Europe

[Visited: July 2020]

On our drive north to Pristina, we decide to stop over in Gračanica, for its famous monastery. In a predominantly moslim coumtry, there are patches of Serbian presence reminding the visitor of its complicated history, which came to the surface again in the 1990s. When we walk into the large compound of the monastery, we immediately see the church rising high above us, in an unmistakeable Orthodox style: severeal domes, the Orthodox cross on top of them. and the brown-red bricks. It does not look old, but a basilica stood here in the early stages of the first millennium. On top of the ruins of the first church, a newer church was built, which was then replaced again in the 13th century after the destruction of the second temple. The grounds feel like a park: grass around the trees that offer shade from the relentless sun.
After walking around the church, we enter, and that's when our visit starts to be truly interesting. Impressive frescoes are all around the alls of this big monastery. We see Stegan Milutin depicted on a dark blue background, with a model of the church in 1321. He rebuilt the church, painted the inside and outside in the 14th century. He commented on this feat by writing about it on the southern wall of the church. The church suffered attacks by the Ottomans in the same century, and again during the Battle of Kosovo in 1389. The more beautiful frescoes I see, the more I want to take pictures, but the supervisor who is walking around here, keeps a very close look on me and the few others around. When I walk to the centre of the church, among the euros on the donation shelf, I also see some Serbian dinar.
The history of the monastery is one of constant rebuilding, extending, renewing, and repainting. More frescoes were added in the 16th century, the roof was leaded, a large cross was added to the iconostasis. Then came the Turkish war at the end of the 17th century, during which the monastery again suffered damages. Gračanica monastery was again renewed after World War II by nuns, and has been a convent ever since: it currently counts 24 nuns. As if it had not seen enough destruction, it was hit by bombs in the NATO campaign in 1999. When the war was over, the bishop of Raška and Prizren moved his seat to Gračanica, making it the focal point of the Serbian community in Kosovo on a spiritual, political and national level. Its value was recognised a few years later when it gained recognition as a World Heritage site by Unesco.

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Gračanica monastery (Kosovo)

Gračanica monastery > Kosovo > Europe

[Visited: July 2020]

Around the World in 80 Clicks