was the general joy at this meeting, when they saw the return to the fatherland of the illustrious relics of the former great zhupan - the father and his son, Archimandrite Savva, blooming with virtues. Stefan warmly kissed the relics and embraced his brother after such a long separation. The holy relics of Simeon were placed in the Studenitsky monastery that he built, in which he took monastic vows and abundantly exuded myrrh, which miraculously healed ailments and instilled spiritual joy in all those who came with faith. Saint Sava, together with the Athonite monks who accompanied him, also settled in the Studenitsky Monastery to the general joy of his compatriots. While staying here, as well as visiting monasteries, towns and villages, Savva constantly taught everyone faith and piety. Everyone saw with consolation how peace and silence were established in the fatherland, how faith and good morals were strengthened. The enmity between the brothers subsided, and Volkan submitted to his brother. According to custom, Saint Sava gave alms, did good to churches, restored old ones and created new ones, as he did on Athos, where even now he ardently wanted to return, despite the good he had brought to his fatherland, visible to everyone. He more than once turned to his sovereign brother Stephen with a request for leave to the holy mountain; but Stefan fervently urged his brother to stay with him and serve for the benefit of the church and faith. He invited Saint Sava to accept the abbess at the Studenetsky Monastery, to which he had every right, as he had already been ordained to the rank of archimandrite. After some hesitation, Savva agreed to rule the monastery dear to both brothers and all Serbs, indulging in vigilant activity in building churches and planting faith and piety everywhere. Together with his brother Stephen, Saint Sava decided to found the new Spas Monastery of Zhichu (in honor of the Ascension of the Lord), which later became the cathedral monastery of the Serbian archdiocese. Establishing both this and other monasteries, Saint Sava introduced into them those customs of asceticism that he had seen on Athos: cenovia, laurels, sychastaria. Wanting the name of God to be glorified everywhere in his fatherland, Saint Sava tried to create as many churches as possible, and where this could not be achieved, there he erected at least a holy cross, looking at which everyone would remember the Crucified One. Already during his lifetime, Saint Sava was granted the gift of miracles. So, one day in the Studenitsky monastery he saw a paralytic who, in a helpless state, begged for alms along the road, chanting the psalms of David. Savva shed tears about human weakness, carried the paralytic to the church before the icon of Spasov and offered up a fervent prayer for the sick man, anointed him with myrrh from the shrine of St. Simeon and absolved him of his sins. The weakened one rose healthy. The news of this miraculous healing spread everywhere, the sick from different places hurried to the Studenitsa monastery and resorted to the prayers of Saint Sava for healing. Savva prayed, anointed the sick with myrrh from his parent’s cancer, and the sick received healing. The activities of Sava and the fame of the new myrrh-streaming miracle worker Simeon attracted attention to Serbia and surrounding countries. In those difficult times, many sought refuge with the Serbian Great Zupan Stefan and found protection. The miraculous prayer of Saint Sava also concerned such people. The Bulgarian boyar Strez, a relative of the Bulgarian Tsar Kaloyan, who died during the campaign against Thessaloniki during the occupation of Constantinople by the Latins, fled to the great Serbian Župan Stefan. The new Bulgarian Tsar Boris (or Boril) demanded the extradition of Strez, as a relative of the former Tsar. Stefan not only did not betray the fugitive who was seeking protection, but provided him with all kinds of protection and even gave him possession of the city of Prosek, on the Vardar River, with the region. Strez, however, turned out to be ungrateful and cruel. He tortured his subjects and finally led a rebellion against Stephen. A bloody battle was about to take place. Saint Sava was deeply upset and used his measures to prevent bloodshed. He boldly went to the camp of Stresa and, surprisingly, was favorably received by this cruel ruler, who met him and knew him at the court of Stephen. Savva tried in every possible way to convince him not to shed blood in vain, to abandon his intention, to remember the good deeds of Stephen and the alliance of the said brotherhood concluded with him before the Holy Gospel in the church. The cut remained stubborn. Then Savva said that God would judge between him and Stefan, and left. At night, Savva turned with fervent prayer to the Lord, so that He would direct the weapon of the ungrateful Strez against himself. And that same night, an unknown, formidable young man appears to Strez, takes Strez’s gun and, having struck him, disappears. Strez lets out screams and begs to call Savva to him, considering the one who struck him to be Savva’s messenger. But Savva left the camp and was not found. Strez died, and his squad quickly dispersed; the bloodshed was stopped. Saint Sava did a lot of useful and beneficial work in his fatherland, which he dearly loved. But his love for the holy mountain was strong, for which he yearned and constantly strived to return there. He expressed this desire to his brother Stefan many times, who listened to these statements with grief and tried in every possible way to keep Savva with him. Savva stayed, but then again asked for leave, and finally made up his mind. With sadness, the sovereign Stephen accompanied him to the Greek borders, without losing, however, the hope that this removal would again be only temporary; all his compatriots lamented as they saw off Savva. As sad as Savva’s farewell from Serbia was, so joyful was his meeting on Mount Athos not only by the monks of the Hilandar monastery, but also by all the inhabitants of the Holy Mountains. With new zeal, Savva again began to asceticize on the holy mountain, indulging in solitude, silence and contemplation of God. But at the same time, he continued his works of charity, without which he could never live anywhere: again he looked after the poor, gave alms to the poor, did good to churches and helped ascetics. Several years passed like this. In Serbia they regretted Sava's removal and desired his return. Brother Stefan wrote to him about this more than once. Savva remained, however, adamant. But then an event occurred that made everyone especially desire Sava’s return to the fatherland: suddenly the flow of the world from the shrine of Saint Simeon stopped. Everyone saw the wrath of God in this and fervently desired Sava’s prayers at Simeon’s tomb. Horrified, Stefan wrote a convincing message to Sava, begging him to come to Serbia and, together with him and with all the people, to pray at the tomb of the myrrh-streaming elder Simeon for the return of the grace of myrrh-streaming. Saint Sava heeded this prayer, but this time he did not personally go to Serbia, but sent a certain monk Hilary, handing him an ardent prayer message to his holy reposed parent Simeon, which was to be read at the tomb of the saint in the presence of the sovereign Stephen and the people after the service and prayer service. In his message, the son by nature addressed Simeon - like a father to a spiritual son, for during his lifetime Elder Simeon recognized Savva as such, who persuaded him to leave the world and choose the monastic path to salvation. Monk Hilary did everything as Savva indicated. After reading Savva’s message at Simeon’s shrine, a fragrance suddenly spread throughout the church and the blessed myrrh began flowing from the shrine again, immediately bringing healing to the sick. Everyone warmly thanked the Lord God for his great mercy and marveled at the spiritual power of his ascetic Savva. This miracle brought comfort and encouragement to all of Serbia. In those days, great events took place in the Orthodox East, which suffered grievously from the Latins. The reigning city of Constantinople was taken in 1204 by the Latins. The Greek king and patriarch had to look for another place in order to try to restore the devastated kingdom and establish much-suffered Orthodoxy. The neighboring Orthodox powers of Bulgaria and Serbia had their own troubles and needs, and the Serbian and Bulgarian sovereigns tried diligently to defend both their independence in these difficult times and pure Orthodoxy. Saint Sava knew better than any of his Slavic contemporaries the state of affairs, troubles and needs in the Orthodox East. Just as in the favorable days of the Greek kingdom he often visited Constantinople and had relations with the kings, so now, in times of disaster, he did not stop relations with the Greek king and patriarch. King Theodore Laskaris and the patriarch then resided in Asia Minor, in the city of Nicaea, glorified by the first and seventh holy ecumenical councils that took place there. Saint Sava had many needs to appear to the Tsar and Patriarch both on the affairs of the Hilandar Athos Monastery and on needs from his fatherland, Serbia. He decided to go to Nicaea. Tsar Theodore Laskaris was in close family relations with the Serbian great zupan: the son of Stephen, therefore, the nephew of Saint Sava, was married to the daughter of Tsar Theodore Laskaris. The Serbian royal house, starting with Stefan Nemanja, at that time already the glorified Saint Simeon, was related to the previous sovereigns and was respected by them. Now the relations between the Serbian and Greek sovereigns became especially close, both due to family relations and the common needs of protecting freedom and Orthodoxy from the Latins. It is not surprising, therefore, that Saint Sava was received in Nicaea by the king and patriarch not only favorably, but very cordially. All of Sava’s requests regarding the affairs of the Hilandar monastery were fully satisfied. But the thoughts and concerns of Saint Sava were not limited only to the Hilandar monastery: they were no less focused on the needs and benefits of the fatherland, on its independence and independence, state and church. The wise Sava found that now was a favorable time for Serbia to acquire ecclesiastical independence. Having finished with the affairs of the Hilandar monastery, Saint Sava turned to Tsar Theodore with an important request regarding the Serbian church. He eloquently and in detail set forth the state of faith in his fatherland; pointed out the concerns and successes in preserving and maintaining the purity of Orthodoxy in those difficult times when the wicked Bogomil heresy was spreading in the Orthodox East among the Southern Slavs and Greeks, and when the Latins attacked both the Greeks and the Orthodox Slavs from the West. But in order for these concerns and successes in the matter of faith to be lasting, it was necessary, as Savva argued, for Serbia not to have one bishop supplied by the Constantinople Patriarch, as was hitherto, but an archbishop, independent or autocephalous, who would himself establish dioceses and appoint bishops to them together with the Serbian spiritual council. Such an important request initially embarrassed the Tsar and the Patriarch. But after reflection and reasoning, both the Tsar and the Patriarch admitted that by satisfying such a request, they would bring both Serbia and themselves great benefits: Serbia, having received an independent archbishop and established new dioceses, will be easier to defend and affirm Orthodoxy and will not succumb to the temptations of Latinism, but together will rise among neighboring states; Greece, in gratitude for this benefit, will receive in the person of the Serbian sovereign a friend and ally in the fight against the enemies of the empire. When in this way this important issue was basically resolved favorably for Serbia, Saint Sava asked to elevate one of the elder hieromonks accompanying him to the rank of Archbishop of Serbia. But neither the tsar nor the patriarch found it possible to act according to Sava’s proposal: they said that they did not want to elevate anyone to this high rank except the petitioner and intercessor himself. This turn of events was completely unexpected for the humble Savva: he did not even think about it. But the will of the king and patriarch was adamant. According to custom, having prayed to the Lord God and heeding the convictions of both the king and the patriarch, and his companions, Savva saw the will of God in this and agreed. The king ordered that everything necessary for the installation of an autocephalous archbishop in the high rank of autocephalous archbishop be given from his treasury. And so the Ecumenical Patriarch Herman, on the feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos in 1222, ordained Savva as Archbishop of Serbia in the presence of the Tsar and nobles. Kindly treated, respected by his high rank and richly endowed by the Tsar and Patriarch, Savva set off on his way back. By sea he reached the holy Mount Athos. The news of Sava's elevation to archbishop warned his return. All the Athonite ascetics, from the archpriest to the last hermit, tried and hurried to receive the blessing from the newly ordained one and to greet him. The joy was especially great in the Hilandar monastery, but at the same time there was sadness: it was necessary, perhaps, to part forever with the great founder of the monastery and the irreplaceable leader of the monks. The archpriests and abbots of all the most important Athonite monasteries, one after another, asked Savva to visit their monasteries, perform hierarchal service and ordain some to the rank of deacon and priest. Saint Sava fulfilled these requests with care: it was gratifying to his soul to again visit the monasteries that he so revered and loved, and to pray in them. Having instructed for the last time the brethren of his Hilandar monastery to live according to its statutes and covenants, Saint Sava went to his fatherland, accompanied by a considerable number of monks from his disciples and associates, whom he intended to place later in Serbia in important spiritual positions. Savva was sad, parting with the holy mountain he loved so much, but was consoled by the knowledge of the height of the service to which he was going to his fatherland. Savva headed his way from Athos to the famous city of Thessaloniki. Here he first of all venerated the relics of the great martyr Demetrius the myrrh-streamer, and then went to the ruler of Thessalonica, Metropolitan Constantius, with whom he had long been in love and close friendship. Savva talked a lot with this Metropolitan about difficult matters of church government and sought advice and guidance from him. Saint Sava stayed in Thessaloniki for a considerable time, living in his monastery of Philokalia, to which he now brought new and rich gifts. The enlightened Savva devoted the time he spent here to bookmaking: to govern an independent church, he needed church and civil laws. He began purchasing such books in Greek, which Savva knew perfectly, and translating them into Slavic. The fruit of his labors was the publication of the Book of the Helmsman in the Slavic language, which was later used for church administration not only by Serbs, but by Bulgarians and Russians. Having thus prepared for his high service, Savva went to his fatherland, having first sent a message to his brother, the Great Zhupan of Serbia, Stefan, informing him of everything that had happened to him and of his return. Stefan and all of Serbia rejoiced at the return of Sava in the rank of archbishop. A solemn meeting was arranged for him on the Serbian border, in which, however, Stefan personally could not take part, since he was ill and in bed. Greeted with great joy by the nobles and the people, Savva arrived to his brother and with his prayer raised him from his sickbed, blessed him and kissed him brotherly. Immediately both brothers began to take care of the organization of the church. They decided to finish the previously founded monastery of Zhichu as soon as possible and establish an archbishop's see in it. Having seen his brother and taken the necessary initial measures regarding church affairs, Saint Sava went to the Studenitsky monastery to the tomb of his parent and brethren, whom he ruled before his journey to the east as an archimandrite. Having kissed the tomb of Saint Simeon, which abundantly exuded healing myrrh, Savva began teaching the monks and arranging church affairs. Now, invested with archbishop's power, he more resolutely began to continue the work of planting monastic asceticism in Serbia according to the models of the asceticism of Athos. He introduced order and regulations regarding both general church services, cell rules and all monastic behavior. Already earlier, Saint Savva, together with his brother Stephen, laid the foundation of a new monastery in Zhich with the great Church of the Ascension of the Lord. Here it was decided to approve the Serbian archbishopric see. Savva went here and began to quickly complete the construction and decoration of the monastery. The very first and main concern of Saint Sava, who had now become an archbishop, was the establishment of the Serbian church. Sava divided the entire space of the Serbian possessions into twelve dioceses and appointed bishops for them, choosing worthy persons mainly from his students and associates. He taught the newly installed bishops how to rule the flock, and handed them books of laws for church government. After some time, Sava assembled a general Serbian church council of bishops from black and white clergy and laity to strengthen the true Orthodox faith. At that time in Serbia there was a lot of disorder in the matter of faith: there was also the wicked Bogomil heresy, there were also remnants of paganism, and there were many different disorders and vices among Christians. At the council, Saint Sava delivered an extensive and eloquent teaching on the establishment of Orthodoxy. The Orthodox confession of faith was again expounded, heresies were discussed and measures were taken to eradicate various superstitions, disorder and vices. By the way, it turned out that there were many who lived in marital cohabitation, but without a church wedding; many lived like this for a long time and already had children, even adults. Saint Sava chose worthy ones from among his disciples, appointed them archpriests and sent them around the country to marry those husbands and wives who remained without a wedding, and it was ordered that their adult children be married together with their parents. The same archpriests were tasked with eradicating other shortcomings in the spiritual life of the country. The Serbian sovereign hitherto bore the title of great župan, while neighboring sovereigns had the titles of tsars or kings. Savva's brother Stefan, in accordance with the strength and importance of his state, wanted to be crowned with a royal crown. This was now quite possible, since Serbia had an independent hierarch who could perform the wedding ceremony. This is what Saint Sava did in the cathedral church of the Zhichi monastery. Since the kings of neighboring states received the crown from the Pope, for the sake of recognition of the Serbian sovereign as the king by the neighbors, it was found necessary to turn to the Pope for consent, which followed and was expressed in sending the crown; but this circumstance did not lead to submission to the pope and did not harm Orthodoxy. The rise of Serbia was unpleasant for the neighboring King of Hungary, Vladislav, who was ready to go to war against the first-crowned King of Serbia, Stephen. Wanting to avoid bloodshed, Stefan asked his brother, Archbishop Sava, to go to the Hungarian king in order to settle the matter peacefully. Savva went and was received favorably; but the king did not want to make any concessions. Sava’s miraculous prayer, however, contributed to a good ending. The next miracle happened. Negotiations with the king took place on a hot day. Exhausted from the heat and thirst, Savva asked for some ice. But the ice turned out to have melted in the cellars. Then Saint Sava turned to the Lord with prayer, and suddenly a cloud appeared, lightning flashed, thunder struck and heavy hail fell, covering the earth. Savva ordered to collect hail into a vessel, blessed himself, tried it himself and offered it to the king, with the words: - Since your ice has melted, I turned to the Lord God with prayer, and He sent us this cooling gift! Everyone was surprised by this miracle and began to treat Saint Sava with reverence. The king changed his attitude towards Serbia; the thought of war was abandoned. Moreover, the king had such reverence and respect for Savva that he wanted to confess his sins to him and receive permission from him. Savva carefully fulfilled this and persuaded the king, not without success, to abandon Latinism and return to Orthodoxy. Returning to Serbia, Saint Sava told his brother everything, and both of them thanked God for these blessings. King Stephen the First Crowned reached old age and often fell into illness. He had an ardent desire to take on an angelic image before his death, to receive haircut from his brother Savva. But the archbishop rejected this request, saying that the time had not yet come. One day Stephen became very ill, and Saint Sava was away for a long time. They immediately sent for him. Savva immediately hurried to his sick brother; but on the road he was met by a new messenger, who said that the king had already died and there was no need to rush in too much - he was no longer alive. But Saint Sava, on the contrary, accelerated his path even more, grieving that he did not clothe his brother in an angelic image in time and praying to the Lord to preserve his brother among the living. So what? When Savva approached his brother’s bed with fervent prayer, he found signs of life in him, and Stefan immediately woke up. Saint Sava rejoiced, clothed Stephen in a great angelic image with the name of Simeon and gave him a dying kiss. King Stephen, monastically Simeon, quietly rested in the arms of his brother, Saint Sava. His ashes were laid in the Studenitsky monastery next to the shrine of his father, St. Simeon Nemanja. The Serbian throne was occupied by the eldest son of Stephen the First-Crown, Radoslav, whom Saint Sava solemnly crowned with a royal crown. For a long time Saint Sava had been burning with the desire to visit the holy land, venerate the Holy Sepulcher and walk through those places that were glorified by the life and death of our Savior. He also wanted to visit the famous Palestinian monasteries and see the life of Palestinian ascetics. Now Sava conveyed his thought and decision to his nephew, King Radoslav. It was hard for the king to part with his uncle, who could be his wise adviser and leader, but he did not dare refuse his request and let him go, providing him with a large sum of gold for the journey. Saint Sava went through the Adriatic coast, which belonged to Serbia, boarded his own ship and headed to the Holy Land. Having completed the voyage safely, he soon reached the holy city of Jerusalem, where he was lovingly received by the Jerusalem Patriarch Athanasius, and began to view the shrines and worship them in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. Together with the patriarch, he served in the great Church of the Resurrection, as well as with the blessing of the patriarch, and in other famous churches in Zion, in Bethlehem, Gethsemane, on Olivet, in Bethany. In all these churches, as well as other holy places he visited, Savva generously distributed alms and made sacrifices for the maintenance, construction and decoration of the holy churches. Saint Sava went to the Jordan to see the place of the Epiphany and to the cave church of John the Baptist, and from there again to Jerusalem through the monastery of Saint Gerasimos. After some rest, he went to the famous monastery of his namesake, Saint Sava the Sanctified, where he was received with honor by the brethren. From there he traveled to the Dead Sea, visited the caves of the silent ones and talked with them. He also visited the monastery of the Great Euthymius and Theodosius Kinoviarch. Returning to Jerusalem, from there he again traveled to different places: both to Nazareth and Tabor. Living in Jerusalem, visiting monasteries and other wonderful places, Saint Sava tried to acquire something useful both for himself and for his fatherland. He studied church statutes and rules, acquired books, and talked with enlightened hierarchs and ascetics about matters of church governance and spiritual salvation. Moreover, for his fatherland he acquired many holy relics and church utensils. Having surveyed the Holy Land and bowed to the shrines, Sava went to the Greek king John Vatatza, who was still in Nicaea, where Sava had previously visited the former king Theodore Lascaris, Vatatza’s father-in-law. Saint Sava was warmly received by the king, especially by the queen, who had previously seen Saint Sava under her parent and had great love and respect for him. The king and queen generously presented the Serbian archbishop with treasury and expensive utensils for the holy churches. Savva was released with honor on a royal ship with military guard. He went to the holy Mount Athos, where he visited Vatopedi, where he took monastic vows, Iver and the monasteries, but mainly stayed in his Serbian Hilandar monastery. All the inhabitants of the Holy Mountains were glad to see their former companion and brother on Athos. According to custom, Saint Sava generously did charity to churches, monks and the poor, both from his own funds and from those granted by the Greek king and queen. From the holy Mount Athos, Savva went to the city of Thessaloniki, where, independently of the Nicene king, Theodore, who also called himself king from the family of Angels, held power. Both for this ruler and for Serbia it was important to maintain peace in troubled times, and therefore Saint Sava was cordially received by Theodore and this visit by Sava to Thessaloniki brought considerable benefit to Serbia. From there Savva went to his fatherland. The news of this prompted the Serbian king Radoslav to come out to meet Sava, accompanied by the clergy, nobles and people. This meeting was joyful both for Saint Sava and for the Serbian people, led by the sovereign. Having rested from a long wandering in the Studenitsky monastery at the tomb of his parent, Saint Simeon the Myrrh-Bearer, Archbishop Savva diligently set about the affairs of faith and the church. First of all, he convened a spiritual council in the Studenetsk Lavra in memory of the death of his brother, Stephen the First-Crown, in the monasticism of Simeon. After the divine service and a special prayer service, Saint Sava ordered the relic of the deceased to be opened, in which the incorruptible relics were found, filling the church with fragrance. Great was the general joy about this new mercy of God. Then they decided to solemnly transfer the holy relics to the common sanctuary of Stephen the First-Crown and Saint Sava to the newly created Zhichu Cathedral Monastery. After this, Saint Sava went to survey the dioceses of his entire Serbian archdiocese, performing lordly judgment, correcting shortcomings, teaching faith and piety, and generously distributing alms to the poor and poor, and doing good to churches and monasteries. No one was left by Savva on this journey without teaching and guidance: both nobles, warriors, and ordinary people heard from him wise lessons of Christian life. But Saint Sava also had to experience severe grief. There was an internecine feud between King Radoslav and his younger brother Vladislav, who lawlessly rebelled against his older brother. King Radoslav at first enjoyed the love of the people, but then with some unkind deeds, especially in his family life, he aroused disfavour: many nobles abandoned him and took the side of his indignant younger brother. Radoslav was overthrown from the throne, expelled and fled to Drach on the Adriatic Sea, from where, having experienced violence from a Frankish Latin ruler, he had to flee. He found refuge and protection with his uncle, Archbishop Savva, who convinced him, after a stormy worldly life, to seek peace in monastic life: Radoslav was tonsured by Savva as a monk under the name of John and, having labored for a short time, died. After the death of Radoslav, Saint Sava crowned his youngest nephew Vladislav, now recognized by all Serbs, with the royal Serbian crown. Vladislav treated his uncle reverently, obeyed his instructions and strove to imitate his father and grandfather in acts of piety. With the blessing of Saint Sava, he built himself a sanctuary, the majestic Church of the Ascension of the Lord in Mileshevo. Saint Sava worked a lot and with love for the good of the Serbian Church, he did a lot of good and brought benefits as a bishop - archbishop; but his soul still yearned for distant holy places and exploits in hermitic solitude. And so, surrendering to his inner attraction, he decides to lay down the burden of the archbishopric and again set off on a journey to the east. He communicates his thoughts directly to Vladislav, the bishops and nobles. Everyone fervently begs him not to leave his flock, but Saint Sava remains adamant, he says that he must visit such holy places that he has not yet been, and then, returning, he will remain with them in silent asceticism until the end of his days. Having convened a church council, he chose the most worthy of his disciples, Hieromonk Arseniy, and ordained him Serbian archbishop in his place, and, having instructed his flock, he again set out on a long journey. And this time he made his way by sea from Dalmatia. There were many sea robbers everywhere on the seas at that time. A rumor spread that Savva was carrying great riches with him. The robbers lay in wait for Savva's ship and were ready to attack, but, through Savva's fervent prayer, his shipmen successfully avoided the robbers who were lying in wait and sailed to the safe harbor of Brindisi in Italy. The robbers repented and, arriving at the same pier, asked forgiveness from Saint Sava. Having set out on a further journey, the holy wanderer was exposed to new danger. A terrible storm arose. The shipbuilders refused to control the ship and waited only for help from above. All unanimously they turned to Savva, asking for his prayers and intercession. Savva fervently prayed to the Lord God, raising his hands to the sky against the wind, supported by the shipmen. And the Lord heard his prayer: suddenly the storm began to subside, and everyone gave thanks to the Lord God and Saint Sava. When they arrived in the coastal city of Palestine, Acre, Saint Sava stopped here at the courtyard of the Lavra of Sava the Sanctified, which he had previously bought from the Franks. The fame of the miracle of taming the storm at sea from the shipmen through Savva’s prayer spread among the people, and many sought to see the wonderful old man and receive a blessing from him. From Acre, Saint Sava headed to Jerusalem by sea on another ship through Greater Caesarea and Joppa, or Jaffa. In Jerusalem, he stopped at the monastery of St. John the Theologian, which he had previously bought and handed over to the monks of the Lavra of St. Sava the Sanctified. With the monks of this Lavra, who joyfully greeted him, he went to the Church of the Resurrection of Christ to venerate the shrine. There he met with the Jerusalem Patriarch Athanasius, who asked him in detail about the journey, about the homeland of Saint Sava, about war and peace in the countries he had passed through. Saint Sava took part in the service together with the patriarch, who on this occasion prophetically spoke to those present about the merits, benefits and miracles of Sava. Savva was already known in Jerusalem, and his new appearance here attracted many people to him, seeking his prayers and good deeds. Having established his residence in the monastery of St. John the Theologian, Saint Sava visited holy places and talked with ascetics, many of whom had long been known to him, especially in the Lavra of Saint Sava. But Savva did not limit himself to worshiping Jerusalem shrines. From Jerusalem he undertook several long journeys. So, he wished to visit Egyptian Alexandria. Here he was favorably and honorably received by the Patriarch of Alexandria, who already had some information about the famous Serbian archbishop, and now, during a personal meeting, asked in detail about his fatherland. Saint Sava in Alexandria visited the holy churches, venerated the shrines and made offerings everywhere, and in the patriarchal cathedral church he entered his family into the church synodik, making a rich contribution. They exchanged rich gifts with the patriarch. Having received from the patriarch trustworthy and knowledgeable leaders from among the monks, Saint Sava set off to travel through the deserts adjacent to Alexandria to see desert asceticism and talk with hermits; he visited Mareota and the Libyan deserts. With love and humility, he sought and accepted teachings from the silent ones, whose asceticism was glorified by everyone as the most perfect path to salvation. From there he went to Thebaid and the Black Mountain, famous for hermitage, visited some places in Syria and even Persia, and finally returned to Jerusalem. After some rest, he set off on a new journey - to Sinai. Having passed through the Jordan Valley, he reached Babylon, where he bowed to the tombs of three youths: Ananias, Azariah and Misail. The local sultan treated him favorably and gave him guides to the Sultan of Egypt, who also paid attention to Saint Sava and took him to Mount Sinai. In Sinai, Saint Sava was received cordially by the Bishop of Sinai and settled at the monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos. At Sinai, Saint Sava spent the entire Holy Pentecost in labors, worshiping shrines and studying the ascetic life there and praying in this holy place for his fatherland. From Sinai, Saint Sava returned to Jerusalem again. After some rest, he again examined all the shrines and bowed to them, and then began to prepare for a new journey. Having heartily said goodbye to Patriarch Athanasius of Jerusalem and to the abbot of the Lavra of Sava the Sanctified Nicholas, as well as to all the patriarchal clergy and brethren of the monasteries, Saint Sava headed to the city of Antioch, where he was cordially received by the Patriarch of Antioch. Having visited the holy churches in Antioch itself, Saint Sava traveled to venerate the tomb of Saint Simeon on the Wondrous Mountain. From Antioch, Savva headed to Constantinople through Armenia and Anatolia. He made the land journey safely, but at sea he suffered a serious illness. His companions trembled for his life and tried to persuade him to take food, because for several days he had not eaten anything; but Savva could not take any food except something fresh. But the shores were far away, and the ship’s helmsman rudely refused to stop for the designated purpose. Savva's companions informed him about this, but he reassured them, saying that everything was the will of God, and they should not complain. Suddenly, at that time, a wave threw a large live fish onto the ship to the very place where the sick Savva lay. Savva, pointing at her, said: - So the Lord God sent us what we needed! The fish was cooked, and everyone on the ship ate it. Saint Sava, having refreshed himself with fresh food, stood up completely healthy, and the helmsman, ashamed of what had happened, asked for forgiveness from the bishop. Arriving in Constantinople, Saint Sava, first of all, went to the monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos Evergetissa, where he had his own premises for his stay. Then from here he went to the middle of the city to the church of St. Andrew the Apostle, where he had negotiations on various matters with the Latin masters who then ruled Constantinople. From Constantinople, the usual route for Saint Sava lay, apparently, to the Holy Mountain, in order from there to return to the fatherland. But God was pleased to direct him differently. Saint Sava from Constantinople traveled by sea to the city of Mesemvria on the Black Sea, and from there he went to the Bulgarian capital, the city of Ternov, to his matchmaker, the Bulgarian king John Asen, whose daughter was married to the Serbian king Vladislav, the nephew of Saint Sava. The Bulgarian king arranged a solemn meeting for Savva and received him with great honor in the capital city of Ternov, providing his own chambers and servants for his use. On the eve of the feast of Epiphany, Saint Sava blessed Epiphany water in the cathedral church of the forty martyrs, and the next morning he served together with the Bulgarian Patriarch. Soon the Bulgarian king, having accepted the blessing of Saint Sava, left the city for the sake of hunting; Meanwhile, Saint Sava fell seriously ill and felt his death approaching. He gathered his disciples and companions around him and made his dying orders. During his travels around the East, he collected many shrines and precious things for his fatherland: holy relics, vessels, books, vestments and other church utensils; He received many of these items as gifts, and acquired many by purchase. He distributed all these treasures exactly what should be given where, and sent him ahead to his fatherland. Meanwhile, the disease intensified. One Saturday evening, Savva called his disciples and told them to rest for a while, because later they would have to stay awake more. At midnight, Saint Sava was filled with special spiritual joy and in fervent prayer to the Lord awaited his death, which soon followed in the presence of his disciples. Having reverently dressed the body of the deceased, the disciples began to take care of the burial. A notice was immediately sent to the Bulgarian Tsar, who ordered the Bulgarian Patriarch Joachim to solemnly bury Saint Sava in the Church of the Forty Martyrs in Ternov, which was done with glory and honor. On the occasion of the burial of the Serbian archbishop, the king ordered that a large sum of gold be distributed from his treasury to the poor and wretched. Saint Sava himself, before his death, also bequeathed contributions of both things and treasury for his burial and commemoration in the church of forty martyrs. A few years after the death of Saint Sava, his successor, Archbishop Arseniy of Serbia, and the Serbian king Vladislav decided to transfer the ashes of the late first Serbian archbishop from Ternov to the fatherland. The king sent an embassy to his father-in-law asking for permission to move the remains of the deceased shepherd. But the Bulgarian Tsar John, the patriarch and the people did not want to let go of the precious coffin for them either. They replied that if the coffin had remained neglected, the Serbs could have demanded that the ashes be transferred, while the tomb was located in the main church, richly decorated and surrounded by all kinds of care. Vladislav sent a second embassy, ​​but it was also unsuccessful. Then he decided to go to his father-in-law in person, accompanied by nobles and bishops. But Vladislav’s personal petition at first could not persuade the Bulgarian Tsar to release the body of Saint Sava. No matter how kindly and respectfully Tsar John received his son-in-law, he still did not want to part with the coffin, which was dear to the Bulgarians. Only a night vision sent from above to King John forced him not to resist the request of the Serbian king and people. After the vision, King John realized that this was the will of God, not human. The transfer of the ashes of Saint Sava was solemnly performed. When, in preparation for the ascent and transfer, they opened the coffin, they found the body incorruptible. Having carefully adapted everything for the long journey, after the prayer service, they raised the holy relics and set off on their journey. King Vladislav marveled at how quickly and favorably everything worked out, for the Bulgarian king, encouraged by the vision, although he decided to release Sava’s body, was still not completely freed from his displeasure. But soon after the relics were taken away, one relaxed monk named Neophyte lay down on the wooden planks that were near the tomb of Saint Sava; touching these trees brought him sudden healing. This miracle brought great joy to the Bulgarian people: the miraculous power of Saint Sava was preserved at the place of his burial even after his holy relics were taken away. And afterwards many miracles were performed at the place where the tomb of Saint Sava stood in the Church of the Forty Martyrs. When the procession with the holy relics approached the borders of Serbia, Archbishop Arseniy, with bishops and other clergy, as well as the boyars and many people, went out to the meeting, singing spiritual hymns with spiritual joy and joy. With a feeling of deep joy and consolation, everyone kissed the incorrupt relics of Saint Sava and solemnly brought them to the Mileshevo monastery, which had just been built by the Serbian king Vladislav as his soulmate. Here Vladislav had already prepared an honest coffin for the position of the relics of Saint Sava, to which many people began to flock from all over the Serbian land. A short time later, Saint Sava appeared to one of his disciples; Saint Sava declared that from the time the Lord took him from the earthly world, he should not live in a tomb, but lie in the church for everyone to see. Then they took his relics out of the ground again and placed them in a wooden ark and placed them in the middle of the great church. Saint Sava, during his long holy life, accomplished many good deeds both for individuals, and mainly for his fatherland Serbia, strengthening faith and piety in it, creating a church hierarchy and correct church government, giving an example and example of asceticism. He betrayed all his covenants in his numerous written works. And the people who lived with him at the same time and in all subsequent times, not only the Serbs, but also all Orthodox Christians, honored and honor this saint, the great benefactor and patron of the Serbian land and all Orthodoxy. You were the path leading to life, the mentor, and the first throne and teacher, since you came first to Saint Savvo, you enlightened your fatherland and, giving birth to it with the Holy Spirit, and like an olive tree in a mental paradise, you planted your all-sanctified children. Thus, as an Apostle and Holy Hierarch, we honor you with honor: pray to Christ God to grant us great mercy. As the great High Hierarch and the accomplice of the apostles, the Church glorifies you, your people, reverend, but as having boldness towards Christ God, with your prayers save us from all troubles, and we call you: Rejoice, Father Savvo the God-Wise. Life of St. Savva was written by his disciple, the Hilandar monk Dometian. It forms the basis of this presentation. Published by Danicic in the book “The Belly of Svetog Simeon and Svetog Savve. At Beograd. 1865". There is another life of an unknown author, written, however, soon after the Life of Dometian and containing some additional information. Published by the same Danichic in 1860, it was also taken into account, as well as Dometian’s Life of St. Simeon. Isaac Angel reigned from 1185 to 1195. Alexei Angel reigned from 1195 to 1203. You might be interested in: