|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
| St. Peter's church is one of the oldest churches on the canonical territory of the Serbian Orthodox Church. It is very well known as the earliest spiritual centers in the Ras area where the first Serb state was created under great Zupan Nemanja in 11th century. It was in this church that Nemanja was baptized. Later this first ruler of an organized Serb state become a monk in Mount Athos where he and his son St. Sava, the first Archbishop of Serbia established the monastery of Hilandar. St. Peter's church is situated at the outskirts of Novi Pazar and is historically linked with the old city of Ras which used to be the first Serbian capital. In the vicinity of St. Peter's Church are two important monasteries: Sopocani and Djurdjevi Stupovi, which played an important role in the spiritual life of the medieaval Serbian kingdom. Historians claim that the first church to be built on this site was an old Christian basilica which was later rebuilt in the shape of today's church, during the early Middle Ages. The church was also important state and political center because synods and meetings were held under its vaults. Today the church is surrounded by the 18-19th century Serbian Orthodox cemetery which is one of the best preserved of this kind in Serbia. |
|
|
|
|
|
The ruins of the Djurdjevi Stupovi Monastery, the endowment of the Great Zupan (ruler) Stefan Nemanja lie on the top of a woody elevation overlooking the panorama of the city of Novi Pazar. The complex comprising the Church of St.George, the refectory, dormitories, the water tanks and walls with the entry tower, was built in the 8th decade of the 12th century. The external appearance of this single-nave temple with a tripartite sanctuary, a nave with lateral vestibules and a narthex, flanked by two towers, emanates a spirit of western Romanesque building. The frescoes, today for the most part damaged, and partly transferred to the National Museum in Belgrade, are rendered in the best tradition of the Comnenus style and skillfully adapted to the architecture of the temple, which is especially pronounced in the all-embracing cupola with an elliptic basis. With the addition of the apse on the eastern side in 1282/83, the entry tower was transformed into a chapel and the tomb of King Dragutin. In addition to painting frescoes depicting historical scenes in the interior of the chapel, the work carried out on the monastery at the end of the 18th century also included the building of a new refectory, dormitories and paintings in the narthex of the catholicon. The decline of this complex began in Turkish times, culminating in the wars waged during this century. Archaeological and restoration works were carried out between 1960 and 1982 and as part of the Stari Ras and Sopocani complex, it has been on the World Heritage List since 1979. The suystematic reconstruction of the entire monastery compound began in spring 2001. Bishop Artemije has already sent three monks to Djurdjevi Stupovi to overlook the reconstruction. In the first phase only the dormitories and a chapel will be built. Later, it is expected that the church will finally be reconstructed according to already existing projects. |
|
|
|
|
|
Crna Reka monastery is a hermitage in the midst of the south Serbian mountains situated in the gorge of the Black River. It is surrounded by high rocks and lush vegetation. It dates from 13th century when a small church dedicated to the Holy Archangel Michael was built in a big cave. Soon the monks hermits built their cells around the church and erected a small draw bridge over the dry bed of the Black River. By a great blessing og God the river disappears underground just in front of the monastery and reappears after several hundred meters of its underground flow and thus spares the monastery from the noise. The greatest treasure of the monastery are the holy and incorruptible relics of St. Peter of Korisha, a famous Serbian ascetic from the 13th century. Even today numerous pilgrims come to the monastery to seek healing and spiritual consolation from this great miracle-worker. In the 15th century Crna Reka was home for a time to a famous hesychast St. Ioanichios, who with his monks later moved to the area of today's Devic monastery. Crna Reka was deserted for a long time. It was only in 1979 that Fr. Artemy came to live there and gathered around himself a young brotherhood. After his election as bishop he took several monks and renewed other monasteries of the Diocese of Raska and Prizren. Today there are 18 brethren in the monastery who occupy themselves with prayer, icon painting and wood carving. |
|
|
|
|
|
Sopocani Monastery, the foundation of St. King Urosh I was built in the second half of the 13th century. It is situated in the valley of the Raska river, in the ancient region of Ras - the centre of the medieval Serbian state. The monastery church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. In the Middle Ages it was a thriving monastery with more than a hundred monks. The monastic compound is still encircled by a thick wall. The church also served as a royal mausoleum. After the battle of Kosovo Sopocani monastery was burned by Turks. Even the church was seriously damaged. Reconstruction ensued in the 15th century and by the end of 16th and the beginning of 17th century monastic life in Sopocani was flourishing again. In 1689 Turks burned the monastery once again and it remained deserted until the1960s. After a period of 30 years when the monastery served as a convent it was renewed in 1996 by Bishop Artemy who brought a young brotherhood to Sopocani. This new brotherhood is now actively working on reconstruction and the spiritual rebirth of this important medieval shrine. |
|
|
|
|
|
The Studenica Monastery was established in the late 12th century by Stevan Nemanja, founder of the medieval Serb state, shortly after his abdication. It is the largest and richest of Serbia's Orthodox monasteries. Its two principal monuments, the Church of the Virgin and the Church of the King, both built of white marble, enshrine priceless collections of 13th- and 14th-century Byzantine painting. |
|
|
|
|
|
The monastery of Mileseva was founded by Vladislav, King of Serbia, son of Stefan the First-Crowned and grandson of Stefan Nemanja, founder of the Serbian medieval dynasty. Ancient Serbian biographers recorded that the erection of Mileseva started immediately after Vladislav's accession to the trone in 1234. However, some specific details of the church frescoes lead to the conclusion that Mileseva might have been constructed some ten years earlier, at the time when Vladislav was a royal prince ruling over the Black Mount (Crna Stena) area in which the monastery was located. After having spent ten years on the trone, Vladislav was to pass the scepter over to his younger brother Uros in 1243. Residing thereafter in the coastal region of Zeta, he died in the eighties of the 13th century and was buried in his royal foundation - Monastery of Mileseva. |
|
|
|
|
 White angel, in Monastery Mileseva  Great Zupan Stefan Nemanja (St. Simeon), in Monastery Djurdjevi Stupovi |
|