The
following text is the translation of the selected
passages of "The Life of St. Sava" written by the monk
Theodosius who lived in the monastery of Chilandar.
Theodosy of Chilandar in the 13th century. It tells
the true story of Rastko
Nemanjic, later
known as St. Sava, brother of King Stefan "The First
Crowned", the very first Serbian king. St. Sava was
the founder of the independent Serbian church.
When he
reached his seventeenth year of age, his parents
discussed how they were going to marry him according
to the Law. And this, from a prayer to God given young
man, constantly wanted to find the way to escape the
world, to separate from everybody and devote himself
to God. He has heard about Athos, the monks in it and
deserted places.
And
then, like the God himself has directed them, some
monks from Athos arrived to seek donations from his
parents. It happened that one among them was of
Russian origin. Our divine youth talked alone with
him, asking about Athos but vowed him not to tell his
secrets to anybody. He told him all about life of a
monk, about common life in the monasteries and
hermits, in groups of two or three living their
solitude life fasting and in complete absence of
speech. And the young man listened carefully all about
monks’ life and their affection to God; their good
deeds so tears ran like a river from his eyes. After
he has recollected, he told to the old man: "Father, I
see that the God who knows all before we do, having
seen the pain of my heart, has sent your grace to
comfort my sinful soul. Now my hart has found its
peace and my soul rejoiced with unmatchable joy. Only
know did I understand what I yearned for. Father, what
should I do so I can escape the crowded life of this
world and be worthy enough for the angel’s life you
have described? If my parents tie me up with a
marriage held with loving of my future home I will
never reach the life I now discovered. I would love to
run away, but since the way is not known to me, I
could get lost and my father being so powerful would
certainly catch me and brought me back and moreover, I
would make my father sad and brought disgrace to
myself,
The old
man admired his warm love to the God and the
magnificent flames that have enlightened his soul. He
listened to this young man’s words full of chastity
and excitement and then he said to him: "I see my
child that your soul has reached the depths of God’s
love so hurry up to accomplish your good wish to
prevent the bad seeds destroy the good ones and make
your wish disappear. I will be your servant for such
deed and with God’s help I will lead you to the Athos,
where you want to go, just prepare a horse for me so
we could escape from your father.
Having
listened that, he immediately submitted to his will
and said: "Merciful God, I thank you for this stranger
who has comforted my heart.
Filled
with joy, he went right away to his parents asking for
a permission to leave the court. Like he used to, he
asked them for a prayer and blessing saying: "My
lords, I was told that there are a mountain with great
number of beasts in it. If I could take your grace,
you would bless me and let me go to hunt, and even we
come back somewhat late, do not be mad at us since I
have heard that I can find beautiful deer there. His
father pleased him and said: "Let the God be with you
my child, let him bless you and show you the way." And
his mother, being like all mothers, hugged him and
kissed with love telling him to return shortly. They
did not know that he was not going for a deer hunt but
to quench his soul in a Christ’s well of life.
During
that night the servants who were with him fell asleep
and he ran away with few of them who knew his secret
having God and a monk as his guides. When a new day
came, those servants started looking for him, and,
alas, they could not find him nor see him. Being sad
and confused they ceased the hunt and returned to the
master, his father and told him that they did not know
where his son was. And his parents, having heard such
unpleasant and unexpected news, became so sad that
they almost died. All of them started crying and
weeping, the parents for their son, brothers for a
brother and the people for their master. They
recollected for a moment and remembered that it must
have been that Russian who had taken him to Athos
because they knew that he had desired to do so.
Suddenly, his royal father, strongly commanded to
everybody to stop their cries, and having thanked the
God, he told to the present courtiers and the mother
of his child: "Do not be afraid, we should not be in
sorrow, my sin will not perish. Merciful God who has
given him to me through my hope will allow me to see
him again and taste his love again." After that he
called many good men and gave them powerful horses to
go to Athos. He wrote a letter to the main priest of
the Thessalonica region and asked him to help get his
son back.
The
followers traveled and having reached Athos asked
about the man they were searching and they described
his appearances and handsome figure. Some people told
them: "One man matching your description has entered
the Russian monastery few moments ago." Having heard
this they hurried because they feared that he might
get away. They saw him walking around the monastery,
his hair wasn’t cut and he still was in his ordinary
clothes. And, having met him, they kissed him and
their faces were covered in tears. They thought that
could tie him up but they also feared him because he
was their master. Having seen that his pursuers are
firm in taking him home and that there was no one who
could help him, he cheerfully hugged the duke and
convinced him that he will come with him but secretly,
in his sighs he was begging God to help him in his
intention that was both divine and full of deceit. He
asked the priest to arrange a big feast in order that
his guest are properly fed and honored but he also
told him to order that morning service start during
the night.
So a big
feast was organized and the abbot and the boy himself
were serving the guests. And when the dinner was
almost over, the abbot said that he must go to the
morning service and the boy went with him. His
pursuers followed them because they couldn’t let the
boy take any chance and escape. The service was long
and they repeated it several times until the guards,
weary from the long trip and the feast, fell asleep.
As soon
as this divine youth noticed that the guards fell
asleep, he went and kneeled in front of the holly
altar, made his vow to the God and after the priest
and one old man who had a rank of a clergyman blessed
him, he went to the monastery tower and said: "My God
I praise you because you have accepted me!" The abbot
having finished with his sermon cut his hair, dressed
him in the robe of an angelic look and changed his
name from Rastko to Sava.
When all
this was finished and the guards awoke they started
looking for him. They searched him everywhere, in the
church, in the monastery, they started yelling and
because they couldn’t find him they started beating
the monks. Having heard this he came and said: "Aren’t
you ashamed of your honor and your God? Is it good to
attack those people in the church? What evil did they
do to you? If you’re looking for me, here I am. All
that is happening with me is God’s will, because He
who was leading me from my father to here that you
couldn’t find me saved me again from your hands. You
want to separate me from the mild and wanted way of
mine so you can brag about it to your master. But my
God, to whom I trusted and praised, was my assistant
and as you can se, he will lead my life into a better
way according to his will. So take my so wide known
clothes and the hair that was cut from my head and
return peacefully to your homes and give these signs
to my parents and brothers so they can believe that
you found me alive, take this with God’s mercy and my
name is Sava." He also wrote a letter to his father:
"Do not cry for me as I was dead and don’t be sorrow
but pray to God that I can do good deeds that I wanted
to. You, as much as you can, take care of your soul
and don’t do anything to see me again there as long as
you are alive, but, if that may be God’s will, I will
wait here at Athos and see my father, and I will take
delight in his holly and honest old age and I will be
fed with his sweet and everlasting love."
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