Greek Map
The Xiliandariou Monastery(Serbian)
It was founded by the ruler Serbs Stephen Nemania and his son Pastko and later he became a monk at the monastery and took the name Sabbas. The building complex is hidden by the rich vegetation. The monastery is dedicated to the Holy Mother. It was the spiritual center of Serbs for many centuries. During the Turkish occupation it was helped by the Czars of Russia and other rulers. It was put fire in 1722 and 1891. in 1896 the king of Serbia Alexander I visited the monastery and supported it financially. The buildings give the impression of a fort. The main church was built in the 14th century. It was painted in 1319-20. The murals were renovated in 1803-4. The marbles on the floor and the post-Byzantine woodcut temple (1774) are interesting. In the middle of the yard, there is a flask with holy water supported by 8 columns. It was constructed in 1784 and painted in 1847 by Makarios. The Table, a rectangular building, was painted by George Metrofanovits, a Serb monk (1623). Its chapels are 13. It has got a collection of portable icons, five precious stones depicting Christ; a cup belonging to the ruler Dousan, many embroidered vestments, two crosses with pieces at the Holy Cross, the Christ’s Shroud. The library includes 181 Greek codex and 809 Slavic ones(47 are on parchment). In the Records Room, the visitor can find 400 documents(165 of them are Byzantine), Greek golden bulls, 160 Serbian ones, 9 Russian ones, 2 Bulgarian ones, 31 Moldavian ones, and 70 Turkish firmans. It also includes 20.000 Greek and Slavic printed books. This monastery is a coenbium and it has got the 4th position.
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