Materijalni položaj episkopata i sveštenstva Srpske pravoslavne crkve od 1804. do 1914. godine

The complex issue of the financial position of the episcopate and clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the 19th and the first decade of the 20th century is pre- sented. The above mentioned period was also of a great significance for the church, since it had passed, carefully choosing a number of measures adjusted to the historical circumstances, through a complicated canonical procedure scheduled for new coun- tries, that set a requirement to arrange and organize their religious affairs independ- ently. The unity of the church and people, which was the basis of the fight for free- dom under the Turkish rule, most directly contributed to the foundation, and laws to the development of the position of the church within the state, which resulted in vari- ous mechanisms of control and the determination of the state authorities to make their impact on all the processes relevant for its functioning. Solving the issue of the finan- cial position of the episcopate and clergy became important, since the state was ex- pected to take measures for paying them tribute for their historical role, but also to consolidate and stabilize their position by providing them revenues sufficient for suc- cessful fulfilment of the entrusted duties. The state used to solve the issue by passing various legal acts, but the discontented clergymen constantly required regular pay- ments, which could not be realized due to lack of broader endorsement that would en- able the adoption of the appropriate law.