CHAPTER 13. -- The Monastery Chancellery. In It Are 7 Articles.

1. Up until [the promulgation] of this royal Law Code, a trial in all cases against metropolitans, and against archbishops, and bishops, and against their chancellery officials, and against [ecclesiastical] palace court officials, against deti boiarskie, and against their peasants, and against monasteries, and archimandrites, and hegumens, and against stewards, and against cellarers, and against treasurers, and against ordinary monks, and against monastery servitors, and against peasants, and against priests, and against other church officials was granted in the Chancellery of the Great Court.

But now the Sovereign, Tsar, and Grand Prince of all Russia Aleksei Mikhailovich, in response to a petition by stol'niki, and striapchie, and Moscow dvoriane, and provincial dvoriane, and deti boiarskie, and merchants of the first, and second, and third corporations, and [townsmen of] various other hundreds and settlements, and ordinary merchants, and townsmen, has decreed [the creation] of a separate Monastery Chancellery.

Grant a trial in all plaintiffs' claims against metropolitans, and against archbishops, and against bishops, and against their chancellery and palace court officials, and against deti boiarskie, and against their peasants, and against monasteries, against archimandrites, and hegumens, and against stewards, and against cellarers, and against treasurers, and against ordinary monks, and against monastery servitors, and against peasants, and against priests and against other church officials in the Monastery Chancellery.

2. When the metropolitans', and archbishops', and bishops' chancellery and palace court officials, and deti boiarskie, and peasants, and also the archimandrites, and hegumens, and stewards, and cellarers, and treasurers of various monasteries, and cathedral and ordinary elders, and monastery servitors and peasants proceed to sue people of various ranks in a particular chancellery: and after his [sic] defense the defendants proceed to submit petitions with claims against those plaintiffs in their own grievances: in response to their counterclaims, grant trials to those defendants [who initiate their counterclaims] against metropolitans, and against archbishops, and against bishops, and against archimandrites, and against hegumens, and against stewards, and against cellarers, and against treasurers, and against cathedral and ordinary elders, and against the metropolitans', and against the archbishops’ and against the bishops' chancellery and palace court officials, and against deti boiarskie, and against monastery servitors, and against peasants in those same chancelleries, in response to their counterclaim petitions.

3. Concerning stewards and peasants of the patriarch, and the metropolitans, and archbishops, and bishops, and monasteries, and boyars, and okol'nichie, and counselors, and peoples of all Moscow ranks who are living in the towns on hereditary estates and service landholdings belonging to church officials and lay lords: grant a trial to townsmen of all ranks against those bailiffs, and against their slaves, and against peasants of the patriarch, and of the metropolitans, and archbishops, and bishops, and monasteries, and boyars, and people of all ranks in the towns: and against townsmen to the stewards and peasants of the patriarch and other high church officials, and the monasteries, and boyars, and okol'nichie, and counselors, and peoples of all Moscow ranks in a suit for up to 20 rubles.

In suits for over 20 rubles and in cases involving hereditary estates, and service landholdings, and slaves, do not grant a trial against them in the provincial towns, except in those towns in which by the sovereign's decree state secretaries [are stationed] with governors, and except in the Lower Volga towns which are subordinate to the Kazan' Regional Administrative Chancellery.

4. If people of spiritual rank and monasteries proceed to initiate their own suits against servicemen; but in their petitions are written the names of archimandrites, and hegumens, and cellarers, and treasurers, and elders, and priests, and deacons; and if they themselves were assaulted, and dishonored, and robbed, or any wrongs were inflicted on them: in such suits where there is a petition [by someone] of monkly or priestly rank, according to the teaching of the Holy Apostles and the canons of the Holy Fathers there must be a casting of lots. There cannot be an oath by kissing the cross because, if an archimandrite, and a hegumen, and a priest, and a deacon, or someone in their stead kisses the cross, that person shall no longer function as a member of the clergy.

5. If in petitions are written the names of high church officials, and elders, and priests, deacons, and any kind of wrongs were committed on their estates, or anywhere against their servants or peasants, in any cases whatsoever: there will be no casting of lots in those suits. Grant them, [their] servants and peasants, an oath, kissing the cross.

6. If any plaintiffs or defendants, lay people, proceed to petition that, instead of taking an oath or casting lots in suits, people of spiritual rank be interrogated by the patriarch, and metropolitans, and archbishops, and bishops, those of priestly rank under the priestly oath, and monks under the monkly oath, and that judicial cases be resolved in that manner: grant those lay people, plaintiffs and defendants, their choice, whatever they want, [in their suits] with [people of] the priestly and monkly rank, whether [the evidence should be provided] by lots or by clerical interrogation. Order the lay people to affix their signatures to those testimonial transcripts. Resolve the cases on the basis of that [evidence].

7. Grant a trial in legal matters against all agriculturists on those same dates on which dates it is decreed that a trial will be granted against dvoriane and deti boiarskie because they, the same dvoriane and deti boiarskie, sue for and defend their peasants in all cases except theft and robbery, and crimes in which the suspect is apprehended red-handed, and homicide.