Page 648 - Kosovo Metohija Heritage

From the 13th to the 20th century
and the Hungarians [Ugri] slew his entire army with the sword. and there came the great tribulation all over the land. i wrote this in the year 7193, and 1683 since the Nativity of Christ, on December 8, Solar cycle 21, Lunar cycle 10, epact 2, in the Monastery (of Nikolje under Kablar).
The note in the MS of the Nikolje Monastery: Ni i, 433–434 (1824)
THe SeRBiaN PeOPLe DiSPLaCeD aLL OVeR THe COUNTRY, 1686–87
(...) and then again under the reign of this emperor [Mehm- ed] and Vizier [Suleyman Pasha—who is originally from the town on the River Mileševa], the kaurs [infidels] occupied Budim and pillaged Blaška and Bačka and their troops came as far as the Danube in the year 7195 (1687). Woe to us! and fierce wars and bloodsheds and plundering were inflicted upon the Christian people by the cursed Turks and Germans. and the Serbian people were displaced all over the country. and we arrived here in this place named Szentendre [Saint andrew’s town].
The note in the MS of the Pakra Monastery: Ni i, 442 (1871–1872)
THe PeRiLOUS TiMeS OF ViOLeNCe, 1689
(...) Those were the end times, the times of tribulations, dif- ficult and violent times, because the Turks, a very vicious na- tion, rose against us and we suffered severely while they were destroying our holy churches all over the land and the sa- cred vessels in churches (...)
The note in the SaSa (Serbian academy of Sciences and arts) MS 26: Ni i, 450 (1917)
THe LiBeRaTiON aND Re-OCCUPaTiON OF PeĆ, 1689
This book belongs to me, humble archbishop of Cetinje Vi- sarion. it was brought to me from the place of Scutari in the year (7107=1689) when there was great joy and ineffable ju- bilation for in that year, by some kind of God’s providence, it happened that soldiers and commanders of the Roman empire came with mighty forces plundering and expelling God-hating people of the empire of ishmael and its pagan nation from the region of Kosovo and other surrounding places. and they came to the great Church of Christ the Sav- ior which is called the archbishopric of Peć, a coenobitic community that radiantly shines and illumines the entire Serbian land. and for a short period, it was under their rule. But then a Christ-hater and domestic enemy Mahmut-Be- gović [Begolli], from the place of ipek [Peć], rose together with his army [against them] seizing the rule over this holy coenobium and his native town, the place named Peć. all that happened with God’s permission because of our sins. and many other evils were committed by this barbarous God-hater against this holy abode; he pillaged everything and squandered all its possessions and goods it had acquired since its foundation; having almost demolished it, he seized all its property. Therefore, may God pay him pack accord- ing to his deeds. and in that time this book was brought to the town of Scutari by this holy [monastic] community (...) and this happened (in 1689).
The note in the Cetinje MS: Ni i, 448 (1907) 646
THe PLiGHT OF THe SeRBiaN PeOPLe aND MONaSTeRieS, 1690
in the year 7198 (1690) there was a great war and plunder- ing all over the Serbian land. and the Germans progressed as far as Štip while the Turks ran away but they returned again and expelled the Germans forcing them to retreat across the Danube. Oh, oh, woe is me! The utmost terror and mis- fortune befell us: they separated mothers from children and fathers from sons, enslaved the young and massacred and strangled the elderly. it was the time when people were pray- ing for death, not life! Oh, what bitter sorrow inflicted upon us by the cursed Turks and Tatars, woe is me! and as the Hagarenes seized the monastery, an immense dragon rose against the monastery—Pasha Gashli-Pasha, and he robbed the abbot leaving him barely alive, and left the monastery in a state of utmost devastation. The abbot was not able to recover and on the third day, abbot Zaharije departed this life and presented himself to the Lord. Then abbot Daniel the Hieromonk was installed. and you need to know the fol- lowing as well: a great miracle was performed by Saint King Stephen upon that thrice-cursed Pasha: his body began de- composing while he was still alive, he lost all his teeth and his soul left his body, and all of his accomplices as well could live no longer than three years thenceforth. But the monas- tery, by the will of God, was not laid waste and was not aban- doned!
The note in the Dečani MS No 97, Fol. 1 v.; previously published with errors in Ni i (1934–1935)
37,000 SeRBiaN FaMiLieS MiGRaTe WiTH PaTRiaRCH aRSeNije, 1690
in 1690, His Holiness Patriarch arsenije of Peć, having heard that Grand Vizier Köpörilli had mustered a multitude of Turks and Tatars preparing to attack Caesar Leopold and his states, informed the Caesar of the intention of the Turks and appealed to the Caesar to allow him, together with the Serbian people, to migrate to his country. and the Caesar, in response to the Patriarch’s appeal, allowed them to enter his country. Then, in the spring, the Patriarch gathered a multitude of Serbian people, as many as 37 000 families, and they committed themselves to military service in the Cae- sar’s army (...) in the same war, there occurred vast plun- dering and pillaging of the entire Serbian land together with forced displacements of Christians. and thus our Monastery of Ravanica was totally ravaged as well (...) This was written by Daskal [master, teacher] Stephen, Hieromonk of the Ra- vanica Monastery.
The note in the Šišatovac Manuscript: Ni iii, 94–95, (5283, 5286, 5302)
36,000 SeRBiaN FaMiLieS MiGRaTeD TOGeTHeR WiTH PaTRiaRCH aRSeNije iii, 1690
arsenije [iii ] Čarnojević [Crnojević], Serbian Patriarch, sent isaija Djaković [as an envoy] to Vienna and the latter, on au- gust 21 1690, procured the Diploma (Charter) wherein [em- peror] Leopold promised protection to the Serbs as well as freedom of law and freedom to elect their own vožds (lead- ers), and he promised that they should be granted an organi-