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The furst Turkish occupation of the Holy Athos occurred in 1387, and 1393-1403, and finally in 1430. The Ottoman Empire sanctioned the autonomous organization of the Holy Athos, but it lost many of its estates and revenues outside peninsula, and was burdened by taxes. So it hapenned to Chilandar monastery, too.
In 16th century the czars helped Chilandar allowing its monks to collect contributions in Russia. During the 16th and 17th century and later an important source of income for Chilandar monastery was contributions from devoted Christians throughout the Balkans. On the other hand, Serbian patriarchs, bishops and clergy continued to assist Chilandar.
During the Greek uprising 1821, the Turks introduced severe reprisals and imposition of 10 year occupation, when a large number of monks had fled from the Holy Athos. Many antiquities and art tresures were destroyed.
But, beside of many tragic events throughout its history after the Nemanjic's period, the Chilandar library today contains about 1000 Slavonic manuscripts and nearly 180 Greek codexes and booklets from 12th to 19th century; a collection of 80 copies of old Serbian and Wallachian printed books, and excellent speciments of Cetinje icanubula. There are also copies of almost all works of monastery's manuscripts and medieval DSerbian literature (12th to 17th centuries) both originals and translated from Greek. This makes the richest treasury of old Serbian literature and manuscripts. There are also Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, and Slavonic works from Romania. Today's Chilandar library reflects and confinns the international ecumenical character of the Holy Athos monastic community "which has unified the culture of all the Orthodox nations from the Middle Ages through the Turkish period down to the present day.".
Emperor Andronicus II Paleologus established the supreme authority of the Ecumenical Patriarch over Holy Athos by his chrysobul of 1312. But in 1368, Ecumenical Patriarch Philotheus placed the Holy Athos under the Bishop of Hierissos jurisdiction.
By the international agreement signed in London in 1913, and Lausanne in 1923, Holy Athos became a part of the Greek State. The Constitution of 1924, confinned by the law of 1926, regulated matters pertaining to the administration and system, mostly in accordaance with the Typikon of 1783, issued by the Ecumenical Patriarch Gabriel. The Holy Community, consisting of the representatives of all twenty monasteries became the highest governing body on the Holy Athos. Great Lavre, Vatopedi, Iviron, Chilandar and Dionysion hold the first five places. Holy Epistasia is the executive body, consisted of four members serving one-year tenn of office, and are chosen by rotation. The monasteries are divided into five tetrads, each representing five leading monasteries, in which 1st member ofthe tetrad becomes Protepistates (formerly Protos). These first five monasteries (including Chilandar) take it in tum to provide the Protepistates of the Holy Athos. The Greek government is represented by a governor or prefect, with its police at Karyes. But Holy Athos enjoys wide judical autonomy, except in criminal cases.
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