Manastiri i Shën Shirgjit dhe Bakut | |
 An image of the 1890s by Jules Alexandre Théodore Degrand | |
| Monastery information | |
|---|---|
| Order | Benedictine[1] |
| Established | 1290 |
| Disestablished | No longer active |
| Dedicated to | Sergius and Bacchus |
| Diocese | Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Shkodër–Pult |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | Saint Helen of Serbia |
| Architecture | |
| Status | ruin |
| Heritage designation | Cultural Monument of Albania |
| Style | Gothic architecture with features from theRomanesque |
| Site | |
| Location | nearShirgj,Shkodër County,Albania |
| Coordinates | 41°59′26″N19°26′24″E / 41.9905°N 19.4399°E /41.9905; 19.4399 |
| Visible remains | southern wall |
| Public access | yes |
TheShirgj Church (Albanian:Kisha e Shirqit/Shirgjit), also known as theMonastery of Saints Sergius and Bacchus (Albanian:Manastiri i Shën Shirgjit dhe Bakut), is a ruined formerBenedictine monastery in the village ofShirgj on the riverBuna in northernAlbania. The church was built bySaint Helen of Serbia in 1290, dedicated to SaintsSergius and Bacchus, allegedly on top of a pre-6th centurybasilica according to circumstantial evidence. However, no archaeological evidence exists of a prior structure.
The church was built in two phases, starting in 1290 byHelen of Serbia.[2] Apparently, the monastery was constructed on top of an existing structure: according toapocryphal documents, the original monastery is mentioned as erected byJustinian,[3] whereas in other sources its existence is mentioned as anabbey starting from 1100.[2] The presence of a pillar of black granite, a material which originates from Syria and was often used in 6th-century basilicas in Albania, suggests that the construction of the original building may lie in the 6th century.[1] TheChronicle of the Priest of Duklja suggests that the monastery was built upon a church used as aroyal mausoleum for several predominately Catholic members of the SerbianVojislavljević dynasty of Duklja includingMihailo I,Constantine Bodin,Dobroslav,Vladimir andGradinja.[4] However, no archaeological evidence exists of a pre-existing structure.[5]
Inscriptions by the Serbian KingStefan Milutin suggest that major construction works also commenced in 1318, suggesting that the monastery was not completely built at a single point in time.[5] A document dated 22 October 1330 mentions the monastery as the rendezvous point of the king of Rascia with ambassadors ofRagusa.[1] In another document dated 1333, the monastery is mentioned as the customs' place of the kingdom of Rascia.[1]
Marino Bizzi, theArchbishop of Antivari at the time, wrote in a 1611 report to the Vatican that heavy damages were inflicted to the church as a result of theOttoman presence in Albania. In 1684,Pjetër Bogdani reported that the church's bell had been put underground.Daniele Farlati also mentioned the church in hisIllyricum sacrum.[2] In 1790 archbishop Frang Borci informed Coletti, Farlati's assistant, who was about to republishIllyricum sacrum, that the church was the most beautiful of Albania.[2]
The French consul in Iskodra noted that the monastery's frescoes could still be seen in the church in 1905.[6] At that time only three of the four perimeter walls were still standing.[2]Ippen, then Austrian consul of Iskodra, observed that in the late 1800s and early 1900s the gravediggers of Shirgj would find old mosaics.[2] At present, only a single wall remains and the mosaics can no longer be seen.[1]
The monastery has been under the Vatican's jurisdiction during all of its active life.[2] It was listed as aMonument of Culture by the Albanian government in 1970.[7]
The ruins were visited byPatriarch Irinej of theSerbian Orthodox Church in 2014.[8]
The monastery was athree-church basilica. The main entrance sat in the central bay of the western façade, consisting of a porch that was supported by pillars. A secondary entrance to the monastery was positioned on the southern façade. The triangulargable and walls of the monastery were constructed with alternating layers of stone and brick, while thelunette was solely made of bricks. The monastery was predominately illuminated by two large windows placed above the western side of the monastery. The roof was constructed usingroof tiles at a 30 degree angle.[5]
The monastery had six square stone pillars in the interior. The interior walls were covered with frescoes and theinterior articulation was crowned with arches. The monastery had a raised semicircularapse.[5]
It is surmised that the church was founded in Justinian times, around 535, with the spread and especially with the imperial patronage of the cult of its patron saints, two Roman Christian soldiers martyred in Syria in the 4th century. [...] According to the testimony of the Chronicle of Bar, although a source considered unreliable, this basilica became the royal mausoleum of the 11th century Serbian Vojislavljević dynasty who ruled over Zeta and thus the burial place of kings Mihajlo and Bodin and their heirs, Vladimir and Gradihna. Documents form Kotor indicate that in 1166 the abbot of Sts Sergius and Bacchus, Petar, was present at the consecration of the cathedral of St Tryphon in Kotor and at that time, towards the end of the 12th century, Shkodër and its environs became a part of the Serbian Nemanide state
