Прохор Пчињски | |
 View of the Prohor Pčinjski | |
 Interactive map of Prohor Pčinjski | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Monastery of Venerable Prohor of Pčinja |
| Order | Serbian Orthodox |
| Established | 11th century |
| Dedicated to | Saint Prohor of Pčinja |
| Diocese | Vranje |
| People | |
| Founder | Romanos IV Diogenes |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Monuments of Culture of Exceptional Importance |
| Designated date | 1979 |
| Site | |
| Location | Klenike,Bujanovac,Serbia |
TheMonastery of Venerable Prohor of Pčinja (Serbian:Манастир Преподобног Прохора Пчињског,romanized: Manastir Prepodobnog Prohora Pčinjskog), commonly known asProhor Pčinjski (Serbian:Прохор Пчињски,romanized: Prohor Pčinjski) is an 11th-centurySerbian Orthodoxmonastery in the deep south inSerbia, located in the village ofKlenike, 30 km (19 mi) south ofVranje, near the border withNorth Macedonia. It is situated at the slopes of Mount Kozjak at the left side of thePčinja River.[1] The monastery was founded in the 11th century and is the second largest Serbian Orthodox monastery complex afterHilandar.[2]
According to tradition, the monastery was founded 1067–1071 by theByzantine emperorRomanus IV in honor of SaintProhor of Pčinja, who prophesied that Romanus would become the emperor.[2] The relics of Saint Prohor are located in the monastery.[2] A major renovation of the monastery was undertaken in the early 14th century underKing Milutin of Serbia when thefrescoes were painted.[2] After theBattle of Kosovo (1389) the monastery was destroyed by theOttomans but was rebuilt later in the 14th century, and new frescoes were painted.[2] There are reports of the monastery in the 17th and 18th centuries, but in 1817 it was plundered by Albanians and Turks and was abandoned.[citation needed] In the following years, the monastery was run by priests and prominent citizens of the nearby town of Vranje.[citation needed] In 1841, the monastery was burned with fire, along with a relic kept in it, the hand of St. Prohor Pčinjski. In the middle of the 19th century, new monastery buildings were built, in 1870 the famous icon painterDičo Zograf reworked some of the murals in the church, and in 1899 it was expanded and painted.[citation needed] During the same period, only a few monks permanently resided here.[citation needed]
In 1913,King Peter I of Serbia financed construction of a new residential building for monastery monks (so called "King's residence").[1] The last renovation of the monastery happened in the 1990s.[2] Two now residential buildings, awatermill and a minihydro power plant were added since.[2] The renovation of the King's residence started in 2013.[1]
On 2 August 1944, the anniversary of theIlinden uprising day, the first session of theAnti-fascist Assembly for the National Liberation of Macedonia (ASNOM) was held in the monastery. The Assembly declared Macedonia thenation-state ofMacedonians withinYugoslavia[3] and proclaimed theMacedonian language as the official language of the Macedonian state.
In 2010, an underground room from theEarly Middle Ages was found in the yard near the monastery.[4] Detailed archaeological examination has not been undertaken yet, because of lack of funds.[5]
For the most of its history, Prohor Pčinjski wasmale monastery, except in 1987–1992 when it wasfemale monastery.[2] The monastery was declared aMonument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979, and it is protected byRepublic of Serbia.[6]
Within the monastery, there is a theological school andiconography is taught there.[citation needed]
In 2014, part of the roof of the monastery was completely burnt down. In 2015 the state of Serbia, local community and voluntary contributions funds are gathered to rebuild it.[7]
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