Saints Simeon and Savvas

Saint Sava had a father named Saint Simeon. Saint Simeon was a great ruler of the Serbs (1165-1196) and was, according to his contemporary biographer, Father Justin Popovic, “a defender of Orthodoxy and a fighter against heresies, throughout his life a man of great faith, love and evangelical zeal.” His real name was Stefan Nemanja, born in 1114 in the city of Ribnica in Zeta, present-day Montenegro. He fought valiantly for Orthodoxy and worked to establish it among the people, whom he united into a kingdom.

He built many churches, convened councils to deal with heresies, developed rich charitable work and financially supported monasteries and pilgrimages. With his pious and monastic-loving wife Anna, daughter of a Byzantine emperor, he had many children. In the end, she also became a nun with the name Anastasia in the Studenitsa monastery. Among their children, two were canonized: Saint Savvas, the first archbishop of the Serbs, and Stephen II the Protosthefis, and finally the monk Simon.

Saint Savvas, who was known in the world as Rastko, was the fruit of prayer. He was born in 1169, and grew up with the admonition of the Lord. His pious parents prepared him for marriage when he came of age, but he had decided on his monastic dedication. He longed to depart for Mount Athos, about which he had heard wondrous stories of ascetics and saints. Accompanied by a Russian Athonite monk, he left for Mount Athos at the age of 16, secretly from his parents, who were plunged into great sorrow. He was tonsured a monk at the monastery of Saint Panteleimon-Old Russian and was named Savvas. His father’s military envoys went to Mount Athos to find him and bring him back. They returned, in his worldly princely clothes and with a fairy-tale letter to his parents, who wished to see him again soon.

A few months after his tonsure, he visited the celebrated monastery of the Annunciation of the Theotokos, the famous Vatopedi monastery. The abbot of the monastery invited him to stay near them. Impressed, Savvas could not refuse, and received the consent of the abbot of the monastery of Saint Panteleimon and stayed in Vatopedi for a full twelve years. His stay was beneficial. He learned Greek wonderfully, studied in the rich library, was taught the order, tradition, art, in this rich and great monastery, and as the blessed (VatopaidiFriend note: his sainthood has already been officially proclaimed by the Patriarchate of Serbia) Bishop Nikolaos writes:

“In such a center of spirituality and culture, Savvas had the rare opportunity to build his character according to the model of the best examples he saw and the best books he read.” The blessed Elder Justin continues: “The life and order in the Vatopedi Monastery satisfied the young monk Savvas, who, among exemplary monks and under the guidance of the humble and holy Elder Makarios the Hieromonk, gave himself up to the monastic struggles with all the fervor of his Christ-loving, youthful soul. In his fiery enthusiasm and fiery piety, he desired with all his heart that he would not be singled out in anything because he was the son of a ruler. "That is, he wanted to be a simple, ordinary monk, equal and similar to all the others in fasting, prayer, vigil and all the services of the Monastery. For this reason, he performed everything with humility and devotion."

He toured the entire Holy Mountain, seeking virtuous Elders and offering the monasteries rich gifts from what his father sent him. The largest part he certainly offered to the beloved monastery where he lived. His younger biographer Bishop Nicholas, based on the first biographers of Saint Savvas, his contemporary Dometian and the later Theodosius, mentions that he kept the royal money for the reconstruction of the Vatopedi monastery:

“It was necessary to have other new buildings in the monastery for the monks, whose number was constantly increasing. Savvas erected several of these with two or three floors. He kept one of these for himself and his father, saying: If God wills, I and my lord father will live here in our own house.” He certainly did not think that he would need an entire monastery for himself and his father, but that this would be a Serbian house for Serbian monks in the future. Then he began to build three churches called chapels, like three precious stones.

The first, behind the Catholicon, he dedicated to the Most Holy Virgin, the second to Saint John Chrysostom and the third to the Transfiguration of the Lord. The last was built on top of the highest of the ten towers in total. All three are built of stone and bricks, while they are covered with stone slabs that exist in abundance on Mount Athos. He also covered the roof of the Catholicon with lead. After that, he renovated many other auxiliary-secondary buildings. “And he covered many other needs in the monastery, which are difficult to list all.” For this reason, the monastery administration honored Savvas with the title “second founder of Vatopedi”.

As his biographers Bookshop, Saint Savvas was not just a high patron of important works in the Vatopedi monastery. Beyond the doses and instructions, he controlled the quality of the works with his knowledge and intelligence and did not hesitate to work like an ordinary worker. At the same time, he served in the temple, in the kitchen, in the bakery, on the estates and in the manor, so that he became “the most beloved monk” in Vatopedi. However, in all his monastic duties, he was always accompanied by prayer, abstinence and asceticism.

“And the Abbot and the brothers of the Monastery marveled that at such a young age and so quickly he had managed to reach such spiritual heights, a difficult thing even for elderly monks.” Often, with the blessing of Elder Makarios, he would go, barefoot and always on foot, to the ascetics who were in need, to bring them alms and fresh bread. Twice, in fact, while going to the monasteries of Esphigmenou and the Great Lavra, he fell into the hands of robbers, but was miraculously saved.

Saint Sava's long stay on Mount Athos and his letters of encouragement to his father contributed to his decision to abdicate his throne and take monastic vows on March 25, 1196, at the Studenitsa monastery. Finally, obeying the persistent invitation of his beloved Sava, on October 8, 1197, he began a journey of no return and arrived at the Vatopedi monastery on November 2, 1197.

The monk ruler was received with great honors.

The Abbot and the brothers, after praying and thanking God in the Catholicon, greeted the elder Symeon and embraced him in the Lord. Then the son also came to greet his father. The meeting was particularly moving. Both were speechless from the great joy. The elder even shook and would have fallen if they had not held him. When he came to himself, he showered the head of his beloved child with many tears, as he held it to his heart and kissed it. At that time, the God-illuminated son how many thanks did he not send to God from the depths of his soul, because his father obeyed the word of the Gospel! Touched and filled with spiritual joy, they glorified God. The sight was miraculous in heaven and on earth. Both, "struck" by the love of Christ, left their greatness and came to a foreign land, following the Lord wholeheartedly. For this reason, they reached great humility and became the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.

When Protos heard of the arrival of the great zupanos, he came down from Karyes to greet the distinguished visitor. Symeon humbly repented before him, while Protos knelt before Symeon and they greeted and embraced each other. This was a great event in the history of Mount Athos, because until then no great ruler of an Orthodox nation had come to the possession of the Most Holy Theotokos as a monk among poor monks!

The abbots of all the largest monasteries arrived with a multitude of monks to see and greet the former fierce commander and ruler and now a simple monk like them. Having a strong desire to learn as much as possible about the monastic life, Symeon showed a lively interest in their experience on the path of salvation. Not one of them left without gifts brought from Serbia. The elder had brought with him many horses, camels, and mules loaded with valuable gifts, useful for the church and the brotherhood. Of these, the lion's share - two large buckets of gold and silver - he gave to Vatopedi.

Saint Nicodemus of Mount Athos writes about them: “He became the son of Sabbas according to the flesh, the father according to the spirit of Symeon, his father according to the flesh. And both of them remained for a considerable time in the monastery of Vatopedi… fighting the good fight with daily fasting, and all-night vigils and prayers, and in a short time they became restrained from carnal passions, reaching the extreme of virtue above almost all the Fathers who were at that time on Mount Athos.”

While touring Mount Athos, Saints Sava and Symeon venerated the icon of Axion Esti in the holy church of Protatos Karyon, the icon of Portaitissa in the holy monastery of Iveron, the tomb of Saint Athanasius in the Great Lavra, and met with ascetics. Everywhere they offered rich gifts, which is why, as their biographer Dometianus writes: “And to this day they are remembered as founders together with the pious kings.” According to the same biographer, in the Vatopedi monastery, living as a coenobitic father and son, they continued their ascetic struggles and prayers. In fact, Saint Sava made up for his father’s shortcomings due to old age, saying that he would plead for him to God, since it was he who invited him to Mount Athos.

Savvas was spiritually progressive and worked systematically for the progress of the monastery. Thus, he built excellent buildings, repaired all the dilapidated ones, cultivated the surrounding area, donated metochia, such as the Prosphorion (VatopaidiFriend note: today's Ouranoupoli), which had been destroyed by pirates and renovated. The two saints indeed emerged as great new builders of the Vatopedi monastery, whom other Serbian rulers later imitated. In the time of the saints, the monastery experienced great prosperity and its monks reached 800.

When they learned about the destroyed monastery of Chilandari, they wanted to rebuild it, dedicate it to the honor of the Theotokos, and make it a permanent place for the monks of their compatriots to settle in for the spiritual strengthening of their people. The Melissomandrio area of ​​Chilandari belonged to the Vatopedi monastery. The abbot and the brotherhood were rightly opposed to the departure of the saints. Finally, the abbot said to his monks: “We have received many rich gifts from them; now we forbid them to leave us. If we give them Chilandari, which is dependent on Vatopedi, they will be our friends forever.” Thus, just like the monasteries of the Great Lavra and Iveron, the monasteries of Vatopedi and Chilandari are considered sister monasteries.

The abbot of Vatopedi sent Savvas to Constantinople for this matter and for other monastery affairs. Emperor Alexios III Angelos was his relative, since his daughter had married Savvas' brother, Stephen Protostephis, ruler of the Serbs. Thus, fulfilling the common desire of the Serbian monks and the Synod of Karya headed by Gerasimos the First, Emperor Alexios III, by a chrysobull issued in June 1198, placed Chilandari under the direct authority and administration of Saints Symeon and Savvas. The emperor writes in his speech: “The most noble grand duke of Serbia and beloved brother-in-law of my kingdom, Sir Stefanos Naaman, renamed Simeon through the monastic form, his son Rusticos, renamed Savvas through the angelic form… first the monastery of Vatopedi, in which they followed the monastic life.”

The Chilandar Monastery became "the spiritual center of the entire Serbian nation, the first Serbian school of letters, arts and in general of the spiritual and national culture of the Serbs. Most of the educated Serbian clergy, bishops, archbishops and patriarchs, as well as other wise Serbian men, came from this monastery. There, ecclesiastical books were translated and written for the organization of the Church in Serbia and the spiritual and cultural cultivation of the Serbs. Thus was given the motto of the close spiritual communication of the Serbs with Chilandar."

The monastery of Chilandari within a short period of time, about two years, with the transition of the first abbot Methodius to the ruler Stefanos Nemanja and his significant help, was renovated. The biographer Theodosius mentions that Saint Savvas renovated and painted the church, decorated the temple with icons, with curtains and sacred vessels. Such a beautiful mosaic icon of the Virgin Mary Hodegetria is preserved to this day.

Before completing a year, Saint Symeon, "having lived a holy and godly life, reposed in the Lord on the thirteenth of February" in 1199. After partaking of the Immaculate Mysteries, he venerated the icon of the Theotokos, blessed the brotherhood, and gave his last wishes and advice regarding his burial to his son. Singing and praising God, he gave up his spirit. His last words were: "Let every breath praise the Lord."

With tears of sorrow for the loss of his ascetic father, but also of joy because he had passed away in a holy manner and would have him as an ambassador to heaven after the funeral service, he buried him honorably in the right part of the Catholicon. After his father's holy repose, he began greater asceticism and prayer. He withdrew to the hesychast cell of Saint Savvas the Sanctified, near Karyes on Mount Athos, and engaged in greater struggles; "with abstinence, with fasting, vigil, all-night vigils and rivers of tears", but also eternal and genuine humility. God, according to his desire, revealed to him the blessed rest and glory of the soul of Saint Symeon. Thus he rested him and made him perfectly repose.

We generously contributed to the monasteries of Karakallos, Xeropotamos and Philotheos, which were in great need. In the hermitage of Karyas he composed his typikon, which is why it was called Typikarios, where, among other things, he obliged his monks to read the entire psalter daily. This typikon is maintained to this day by a permanent minister.

At the annual memorial service of Saint Symeon, “Blessed Savvas invited the First of the Mount and the most pious fathers and they held a vigil for the blessed soul of his Father; and at the time of the doxology, an indescribable fragrance arose from the tomb of the Saint, to such an extent that it filled the entire Monastery. Approaching the tomb, they saw myrrh flowing from the tomb and glorified God, where he glorified them by glorifying Him.” Moved, Saint Savvas, and heartily thanking God for the myrrh-bearing of his father, visited his tomb and received a bottle of myrrh, which he sent to his brother, the ruler Stephen, as a fatherly blessing. He himself, after catechizing the brotherhood, withdrew again to the hermitage of Karya.

Then Savvas, at the urging of First Dometios, was ordained deacon and presbyter by Bishop Nicholas of Ierissos. During his journey to Thessaloniki to venerate Saint Demetrius, he was ordained archimandrite by Archbishop Constantine of Thessaloniki, in the presence of the bishops Michael of Kassandria, Demetrius of Ardamerion, and Nicholas of Ierissos. Then he returned to the friendly solitude of Mount Athos.

Saint Sava, seeing the serious quarrels of his brothers, thought of transferring the honorable relics of his holy father to their homeland for the peace and strengthening of his faithful compatriots, in early 1207, because after the Fourth Crusade of the Latins and the plundering of Byzantium, they wanted to convert all the Orthodox to the Latin doctrines. The graceful relics were received with great honors and were placed in a well-groomed and prepared tomb in the Studenitsa monastery, where Saint Simeon had been buried before coming to the Vatopedi monastery. The Serbs now had a myrrh-bearing ambassador to strengthen their people with his embassies, even performing many miracles.

The first tomb of the holy founder remained in the Chilandari monastery, about which it is mentioned characteristically: "From the tomb in the wall of the temple has sprung an eternal vine, which produces bright grapes to this day, which the monks, drying them, give to pilgrims for barren women. It is said that the above vine sprouted miraculously after the transfer of the relics of Saint Symeon to Serbia, to the delight of the grieving brothers in the monastery. The vine is already climbing outside the south wall of the Catholicon on an artificial trellis."

Bowing to the persistent and fervent entreaties of many, which he considered to be the will of God, the saint remained in his homeland and became abbot of the Studenitsa monastery. He worked zealously as a missionary, making long journeys, preaching, admonishing, teaching, building churches, working miracles and showing mercy. Everyone respected him, esteemed him and considered him a prophet of God. With the help of the saint, his two brothers were reconciled and an immense peace prevailed throughout the kingdom. The grace of his miracles made him respectable and lovable. He himself maintained and even increased asceticism and humility for himself.

The memory of the Athonite hesychia brought him back to the holy place in 1217. In 1219 he went to Nicaea on business at the Chilandari monastery, where the emperor and the patriarch were due to the capture of Constantinople by the Latin Crusaders. Referring to the problems of the Serbian Church, he requested that a capable shepherd who would help the Church be ordained as archbishop. Everyone then agreed that the only one worthy of this position was Savvas himself. Patriarch Emmanuel ordained him in the presence of Emperor Theodore I of Laskaris, who was also his relative.

He did not return to his homeland immediately but first went to Mount Athos. The faces of the monks were covered with joy and sadness. Joy, because they saw their former fellow ascetic as archbishop and received his blessing, and sadness because they would lose him from their presence. The saint visited the monasteries of Mount Athos, especially Old Russian and Vatopedi, the hermitages, the ascetics and the First. He addressed the Chilandarine fathers and departed, taking with him some good monks, to ordain them bishops. As he departed, joy and sadness overcame him as well. Joy because he was going to shepherd his people and sadness because he would lose the beautiful Athonite silence, in which he had enjoyed many years.

He returned to his homeland via Thessaloniki, where he stopped to worship its saints, donate icons, and receive necessary books and utensils for his Church, as well as useful people.

The work of Saint Sava as Archbishop of Serbia is particularly great. He ordained his best students as elders and bishops. He pastored according to the Holy Canons of the Church. He spent a long time in monasteries, especially in Studenitsa, holding vigils, preaching faith in Orthodox doctrines to the people, consecrating and beautifying churches.

It is a wonderful fact that whenever he served in Studenitsa, the tomb of Saint Symeon would exude myrrh. His sermon was anti-heretical, of repentance, of the proper honor of icons, the cross and holy relics, and of faith in the tradition of the Church. He crowned his fiery sermon with miracles.

In 1228, his brother, the ruler Stephen the First Crowned, fell asleep. He had previously given him the monastic form, named him Simon, and buried him near the tomb of Saint Symeon. Then he went as a humble pilgrim to the Holy Land and, as was his custom, offered rich gifts. Departing, after a while, he brought with him great blessings. Via Nicaea, he went to Mount Athos. To the monastery of Chilandari, he offered the crutch of Saint Savvas the Sanctified and the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary of Tricherousa. His visit to Mount Athos in the summer of 1229 was his last. In addition to Chilandari, he visited the holy monasteries of Iveron and Vatopedi. It was a farewell to the most holy Mount Athos. In Thessaloniki, Emperor Theodore I Angelos met him and visited the monastery of Philokalos.

In Serbia, he toured all the provinces, supporting the people in the faith. In the monasteries, he established the Athonite ritual. According to his biographer Dometian, he was a vigilant preacher of the divine word to all, an ascetic bishop, merciful, an exterminator of heresies, a bright example of piety. According to his biographer Theodosius: “To all the Bishops, the rulers, the monks, the laity, the old and the young, to all virtue was a law. With such a God-illuminated Saint, the Serbian land was then illuminated and, having him as an ambassador to God, it enjoyed peace with his prayers.” Then, wanting to be quiet, he resigned his throne and in his place, for the sake of peace, he placed his virtuous disciple Arsenius.

He went to the Holy Land a second time as a pilgrim, a guest of Patriarch Athanasius, a donor of pilgrimages and a benefactor of the poor. Then he went to Alexandria, conversed with the patriarch there, served in the temples and visited the ancient ascetic deserts of Thebaid and Nitria and ended up at the God-worshipped Mount Sinai, where he remained for two months. Then he went again to the Holy Land, to Baghdad, to Syria, to Antioch, to Armenia, to Nicaea and ended up in Tarnovo in Bulgaria. There he had long and pleasant conversations with Tsar Asen and Patriarch Joachim. He served there many times and blessed the Bulgarian people as his own. His last Divine Liturgy was on the feast of the Epiphany. Then he fell ill and through prayers and revelations he surrendered his spirit to his Maker, whom he had loved exceedingly since childhood. He rested in the Lord on January 14, 1236. His last words were: "Glory to God for all things."

The saint's death plunged everyone into sorrow. He was buried with honor in the church of the Forty Saints. The following year, the saint's relics were transferred, which were found to be incorrupt, fragrant, and miraculous. Prince Vladislav transported the holy relic, and Patriarch Arsenius and all the people welcomed it and placed it in the church of the Milesovo monastery, where it became a source of healing for centuries. Unfortunately, in 1594, Sinan Pasha, on Good Friday, plundered the Milesovo monastery, seized the saint's body, and burned it in Belgrade, so that the faithful would not honor him. But the faithful honored him and honor him even more.

In his Encomium to Saints Savvas and Symeon, the hierodeacon Ignatius of Monemvasia (1745), which is located in the Holy Monastery of the Great Lavra, calls them: "Blessed duo, a pair of holy words, golden custards, most willing, wise and faithful stewards of the Lord's commandments, filled with the graces of God towards you, an abyss of apathy, a most lofty and two-peaked mountain of exalting humility, a character of the unique state, the most precious, the source of miracles."

He also mentions them: "Gods by grace, precise rules of the Conobian state, friends of tranquility, eager fighters and victors and trophy-winners against the demon, indeed, all-loving and loving, loving fathers and loving children."

Three old, beautiful biographies of Saint Symeon have survived. The first was written by his beloved son Saint Sava around 1208. This biography is considered to this day one of the best works of Serbian literature. The second was compiled by his other son and successor Stephen II the First Crowned around 1216. The third was written by the Chilandar monk Dometian around 1242. Two contemporary biographies were written by Bishop Nikolaos Velimirović and Archimandrite Justin Popović. Services in his honor were written by Saint Sava, the monk Theodosius and the contemporary monk Gerasimos Mikragiannanitis. Murals and portable icons of Saint Symeon can be found in many Athonite and Serbian monasteries. In the Vatopedi monastery and at the main entrance of the Catholicos there is a beautiful fresco of the saint as founder. His memory is honored on February 13th.

We have three old lives of Saint Sava. The first was written by his successor on the throne, Saint Arsenios. The second by the Chilandarian monk Dometian, while the third by the monk Theodosius around 1296, which complements the previous one. Among the newer ones, Saint Nicodemus the Athonite, Mrnavits Ivan, Bishop Nicholas, Archimandrite Justin, the monk Matthew Victor and others dealt with the life of the saint. A more recent series of the saint was composed by the monk Gerasimos Mikragiannanites. Many of his frescoes and portable icons, older and newer, are preserved in Serbian and Athonite monasteries. His memory is honored on January 14.

Source: Monk Moses of Mount Athos, Vatopedi Synaxarion
Publication of the Holy Great Monastery of Vatopedi