In 1287, a dispute on border issues erupted into a long-standing conflict between the monasteries of Karakallos and Great Lavra, which was to continue until the end of the 16th century. It is likely that this situation created the need for the 1294 chrysobull by the Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos, which is preserved in the archives. It is the oldest document that describes the Monastery's property, its dependencies, and estates both in and outside Mt Athos. It shows an image of economic and demographic growth after a period of serious hardship. The introduction of the chrysobull refers to the many beneficial interventions by the Patriarch Athanasios I to the Emperor for the issuing of decrees in favour of the Karakallos Monastery, where he formerly resided. Although unknown from other sources, the information is considered accurate, since the emperor had a close friendship with Athanasios, and personally knew his earlier monastic life on Athos. Hence the Patriarch Athanasios, an enlightened and austere ascetic, a supporter of orthodoxy and consistency in the observance of the monastic rules, used to live in the Karakallos Monastery, perhaps on his second stay on Mt Athos, around 1278.
