Samos – The metochia in Greece, Asia Minor, Bulgaria and Serbia
4 November 2011In 1772 the Church of the Annunciation was built as a dependency church of Vatopaidi. In addition, a few small plots of land were also donated. The metochi continues to belong to the Monastery.
Apart from the metochia mentioned above, the Monastery, at various periods, has possessed the following:
In the region of Serres43, estates at Zavernikeia, Sdraviki and Chotolivos44. Moreover, it owned the important metochi of St Demetrius, to which Angelina Cantacuzena45, a relative of the Emperor John Cantecuzenus dedicated large areas.
In the city of Serres it possessed dwellings and the Church of the Hodeghetria46. Until 1823 it also had a metochi there.
At the Gallikos River47, Vatopaidi owned a large estate, dedicated by the Tzamblakon family48.
On Lemnos49, metochia were held at Moudros and in Kotsinos. These were abandoned in 1821.
In Constantinople50 were the Monastery of the Theotokos Psychosostria and the Monastery of Mavros Molos, together with their dependencies. The Monastery retained a metochi in the City until the early 19th century.
At Prinarion51, (somewhere in Macedonia), property was donated to Vatopaidi by Arsenios and Michael Tzamblakon.
In Veria52, Vatopaidi held the Monastery of St John the Baptist in Petra, together with its properties.
In the vicinity of Langada53, Palaiochorion of Koutaches (1405).
On the southern shores of Lake Volvi, Vatopaidi had the metochi of Lantzos (1372). At the expense of the metochi, the vigil of the Apostles Peter and Paul was celebrated following the dedication by the Despot of Thessaloniki Andronicus Palaeologus of the celebrated icon 54.
In the region of Edessa55, the Monastery owned an “inn”, a water mill, and estates, in addition to dwellings within the castle (as early as 1329). A certain metochi in the city was still in the possession of the Monastery in 1816.
In Kallipolis56, there was the Church of Saint Nicholas, together with its properties (1402).
In Trebizond57, the monastic house (monydrion) of St Gregory of Nyssa (1619).
In the region of Mesemvria58, the Monydrion of Saint Nicholas, together with its properties (1761).
In Mytilene59, scattered properties (by 1718).
In Magoula, Arta60, a metochi (1757) and the Church of St Andrew in Arta (1815).
In Serbia61, a monastery in Belgrade together with its dependencies (1626) was owned at least until 1821. There was also a metochi in Kobrivica, and from the silver mines of Novobrno, sixty litras of silver per annum (1417)62.
In Meleniko, the Monastery of the Caves, together with its dependencies63. This was founded in 1220 and was dedicated to Vatopaidi before 1322. After 1821 it was ceded to the Metropolitical See of Meleniko to maintain a school from its income.
In Philadelphia64, the Monastery of Kotine (1248).
In Thessaloniki65: four residences in the St Menas quarter (1337); the Monastery of Kyrkyros (1364); residences of Arsenios Tzamblakon in the vicinity of Kataphyge; a church of unknown dedication (of the Theotokos?)66; seven dwellings in the vicinity of St Demetrius (1375); the Church of St Nicholas (1430); and other property.
At Afousia in the Propontid, the old Monydrion of St George (1789), which was restored in 188467.
At Moudania68, many scattered properties (1654 and after).
On Thasos69, the Monydrion of St George at Voulgaro (1808) and the metochi at Limenas.
In Smyrna, urban buildings and sites, on one of which the celebrated Church of St Photeine was built70.
There were smaller metochia at Iatroupoli, Dranovo, Ainos, Lakovikeia, Trikala, Achinos71, and elsewhere.
This vast landed property, to which must also be added the immense metochia of Romania and Russia, not only played a part in making the Monastery of Vatopaidi one of the most celebrated monastic complexes in the Orthodox world, but enabled it to make a substantive contribution to the spritual, intellectual, and national awakening of Greece.
Notes:
43. Arkadios, mss, pp. 326 and 329-330.
44. Goudas, 1927, document 10, cols. 33-37.
45. Arkadios, mss, p. 100; Mavromatis, 1991, pp. 5-7; Regel, 1898, document 4, p. 16.
46. Arkadios, mss, pp. 98-100; Goudas, 1927, document 14, col. 16 and document 15, cols. 22-23; Regel, 1898, document 4, pp. 16-17.
47. Arkadios, mss, pp. 330-331.
48. Arkadios, mss, pp. 102-105; Goudas, 1927, document 15, cols 33-34.
49. Arkadios, mss, pp. 332, 338; Goudas, 1927, documents 16 and 18.
50. Arkadios, mss, pp. 107-110, 332, 338; Goudas, 1927, document 15, cols 36-42.
51. Arkadios, mss, pp. 97, 335; Goudas, 1927, document 15, cols. 21-22. Theophilos, 1972, p. 94 places it “beside the Gallikos in Thessaloniki”.
52. Arkadios, mss, pp. 335-336; Regel, 1898, document 3.
53. Arkadios, mss, p. 336; Papadopoulos, 1930, pp. 89-90.
54. Arkadios, mss, pp. 336-338.
55. Arkadios, mss, pp. 338-339; Regel, 1898, document 4, p. 17.
56. Arkadios, mss, p. 341.
57. Arkadios, mss, p. 340.
58. Arkadios, mss, p. 340; Constantinidis, 1945, pp. 141-149 cites several details “concerning the Holy Monastery of St Nicholas of Aimonas (or Naimon or Aimon) near Mesimvria” but nowhere does he make mention of its subordination to Vatopaidi. We cannot therefore establish the identity, even though it appears to be the monydrion that concerns us.
59. Arkadios, mss, pp. 340-341.
60. Arkadios, mss, p. 341.
61. Arkadios, mss, pp. 339 and 341-342.
62. Lascaris, 1935, documents 5 and 6.
63. Arkadios, mss, pp. 97, 327-328; Papadopoulos-Arkadios, 1933; Goudas, 1927, document 11.
64. Arkadios, mss, p. 342.
65. Arkadios, mss, pp. 75, 88-93, 342-343.
66. Arkadios, mss, p. 101 cites as a possession of the Monastery “the Church of the All-Holy Mother of God Kamariotissa” in Thessaloniki, a donation of Arsenius Tsamblakon.
67. Arkadios, mss, pp. 343-344.
68. Arkadios, mss, p. 345.
69. Arkadios, mss, pp. 345-346.
70. Catalogue of the File of Correspondence of the Vlatadon Monastery, No. 2 (1718-1884), p. 10; No. 125, f. 395: “The Monastery handed over its metochi in Smyrna so that the Church of St Photeine could be built. 1885.”
71. Arkadios, mss, pp. 347-348.
