The Charter of Despot Stefan to Vatopedi Monastery

O Lord, and marvelous are Thy works, and there is no word able to hymn Thy wonders” [Rev. 15, 3; cf. Ps. 146, 5].

Therefore I too, taking courage, although “I am not worthy of the wedding entrance” [cf. Mt. 22, 12], yet trusting in the commandment of the Lord that “if anyone gives a cup of cold water in His name, he shall not lose his reward” [cf. Mt. 10, 42], offer a small gift, like the widow her two mites [cf. Mk. 12, 41–44; Lk. 21, 1–4], to the All-Immaculate Sovereign Lady, the Theotokos, who helps me, and my protectress, and in my many tribulations and trials my swift deliverer, to Her venerable Temple of Vatopedi, which is on the Mountain of Athos, where venerable monks live in peace.

In the course of my life there came to us, to see us, the most venerable among monks, Abbot Hieromonk Lord Genadije, and the most venerable among monks, the former abbot Hieromonk Joakim, and the most venerable among monks, the Elder Akakije, and the most venerable among monks, the ecclesiarch Hieromonk Danilo, with other venerable elders, fulfilling the love which, guided by God, they had long held toward us. Then we granted a small gift, as has been said above, to be given from Novo Brdo, from my [the Ruler's] customs, sixty litrai of silver [about 20 kg] every year. And this shall be fulfilled to the Monastery without fail every year, from Christmas until [the next] same feast: at the feast of the Holy and Supreme Apostles Peter and Paul [at the end of June] thirty litrai [of silver] shall be given, and at Christmas - thirty litrai. And in the years to come, whoever shall be found holding my [the Ruler's] customs in the town of Novo Brdo is bound to fulfill this to the Monastery without any objection. But if anyone be found not fulfilling [this], but on that account causes the monk [who collects the contributions] the trouble [of coming] to my court, let such a one pay me sixty litrai of silver from his own property.

In connection with this I showed goodwill, for the repose of the brethren - who come from the aforementioned Holy monastery [of Vatopedi] - to grant a village in my realm, which I created and granted to the Novo Brdo metochion, the village of Koprivnica with all the boundaries and rights of that village. I have freed that village [from obligations]: from the soće, the building of fortresses, digging, plowing, carting, carrying, and from military service far away in my realm, except military service against the Turks and on the border of the Novo Brdo metochion.

All this written above I dedicate to the hope of my life and of the salvation of all, the Empress and Sovereign Lady of the aforementioned monastery of Vatopedi. And by the word given and by command I confirm that all this shall remain firm and unaltered through all the years of my life. And after my death, by the will of God, him whom God shall set to hold my throne - whether my son, or one of my kinsmen, or any one of the pious - him I entreat to preserve unaltered all that has been said above.

But if anyone destroy or alter anything of all that has been mentioned above, let such a one be accursed by the Lord God Almighty and by His All-Pure Mother of God, and by the power of the precious and life-giving Cross, and by the All-Praised supreme twelve apostles, and by the 318 Holy and God-bearing Fathers of Nicaea, and by All the Saints who have pleased God from all ages. Amen.