_-_by_Pudelek..jpg) Visoki Dečani Church | |
  Location of Visoki Dečani within Kosovo | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Order | Serbian Orthodox |
| Established | 1327–35 |
| Diocese | Eparchy of Raška and Prizren |
| People | |
| Founder | KingStefan Dečanski |
| Abbot | Sava Janjić |
| Important associated figures | Stefan Dečanski,Stefan Dušan |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Vito of Kotor |
| Style | Serbo-Byzantine style |
| Site | |
| Location | Deçan,Kosovo 661 m (2,168.6 ft) |
| Coordinates | 42°32′48.9984″N20°15′57.999″E / 42.546944000°N 20.26611083°E /42.546944000; 20.26611083 |
| Public access | yes |
| Website | https://www.decani.org |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iii, iv |
| Designated | 2004(28thsession) |
| Part of | Medieval Monuments in Kosovo |
| Reference no. | 724 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| Official name | Manastir Dečani |
| Type | Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance |
| Designated | 1947 |
| Reference no. | SК 1368 |
TheVisoki Dečani Monastery is a medievalSerbian Orthodox Christianmonastery located nearDeçan,Kosovo. It was founded in the first half of the 14th century byStefan Dečanski,King of Serbia.
Dečani is by far the largest medieval church in theBalkans.[1] Its architectural style, which emerged inKingdom of Serbia at the end of the 12th century, combines Orthodox traditions withRomanesque influences and is regarded as one of the most complex architectural achievements of the 14th century. The monastery reflects the cultural exchange between theEast andWest, representing Serbia's historical position during the medieval period. The Dečani church containsfrescos that show defining moments from both Serbian history andChristian tradition. It also features the largest preserved collection ofByzantine painting. For centuries, Dečani has played a key role in preserving the spiritual, cultural, and national identity ofSerbs in Kosovo.
Dečani is often considered to be one of the mostendangered European cultural heritage sites.[2][3][4] The monastery has been under the legal protection ofSerbia since 1947 and is part of the World Heritage list titled "Medieval Monuments in Kosovo", designated as aCultural Monument of Exceptional Importance.[5]
The region of Dečani had a long ecclesiastical history. Since the beginning of the 11th century, it belonged to theEparchy of Prizren, under the jurisdiction of theArchbishopric of Ohrid. In 1219, theArchbishopric of Žiča was created in the medievalKingdom of Serbia, and northern parts of the Eparchy of Prizren were reorganized as the new Eparchy ofHvosno. Such ecclesiastical order was as well in place in the first half of the 14th century, and thus also at the time when establishment of the Dečani monastery was initiated.[6][7][8]
The construction of the monastery began during the reign of the Serbian KingStefan Dečanski, in 1327. The original founding charter from 1330, also known as theDečani chrysobull, has been preserved to this day.[9] After his death in 1331, Stefan Dečanski was buried in the still unfinished monastery, the construction of which was continued by his sonStefan Dušan, who became the King of Serbia in the same year.[10] The main architect of the monastery was the Franciscan friarVito of Kotor.[10][11] According to Bratislav Pantelić, the monastic church displays some features of Gothic architecture,[12] Byzantine-Romanesque architecture and contains Byzantine style fresco paintings and numerous Romanesque sculptures, part of a "Palaeologan renaissance".[13]
The construction of the monastery lasted for a total of 8 years and covered an area of 4000 square meters. The outstanding artistic quality of the paintings took 15 years and were done by painters with origins from Serbia, Byzantine and Adriatic coast.[14] The wooden throne of thehegumen (monastery head) was finished at around this time, and the church interior was decorated. Dečanski's carved wooden sarcophagus was finished in 1340.[9] Those who contributed to the construction of the monastery were collectively gifted a village close to the city ofPrizren namedManastirica, where many settled following completion.[15] Serbian princess and Bulgarian empress consortAna-Neda (d. ca. 1350) was buried in the church.[16]
During the Middle Ages, entire Albanian villages were gifted by Serbian kings, particularly Stefan Dušan, as presents to the Serbian monastery of Visoki Dečani, as well as those ofPrizren andTetovo.[17][18] Bulgarian writerGregory Tsamblak, author of theLife of Stefan Dečanski, was thehegumen (monastery head) at the beginning of the 15th century.
In the middle of the 15th century, the region was conquered by theOttoman Empire,[19] but the monastery continued to exist. In 1557, theSerbian Patriarchate of Peć war renewed, encompassing the region, and thus the monastery remained under its jurisdiction until the abolition of the Patriarchate in 1766. From that time, the region was under jurisdiction of thePatriarchate of Constantinople.[20][21]
The painter-monk Longin spent two decades in the monastery during the second half of the 16th century and created 15 icons with depictions of theGreat Feasts and hermits, as well as his most celebrated work, the icon of Stefan Dečanski. In the late 17th century, theOttomans plundered the monastery, but inflicted no serious damage.[9] In 1819, archimandriteZaharija Dečanac becameMetropolitan of Raška and Prizren.[citation needed]
Following the end of theFirst Balkan War, the monastery fell within the administration of theKingdom of Montenegro. The thenKing Nikola I of Montenegro placed much of the surrounding land under the monastery's jurisdiction.[22] DuringWorld War I, the monastery's treasures were plundered by theAustro-Hungarian Army, which occupied Serbia between 1915 and 1918.[23] The monastery fell within the territory of the Italian-ruledAlbanian Kingdom duringWorld War II, and was targeted for destruction by the Albanian nationalistBalli Kombëtar and Italianfascistblackshirts in mid-1941. TheRoyal Italian Army responded by sending a group of soldiers to help protect the monastery from attack.[24][25]
The monastic treasure was exhibited in the rebuilt medieval refectory in 1987.[26] The monastery's monks sheltered refugees of all ethnicities during theKosovo War, which lasted from March 1998 to June 1999.[27] On 7 May 1998, the corpses of two elderly Albanians were found 400 metres (1,300 ft) from the monastery. They were reportedly killed by theKosovo Liberation Army (KLA) for allegedly collaborating with Serbian forces. The KLA staged an attack not far from the monastery on 8 May, killing one person and wounding four others. That evening, Deçan's 300 remaining Serbs came to the monastery to seek shelter.[28]
Albanian civilians seeking refuge in the monastery returned to their homes following the withdrawal of Serbian military from Kosovo in June 1999. An Italian unit of theKosovo Force (KFOR) was subsequently assigned to guard the monastery, which was attacked on several occasions.[25] Dozens ofRomanis sought sanctuary in the monastery over the next several months, fearing retaliatory attacks by their Albanian neighbours, who accused them of collaborating with the Serbs and looting Albanian homes.[29]
During theviolent unrest in Kosovo on 17 March 2004, KFOR defended the monastery from an Albanian mob trying to throwMolotov cocktails at it. Several Albanians were shot and wounded in the clash.[30] On 2 July 2004, the monastery was declared aWorld Heritage Site by theUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).[11] UNESCO cited it as "an irreplaceable treasure, a place where traditions of Romanesque architecture meet artistic patterns of the Byzantine world."[27] The monastery, along with all other SerbianMedieval Monuments in Kosovo, was added to theUNESCO list of endangered World Heritage sites in 2006.[9]
Suspected Kosovo Albanian insurgents hurledhand grenades at the monastery on 30 March 2007, but caused little damage. In recent years, the situation around the monastery has stabilized and it has reopened to visitors.[27]Serbian PresidentBoris Tadić attended a service at the monastery in April 2009.[31] U.S.Vice PresidentJoe Biden visited the monastery the following month.[32] In the annual International Religious Freedom Report, theState Department wrote that the Deçan municipal officials continued to refuse to implement a 2016 Constitutional Court decision upholding the Supreme Court’s 2012 ruling recognizing the monastery’s ownership of approximately 24 hectares of land.[33]
Because of the dimensions of the church, which by far surpass the size of all the other medieval Balkan churches, the monastery has been popularly namedHigh Dečani.[34] The church has five-nave naos, a three-particonostasis, and a three-naveparvise. With the dome, it is 26 m high.[citation needed] Its outer walls are done in alternate layers of white and pink marble. The portals, windows, consoles, and capitals are richly decorated. Christ the Judge is shown surrounded by angels in the western part of the church. Its twenty major cycles of fresco murals represent the largest preserved gallery of Serbianmedieval art, featuring over 1000 compositions and several thousand portraits.[citation needed]
Dečani Monastery is one of four World Heritage medieval monuments in Kosovo designated as a heritage site in danger. Since the arrival ofKFOR peacekeepers in the region in 1999, attacks on the Monastery have increased. Since 1999 there have been five significant attacks and near miss attacks on the monastery:
As of 2023, Dečani Monastery has a 24/7 guard fromKFOR.[41] Of the four medieval monuments in Kosovo that are designated as a heritage site in danger, Dečani is the only one with a direct guard fromKFOR.[citation needed]
In 2021,Europa Nostra listed Visoki Dečani as one of the seven most endangered cultural heritage sites in Europe.[42][43]
Visoki Dečani, three episodes of thedocumentary series "Witnesses of Times" produced by the broadcasting serviceRTB in 1989 was created by Gordana Babić and Petar Savković, directed byDragoslav Bokan, music was composed byZoran Hristić.[44]
.. and is the largest of all medieval Balkan churches. (p. 1)" "Because of the dimensions of the church, which by far surpass the size of all the other medieval Balkan churches, the monastery has been popularly named High Dečani" (p. 5)
.. and is the largest of all medieval Balkan churches. (p. 1)" "Because of the dimensions of the church, which by far surpass the size of all the other medieval Balkan churches, the monastery has been popularly named High Dečani" (p. 5)
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