Nikola Radonja () or Nikola Radonja Brankoviàor Gerasim or Roman, (c. 1330 â 1399) was a 14th-century Serbian nobleman and chronicler, a member of the Brankoviàdynasty as the eldest son of Branko MladenoviÃÂ. He is remembered as the author of "Gerasim's Chronicle."
In documents he was referred with one or two out of four different names he had during his life: Nikola, Radonja (Radohna), Roman and Gerasim.
Radonja was a member of the Brankoviàdynasty as the eldest son of Branko MladenoviÃÂ. Radonja's younger brothers were Vuk Brankoviàand Grgur BrankoviÃÂ. He was married to Jelena, a sister of Ugljeà ¡a MrnjavÃÂeviÃÂ. Radonja had a title of caesar () and controlled an estate in Serres region where he and his wife Jelena lived with their two daughters.
When his wife and daughters died at very young ages, Radonja resigned his feudal position and after Autumn 1364 took monastic vows and name Gerasim while his father Branko Mladenoviàwas still alive. There he served and helped with great merit Hilendar and also the monasteries of Koutloumousiou and Agiou Pavlou monastery. Thanks to the Radonja's influence, Vuk Brankoviàbecame the first of Serbian feudal lords who gained ktitor's privileges in Hilandar after the fall of the Serbian Empire, beginning in 1371. The earliest mention of Radonja under his monastic name Gerasim was in a charter of Vuk Brankoviàissued to Hilandar Monastery in 1376/77. Around 1380 Radonja, together with Arsenije Bagaà ¡, bought ruined Agiou Pavlou monastery from Xeropotamou Monastery and reconstructed it. In period 1379âÂÂ89 Radonja was a priest in the Hilandar Monastery and was again mentioned as Gerasim, a brother of Vuk BrankoviÃÂ, in the 1389 document written by Prince Lazar. There he achieved hieroschemamonk degree of Eastern Orthodox monasticism. Around 1392 Radonja and group of notable "elders" from Hilandar visited court of the Lazareviàfamily, successors of Prince Lazar, and requested a church in Ibar and its estates to be granted to Hilandar, according to the promise given by its former lord, Obrad DragoslaviÃÂ.
After the death of Vuk BrankoviÃÂ in 1396, Radonja took Vuk's body to the Agiou Pavlou monastery on Mount Athos.
Radonja died on 3 December 1399 probably in Agiou Pavlou monastery.
Nikola Radonja, as monk Gerasim, was one of the people who was represented in the Serbian historical drama/war film Battle of Kosovo set in 1389 , in interpretation of the actor Tanasije UzunoviÃÂ. According to some speculations, Radonja was author of the Gerasim's Chronicle (), allegedly disappeared at the beginning of the 20th century, which supposedly explains that Miloà ¡ killed sultan Murad with a spear during the Battle of Kosovo in 1389.