Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint George in Prizren, burned during theunrest of 2004
Cathedral of Saint George in Prizren (Serbian:Саборни храм Светог Ђорђа у Призрену,romanized: Saborni hram Svetog Đorđa u Prizrenu;Albanian:Katedrala e Shën Gjergjit në Prizren) is theCathedral church of theSerbian OrthodoxEparchy of Raška and Prizren, located in the town ofPrizren,Kosovo. It was built from 1856 to 1887, near theOld Church of Saint George, previous cathedral church of the same eparchy.[2] The cathedral was burned and severely damaged by Albanian mobs during the2004 unrest, but was later renovated.
Modern Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint George in Prizren was built in the second half of the 19th century, during theOttoman rule in the region. Initiative for the creation of a new cathedral church was launched during the first half of the 19th century, and only after long negotiations with Ottoman authorities final permission was obtained in 1855, and foundation was laid in 1856.[3] Up to that point, minorOld Church of Saint George served as a temporary cathedral church of theEparchy of Raška and Prizren,[4] since Ottoman authorities previously took over the ancient medievalCathedral of the Holy Mother of God (Bogorodica Ljeviška) in Prizren, and turned it into amosque.[5] Local leaders of Eastern Orthodox Christians knew that ancient cathedral will not be returned to them as long as Prizren is under Ottoman rule, and therefore decided to build a new cathedral. Foundations were laid in 1856, but construction was completed in 1887. Prolonged construction was caused by constant financial and administrative difficulties.[6]
After the consecration of the new cathedral in 1887, additional efforts were undertaken in order to complete the internal inventory and decoration of the church. Significant acquisitions were made during the tenure of metropolitanDionisije Petrović of Raška and Prizren (1896–1900),[7] and his successor, metropolitanNićifor Perić (1901–1911).[8] Both of them were Serbian Orthodox hierarchs, appointed by theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Major turning point in the history of the Cathedral occurred at the beginning of theFirst Balkan War (1912–1913). In the autumn of 1912, Prizren was annexed by theKingdom of Serbia. In the spring of 1913, rector of theSerbian Orthodox Seminary of Prizren, protopresbyterStevan Dimitrijević was appointed as administrator of the Eparchy. Under theTreaty of London (1913), Albanian-majority Prizren was officially annexed to Serbia. During theFirst World War (1914–1918), the region was occupied by the armies of theCentral Powers from the end of 1915 up to the autumn of 1918. After the liberation in 1918, newKingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (Yugoslavia) was created, and included all territories of Serbia.[9] After the Serbian Patriarchate was renewed in 1920, Eparchy of Raška and Prizren was returned to the jurisdiction of theSerbian Orthodox Church, and the Cathedral of Saint George in Prizren was confirmed as the official cathedral church of the Eparchy.
In 1941,Kingdom of Yugoslavia was attacked and occupied byNazi Germany and its allies.[10] The central parts of the Eparchy of Raška and Prizren, including the city of Prizren, were occupied by Italians.[11] Formally, Italian occupation zone was annexed toFascist Albania. That marked the beginning of mass persecution of some ethnic groups in Prizren, and other annexed regions ofMetohija (Dukagjini) and centralKosovo.[12] During that period, many Serbian churches of the Eparchy of Raška were looted and destroyed by the Italian army,.[13]
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