05 — The Great Renunciation

The hinge of Nemanja’s sanctity: at the height of his power he laid down his crown. This section treats the abdication council of Ras on the Annunciation of 1196, at which the aged Grand Župan renounced his throne in favor of his son Stefan; his tonsure as the monk Simeon at his own foundation of Studenica; and the parallel tonsure of his wife Ana as the nun Anastasija — herself venerated as St. Anastasija of Serbia.

Tradition: Serbian Orthodox

Contents

• The Abdication Council of 1196 — the state assembly at Ras, the Annunciation date, the division of the realm between Stefan and Vukan, and the meaning of a reigning founder’s voluntary renunciation.
• The Tonsure and Saint Anastasija — Nemanja’s tonsure as the monk Simeon at Studenica, and his wife Ana’s tonsure as the nun Anastasija, the mother of the holy dynasty and a saint in her own right.

See Also

• Studenica, the Marble Mausoleum — the church where the tonsure took place
• Athos and Hilandar — where the monk Simeon went next
• St. Sava: Founding Hilandar — the abdication from the son’s side