Mănăstirea Probota - între ierarhia ecleziastică şi domnie. Semnificaţiile unor privilegii din secolele XV-XVI
The Probota monastery between the ecclesiastic hierarchy and the reign. The significance of some privileges during the 15th and 16th centuries

Summary/Abstract: During the first half of the 15th century, if the precarious territorial representation of the ecclesiastic authority is to be taken into consideration, the monasteries in Moldavia were searching for an influence over the Church, generally speaking, and especially over the secular clergy. In order to exemplify this, one should take into account the way in which Alexander the Kind continuously increased the incomes and jurisdictional area of the monastery of Bistrita, a process that seemed to result in confirming the monastic control over the priests within the monastery’s properties. The first authentic document about the secular clergy within the monastic properties was dated 6th of July, 1446, on command of Stephen the 2nd, for the monastery of Neamt, which he wanted to turn into his own necropolis. On the same hand one could remind of the act on 27th of June, 1449, according to which the priests from the villages of Probota monastery were put by Alexander the 2nd under the command of the monastic community. Thus, the Superior gained from the rural clergy the revenues fit for the ecclesiastic instances. They consisted in sums paid to bishops when sanctifying churches, ordaining priests, assisting in court, investing hierarchs or on different other occasions. Stephen the Great preserved the tradition of his forerunners, but also tried to give the cult place meant to house his everlasting peace a unique prestige on the ecclesiastic map of the country. Thus, during the first years of his reign, he paid special attention to the monastery of Probota, as Bogdan the 2nd had been buried here, a reason for which he probably intended to turn it into the family’s necropolis. When the ruler’s option changed for the monastery of Putna, the latter was given properties and privileges. They found their apogee in the documents on 15th of March, 1490, through which the monastic community took over all the tasks of bishops’ authority regarding confirming in ecclesiastic offices, sanctifying the village churches and their supervising, judgment of clergy and also material advantages. Among the successors of Stephen the Great, Petru Rares was the first to create a new princely necropolis at Probota. The transition toward the new place of everlasting rest confronted some difficulties, as the monasteries used to have a major role in legitimating power. This was the reasons for which Petru Rares tried to remake the symbolic bound to the old monastery from the 16th century. The founding of the new necropolis from Slatina was also preceded by a series of gestures in the advantage of the old places of princely peace. A very special moment within the strategy was written down on the act around 20th of March, 1554, through which the monastery of Probota was given back the incomes of priests on its properties. The status of Petru Rares’ foundation cannot be evaluated by comparing to the exceptional rights gained by Stephen the Great’ s necropolis, but in connection to th

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