Our Lady of Ljeviš
| Medieval Monuments in Kosovo | |
|---|---|
| Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List | |
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| Country | Serbia |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iii, iv |
| Reference | 724 |
| UNESCO region | Europe and North America |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 2004 (28th Session) |
| Extensions | 2006 |
| Endangered | 2006- |
| Our Lady of Ljeviš | |
|---|---|
| Богородица Љевишка | |
 The fresco of King Milutin, Bogorodica Ljeviška |
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| Coordinates: 42°12′41″N 20°44′09″E / 42.21139°N 20.73583°E | |
| Location | Prizren, Kosovo[a] |
| Denomination | Serbian Orthodox |
| History | |
| Founded | 1306-1307 |
| Founder(s) | Stephen Uroš II Milutin of Serbia |
| Dedication | Theotokos |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance  Serbia |
| Designated | 1990 |
| Style | Byzantine style |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | stone |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Eparchy of Raška and Prizren |
Our Lady of Ljeviš (Serbian: Богородица Љевишка, Bogorodica Ljeviška) is a 14th-century Serbian Orthodox Church in the town of Prizren, located in southern Kosovo[a]. It was converted to a mosque during the Ottoman Empire and then back into an Orthodox Church in the early 20th century.
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History[edit]
The construction of the church was commissioned in 1306-9 by Milutin of Serbia.[1] It was built on the site of an earlier Byzantine church, whose original name Metera Eleousa was preserved in Slavic as Bogorodica Ljeviška.
The Church was guarded by KFOR after June 1999. However, it was burned down during the 2004 unrest in Kosovo by Albanian mobs.
A group of experts sponsored by Serbia has visited the church on several occasions to assess the damage, but no concrete steps have been taken. The church is subject to constant looting (valuable lead has repeatedly been stolen from the roof).
In 1990 Serbia designated Our Lady of Ljeviš a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance, and on 13 July 2006 Our Lady of Ljeviš was placed on UNESCO's World Heritage List as an extension of the Visoki Dečani site (named Medieval Monuments in Kosovo), which as a whole was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
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The famous fresco Bathing of the Christ before it was destroyed and burned by Albanians in 2004. (See fresco after Albanian destruction)
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Saint Simeon (Stefan Nemanja), fresco from Our Lady of Ljeviš.
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Fresco "Communion of Apostles", Bogorodica Ljeviška
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Stefan Prvovenčani, beginning of the 14th century (1307—1309), fresco from Bogorodica Ljeviška church in Prizren
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Saint Sava, beginning of the 14th century (1307—1309), fresco from Bogorodica Ljeviška church in Prizren
See also[edit]
- Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance
- Tourism in Serbia
- Medieval Monuments in Kosovo
- List of Serb Orthodox monasteries
- Serbian Orthodox Church
Further reading[edit]
- Felix Corley and Branko Bjelajac (March 18, 2004). "Kosovo and Serbia: Churches & Mosques Destroyed Amid Inter-Ethnic Violence". Forum 18.
Notes and references[edit]
Notes:
| a. | ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo. The latter declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. Kosovo's independence has been recognised by 101 out of 193 United Nations member states. |
References:
- ^ Curcic, Slobodan (2005). Judson J. Emerick, ed. "Renewed from the Very Foundations": The Question of the Genesis of the Bogorodica Ljeviska in Prizren. Archaeology in architecture: studies in honor of Cecil L. Striker. von Zabern. p. 23. ISBN 9783805334921. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bogorodica Ljeviška |
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