Adapting to Shifting Imperial Realities: Mount Athos (Chilandar Monastery) in thе Political and Economic Context of the Eighteenth-Century Ottoman Empire
Adapting to Shifting Imperial Realities: Mount Athos (Chilandar Monastery) in thе Political and Economic Context of the Eighteenth-Century Ottoman Empire

Summary/Abstract: The monastic life and the overall functioning of the Athonite monasteries were not completely isolated from the dynamics of the relations between the centre and the provinces in the Ottoman Empire, and even less to the recurrent reforms of the Ottoman tax system. On the contrary, Athonite monks had to navigate complex political and economic situation to secure the continuation and improvement of their monasteries. The research of the case of Chilandar monastery was used to analyse internal organization of the Athonite monasteries in the 18th century and their adaptions to new circumstances. Moreover, multifaceted ties (religious, cultural, and economic) between Chilandar and the territories beyond Mount Athos are presented. The monks had intensive contacts with both the Orthodox Serbian clergy and laity living in the lands under the Habsburg rule. On the other side, economic development that prompted an increase of the number of the affluent merchants and craftsmen in the Eastern Balkans opened new opportunities for an enriched religious and cultural life and intensified contacts between these regions and the Athonite monasteries.

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