Задушнине - ситнији имовински прилози верника црквама и манастирима у средњевековној Србији

Abstract

У раду је размотрено питање ситнијих имовинских прилога црквама и манастирима које су уступали верници. Како међу мотивима таквих давања доминира настојање да се обезбеди спасење душе, такви прилози се обично називају задушнинама. Најчешће се ради о давању земљишних парцела, њива, винограда или нешто већих потеса земље. Размотрен је друштвени статус давалаца, обим прилога датих за душу и начин извршења имовинско-правог чина. Поседно је сагледано питање потчињавања имовине цркви у светлу баштинских права у средњовековној Србији.

Bestowal and giving away estates to the church is one of more prominent characteristics of the Serbian middle ages. Here we will consider the issue of small gifts of the believers, their motives for bestowing gifts to the church, legal position of such contributions, as well as the total share of such estates in church manors. Believers from the small nobility class did not have a possibility to raise a new temple, or to undertake a substantial construction endeavor in reconstructing a church. Therefore, in accordance with their possibilities, they would give smaller estates to the closest church or a monastery. Motives for such donations lie in the piety of the middle ages people, and among the most frequently mentioned motives is a desire of the believers to reach the salvation of their soul, ensure a worthy commemoration and requiem after their death, grave location and similar reasons. The size of the grounds given to the church can indicate the bestower's status and position. The most commonly bestowed gifts given to the church were land, mostly a field, sometimes a vineyard, a meadow or a garden, but there are also examples where horses, oxen or some other valuable objects were given away as gifts. Through the beginning of bestowing land or other contributions to the church, also the strengthening of the noble class can be followed, not only on a materialistic plane, but also in a development of their power in the political life. Medieval laws guaranteed hereditary estate rights to the nobility in such a way so they might freely use it, sell it, give it away as a gift or submit it to the church. It is clear that about such propriety changes, different possession contracts or similar legal documents had to be made. Churches were diligently keeping the documents about the believers' legacy and noted them in their books. Considering the fact that those were smaller pieces of land, in this way the church estates were not significantly enlarged. However, as there were numerous donations which were piling up, in time they started to have a bigger share in church property