Monk Grigorije also known as Grigorije Vasilije ( sr-Cyrl, Григорије Василије; c. 1550 - after 1598) was tonsured into the

Great Schema The degrees of Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic monasticism are the stages an Eastern Orthodox monk or nun passes through in their religious vocation. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the process of becoming a monk or nun is intentionally slo ...

in the Tower of

Saint Sava Saint Sava ( sr, Свети Сава, Sveti Sava, ; Old Church Slavonic: ; gr, Άγιος Σάββας; 1169 or 1174 – 14 January 1236), known as the Enlightener, was a Serbian prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalou ...

at Karyes, Mount Athos, where he got his second name Vasilije. We have known him from a colophon in the Serbian recension of the

Slavonic Josephus The Slavonic Josephus is an Old East Slavic translation of Flavius Josephus' '' History of the Jewish War'' which contains numerous interpolations and omissions that set it apart from all other known versions of Josephus' ''History''. The authenti ...

, "The History of the Jewish War". He transcribed and translated the

into Serbian vernacular at

Karyes Karyes (Greek: Καρυές, before 1930: Αράχωβα - ''Arachova'') is a village of the Peloponnese peninsula, which is located in the southern part of Greece. The Peloponnese is made up of a number of states and Karyes belongs to the state ...

, the administrative center of Mount Athos, in 1585. In addition, the

Hilandar The Hilandar Monastery ( sr-cyr, Манастир Хиландар, Manastir Hilandar, , el, Μονή Χιλανδαρίου) is one of the twenty Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Mount Athos in Greece and the only Serbian monastery there. It wa ...

Monastery has preserved five

petitions A petition is a request to do something, most commonly addressed to a government official or public entity. Petitions to a deity are a form of prayer called supplication. In the colloquial sense, a petition is a document addressed to some offici ...

that hieromonk Grigorije in his frequent travels throughout Europe delivered to nobleman Nikita Romanov (the grandfather of the future tsar

Michael of Russia Michael I (Russian: Михаил Фёдорович Романов, ''Mikhaíl Fyódorovich Románov'') () became the first Russian tsar of the House of Romanov after the Zemskiy Sobor of 1613 elected him to rule the Tsardom of Russia. He w ...

) in April 1586; Andrej Jakovlević (two petitions written before 1582); Polish king

Stephen Bathory Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

; and Duke

Andrey Kurbsky Knyaz (Prince) Andrey Mikhailovich Kurbsky (russian: Андрей Михайлович Курбский, pl, Andriej Michajłowicz Kurbski; 1528–1583) was a Russian political figure, military leader, and political philosopher, known as an intim ...

. Also, these documents have been published by the Moscow Main Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Relations. According to records Grigorije Vasilije served as abbot of

in 1583, and multiple other occasions between 1588 and 1591 and continually from 1591 to 1598. He also traveled between the far-flung Athonite

methos This is a list of characters from the '' Highlander'' franchise. Major characters Major characters appear in more than one movie or series. Works are presented in chronological order. Films ''Highlander'' (1986) ''Highlander II: The Qui ...

(including

Imperial Russia The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the List of Russian monarchs, Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended th ...

) and their parent establishments on regular errands as

alms Alms (, ) are money, food, or other material goods donated to people living in poverty. Providing alms is often considered an act of virtue or Charity (practice), charity. The act of providing alms is called almsgiving, and it is a widespread p ...

collecting, property administration and

Diplomatic missions A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

on behalf of the secular and spiritual leaders where he stayed at the Moscow courts of

Ivan the Terrible Ivan IV Vasilyevich (russian: Ива́н Васи́льевич; 25 August 1530 – ), commonly known in English as Ivan the Terrible, was the grand prince of Moscow from 1533 to 1547 and the first Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584. Ivan ...

and Dionysius, Metropolitan of Moscow and their successors

Fedor I of Russia Fyodor I Ivanovich (russian: Фёдор I Иванович) or Feodor I Ioannovich (russian: Феодор I Иоаннович; 31 May 1557 – 17 January (NS) 1598), also known as Feodor the Bellringer (russian: Феодор Звонарь), ...

and

Patriarch Job of Moscow Job (russian: Иов, ''Iov''), also known as Job of Moscow (d. 19 June 1607) was the first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. He is venerated as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church. He was the Metropolitan of Moscow and all Rus' from 1587 to ...

, years later. Upon his return voyage, Grogorije Vasilije traveled to

Patriarchate of Peć Patriarchate of Peć may refer to: * Patriarchate of Peć (monastery), Eastern Orthodox Patriarchal Monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church, near the city of Peć * Serbian Patriarchate of Peć The Serbian Patriarchate of Peć ( sr, Српс� ...

in Ottoman-occupied

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

to see his master

Gerasim I Gerasim I Sokolović ( sr-cyrl, Герасим I Соколовић) was Archbishop of Peć and Serbian Patriarch from 1574 to 1586. He was the third primate of the restored Serbian Patriarchate of Peć, and cousin of previous Serbian Patriarch ...

and later the patriarch's successor Savatije I before resuming his trip back to Karyes, Mount Athos.

's generosity shown to Serbian itinerant monk Grigorije and other Athonite monks accompanying him could be explained by the tsar’s own recognition of his Serbian royal lineage (through his mother) and the desire to strengthen relations between Russia and Serbia. Author Sreten Petković in "The Cultural Heritage of Serbia" attributes the presence of the 1564 fresco of Prince

Lazar of Serbia Lazar Hrebeljanović ( sr-cyr, Лазар Хребељановић; ca. 1329 – 15 June 1389) was a medieval Serbian ruler who created the largest and most powerful state on the territory of the disintegrated Serbian Empire. Lazar's state, ...

in the

Cathedral of the Archangel The Cathedral of the Archangel (russian: Архангельский собор, Arkhangel'skiy sobor) is a Russian Orthodox church dedicated to the Archangel Michael. It is located in Cathedral Square of the Moscow Kremlin in Russia between the G ...

of the Moscow Kremlin to Tsar Ivan’s attachment to his Serbian roots. Additionally, the Church of the Archangel Michael contains depictions of

, Saint Simeon, and the Byzantine emperor Michael VIII Palaeologos.

References

{{authority control Serbian monks 16th-century deaths 16th-century births People from the Tsardom of Russia People associated with Mount Athos People associated with Hilandar Monastery