Domentijan ( sr-cyr, Доментијан; c. 1210-after 1264), also known as Domentijan the Hilandarian (Доментијан Хиландарац), was a major figure in medieval Serbian literature and philosophy.
[Mateja Matejić and Dragan Milivojević, "An Anthology of Medieval Serbian Literature in English" (Columbus, Ohio, Slavica Publioshers, Inc., 1978), p. 55] He was a monk at the
Hilandar Monastery and a contemporary of
Saint Sava.
In fact, he accompanied St. Sava when the latter visited the Holy Land. He was much respected by the royal court, as well as by the monks on
Mount Athos
Mount Athos (; el, Ἄθως, ) is a mountain in the distal part of the eponymous Athos peninsula and site of an important centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism in northeastern Greece. The mountain along with the respective part of the penins ...
. Athonite scribe Teodore's account of his troubles, recorded on the pages of
John Exarch's ''
Hexameron'' (''Šestodnev''), which Teodore was copying at Domentijan's request, contains many references concerning Domentijan's humanity and assistance extended to him. The manuscript is now in the State Historical Museum in Moscow.
It may be concluded that Domentijan was essentially a hymnologist who wrote biographies to two Serbian saints but, in fact, glorified monasticism and Christianity.
Biography of St. Sava
Domentijan's biography of St. Sava, written c. 1253 (and an earlier one of St. Simeon Nemanja) was expressly written by order of the royal court of King
Stefan Uroš I, seven years after Sava's death. It is a work giving an account of St. Sava's life, yet it is also an apotheosis of monasticism. Domentijan's style is characterized by fluent narration, panegyric diction, an abundance of theological and mystical elements with an emphasis on a spiritual and clearly monastic point of view. Domentijan wrote it in the ''kellion'' (cell) built by Sava at
Karyes, the Athonite seat.
Biography of St. Simeon
For his biography of St. Simeon, Domentijan used material from works of previous authors and thus unintentionally preserved some of them until contemporary time.
He drew freely from Stefan the First-Crowned's biography of Stefan Nemanja; one-third of his own biography of St. Sava; and in the ''Panegyric to St. Simeon'', he used a few lines from Ilarion's ''Panegyric to St. Vladimir''.
Legacy
He is included in
The 100 most prominent Serbs.
Đura Daničić published Domentijan's texts in Belgrade in 1865.
adapted them to modern language in 1938.
See also
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John the Deacon
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Teodosije
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Danilo II, Serbian Archbishop
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Stefan Dušan
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Elder Siluan
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Teodosije the Hilandarian (1246-1328), one of the most important Serbian writers in the Middle Ages, and the next great Athonite in the Serbian literature of the 13th century.
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Elder Grigorije (fl. 1310-1355), builder of Saint Archangels Monastery
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Antonije Bagaš
Anthony Bagaš also known as Arsenije Bagaš ( sr, Антоније Багаш; fl. 1366 – 1385) was a Serbian nobleman from Kastoria who retreated to Mount Athos in between 1356 and 1366, where he later bought and restored the ruined Ath ...
(fl. 1356-1366), bought and restored the Agiou Pavlou monastery
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Lazar the Hilandarian
Lazar ( sr, Лазар, russian: Лазарь), also known as Lazar the Serb or Lazar the Hilandarian ( fl. 1404), was a Serbian Orthodox monk-scribe and horologist who invented and built the first known mechanical public clock in Russia in 1404. ...
(fl. 1404), the first known Serbian and Russian watchmaker
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Pachomius the Serb (fl. 1440s-1484), hagiographer of the Russian Church
*
Miroslav Gospel
Miroslav Gospel ( sr, Мирослављево jеванђеље / Miroslavljevo jevanđelje, ) is a 362-page Serbian illuminated manuscript Gospel Book on parchment with very rich decorations. It is one of the oldest surviving documents written ...
*
Gabriel the Hilandarian Gabriel the Hilandarian ( 1359–d. after 1412) was a Serbian monk- scribe. There is very little information available about Gabriel the Hilandarian, like most modest monks who lived in the 14th and early 15th century. It is known that he translated ...
*
Constantine of Kostenets Constantine of Kostenets ( bg, Константин Костенечки, Konstantin Kostenechki; born ca. 1380, died after 1431), also known as Constantine the Philosopher ( sr, Константин Филозоф), was a medieval Bulgarian scholar ...
*
Cyprian, Metropolitan of Kiev
Cyprian ( bg, Киприан, russian: Киприан, be, Кіпрыян, uk, Кипріан) (c. 1336 – 16 September 1406) was the Metropolitan of Kiev, Russia and Lithuania (2 December 1375–12 February 1376) and the Metropolitan of K ...
and All Rus'
*
Gregory Tsamblak
Gregory Tsamblak or Grigorij Camblak ( bg, Григорий Цамблак, sr-Cyr, Григорије Цамблак; c. 1365–1420) was a Bulgarian writer and cleric. He was the pretended Metropolitan of Lithuania between 1413 and 1420. A Bulga ...
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Isaija the Monk
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Grigorije of Gornjak
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Radoslav's Gospel
Radoslav's Gospel (also known as ''Leningrad Serbian Gospel'', ''Gospel of the Spiritual Visarion'', and ''Tetraevangelion of Inok from Dalša'') was created in 1429 by miniaturist Radoslav and celibate priest Feodor, a Serbian monk-scribe from D ...
(Inok of Dalša)
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Rajčin Sudić
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Romylos of Vidin
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Marko Pećki
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Grigorije Vasilije
Monk Grigorije also known as Grigorije Vasilije ( sr-Cyrl, Григорије Василије; c. 1550 - after 1598) was tonsured into the Great Schema in the Tower of Saint Sava at Karyes, Mount Athos, where he got his second name Vasilije. We ...
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Danilo III (patriarch)
*
Anonymous Athonite Anonymous Athonite (also known in Serbia as Nepoznati Svetogorac; late 14th to mid-15th century) was Isaija the Monk's biographer and one of the many unidentified authors of Medieval works. It is assumed that he wrote "The Life of the Elder Isaiah" ...
References
Sources
* (old Serbian)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Domentijan
1210 births
13th-century deaths
Year of birth uncertain
Year of death unknown
13th-century Serbian writers
Medieval Serbian Orthodox clergy
Medieval Athos
People of the Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)
13th-century Eastern Orthodox clergy
Hagiographers
Medieval European scribes
13th-century Christian monks
People associated with Hilandar Monastery