Mraka Charter of Ivan Alexander

It is a pious and most God-pleasing thing to show warm love toward the holy and divine churches, and to adorn them fittingly with imperial gifts and decrees — this is pleasing to God the Almighty and beneficial to all. Therefore my empire too, having warm love toward these divine churches and zealous boldness, especially toward the holy and fervent helper and ally of my empire, the holy and most glorious wonderworker and hierarch of Christ Nicholas, who in all the battles that befell my empire helped my empire unfailingly and fervently — therefore my empire, recalling the word of the prophet David, who said “Lord, I have loved the beauty of Thy house and the place where Thy glory dwells,” and who said that by these divine churches tsars reign and the imperial line is exalted and their state is confirmed and the mighty write justice — my empire was filled with zeal from this word and desired to adorn these divine churches, knowing that it is good, as the former tsars, holders of the sceptre of the Bulgarian empire, adorned and issued honourable God-inscribed writings — chosen chrysobulls, which were brought and read before my empire. When my empire saw and learned them, my empire was filled with zeal for this and desired to add something to them and adorn with worthy honour, wishing to make a good grant, as is fitting, that my empire be enlightened, and to raise up some place and some church — not only the holy great lavras but the small ones too, for in these very ones the name of Jesus Christ our God and the Orthodox Christian faith is named and glorified.

Therefore my empire was pleased to grant this seemly and ever-present chrysobull of my empire to this monastery of my empire of the holy and most glorious wonderworker and hierarch Nicholas, which monastery lies at the place called Orehovo — for the whole district and holding of this monastery, and for all its people, and for all its labourers, and for all its farmsteads (zevgelia), and for the Orehovo people who are in Sredets, and the hamlet of Belitsa up to the boundary of Kostinbrod, and the hamlet of Bozovtsi, and the hamlet of Drashtryane, and Konoryaz, and the hayfields at Rakita, and Batechnitsa with the whole forest-preserve, wherever they are, whether pariks and otroks, or craftsmen (technitari), or people of any kind, or fields, or vineyards, or hayfields, or mills, or gardens, or enclosures, or preserves, or fisheries, or nut-groves, or any other holdings and appurtenances of this monastery — over all of them let this monastery of the holy hierarch and wonderworker Nicholas hold authority.

And of all the boyars and servants of my empire, small and great, sent out at all times throughout the whole land to gather tax and to perform any services of my empire — the present sevasts of this district, dukes, katepans, scribes, all manner of tithe-collectors (of swine, sheep, bees, wine and cooks), apodohators, falconers and houndsmen, fort-builders, collectors, couriers — none of them may harm, nor set foot by force in these villages and among the people and hamlets of the monastery of my empire and all its rights; nor register, nor take tax, nor komod, nor billeting (mitati), nor any tithe, nor bread, nor wine, nor meat, nor fodder, nor fowls, nor take the people themselves for any service in my empire, nor take their horse for forced labour, nor oxen, nor asses, nor take cartage (podvod), nor harm these people in any other thing. But let the monastery of my empire, St Nicholas, hold every authority with all its rights, and the present archimandrite of this monastery of the saint, and whoever after him is a servant in this monastery. Likewise the vineyards in Drachovo, and the other vineyard in Skrino, and the other in the village of Diatsei, and the other in Zhitomits, which a monk gave on taking the tonsure. Likewise, as for the fines taken from these monastery people, small and great — whether the murder-fine (funt), or the divorce-fine (razpust), or robbery, or horse-theft, or other fines — let neither the sevasts nor the praktors of my empire interfere in these fines, but only the archimandrite take them into the monastery, as is right. Likewise the priests who are among the monastery people — let neither the great church harm them, nor the protopope, nor the exarchs, nor any others; but let all these people of this monastery of my empire abide freely and have relief, as long as the sun shines upon the earth and as long as my empire lives.

And after the death of my empire, whoever is heir of my empire — whether among the beloved children of my empire, or of the kinsmen of my empire, or whomever else God chooses and sets on the throne of my empire, some one of the Orthodox Christians — let him not think to annul or break this seemly chrysobull of my empire, but rather confirm and renew it, as it is good for the holy and Orthodox tsars to do, just as my empire did not destroy or annul but rather confirmed, renewed and enlightened. And whoever should destroy and trample it, let the Lord God judge him at His righteous judgement, and let him receive a curse from the Lord God and from His most pure Mother and from all the saints who have pleased God from of old. For every manifest confirmation and pure freedom, and for eternal and indestructible possession, my empire granted this chrysobull of my empire to the holy and most glorious wonderworker and hierarch of Christ Nicholas, for all his holdings, district, people and rights. My empire wrote and signed it with the customary imperial signature. In which chrysobull the pious and God-crowned sovereignty of my empire signed, in the year 1347, the first indiction, the month of December, the 1st day, on a Saturday. “Ivan Alexander, in Christ God faithful tsar and autocrat of all Bulgarians and Greeks.” The tsar commanded; Dobromir wrote it at Sergevitsi, the 1st day of December, on a Saturday.