History of the Monastery
The Holy Monastery of Chilandar honors the Feast of the Entrance of the Most Holy Virgin, which is celebrated on the 21st of November.
The Monastery was founded by the successor to the Serbian throne, Sabbas, who came and lived the ascetic life on Mount Athos. Saint Sabbas later became the archbishop of Serbia. His father, Stephan, the king of Serbia, having resigned the throne, came and also took up the ascetic life with his son, receiving the name Symeon.
With the passing of time Chilandar became the spiritual font of the Serbian people.
Some of the most valuable treasures of the Holy Monastery are: a fragment of the crown of thorns, the reed and shroud of Christ and the icon of the Most Holy Virgin which worked a miracle to Saint John of Damascus. This icon is called «Triherousa» (of the three hands).
In the library of the monastery there exist 181 Greek and Slavonic manuscripts and more than 20,000 books.
