Elder Grigorije

Elder Grigorije (Serbian: Старац Григорије ; fl. 1310–1355) was a Serbian nobleman, Orthodox cleric and writer.

Life

Grigorije hailed from the Prizren region. He was a nobleman under the Serbian Empire but later took monastic vows and received the monastic title of Elder (starac). With monk Jakov (Jakov Serski) he led the building of the endowment of Emperor Dušan the Mighty (r. 1331-1355); the Saint Archangels Monastery in Prizren, of which he became the first igouman. Grigorije and monk Teodosije (Teodosije Hilandarski) together left Mount Athos for Serbia where they would write the „Žitije svetog Petra Koriškog“, as well as songs and services for the Saint (around 1310). It is thought he was one of the protégés of Gregory of Sinai, and there exists indications that he is the so-called "Danilo's pupil" (Danilov učenik), i.e. the main author of the great work „Žitija kraljeva i arhiepiskopa srpskih“, which was started by Archbishop Danilo II (1324—1337).

Sources

• S. Novaković: Narodna tradicija i kritička istorija, Otadžbina 1880, knj. V, br. 17;
• I. Pavlović: Književni radovi arhiepiskopa Danila II, Beograd 1888:
• Lj. Stojanović: Žitija kraljeva i arhiepiskopa srpskih i od arhiepiskopa Danila i drugih Glas SA, 1923, CVI;
• N. Radojčić: O arhiepiskopu Danila II i njegovim nastavljačima (predgovor prevodu L. Mirkovića: Život kraljeva i arhiepiskopa srpskih). Beograd 1935, str. V—XXIX;
• M. Kašanin: Danilov nastavljač, Srska književnost u srednjem veku, Beograd 1975, str. 234—252