- Visoki Dečani monastery
Visoki Dečani (Serbian: Манастир Високи Дечани or "Manastir Visoki Dečani") is a major Serb Orthodox Christian monastery located in the disputed
Serbia n province ofKosovo [See also:International reaction to the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence .] , 12 km south of the town ofPeć . The monastickatholikon is the largest medieval church in theBalkans containing the most extensive preservedfresco decoration.Fact|date=August 2008The monastery was established in a chestnut grove by King
Stefan Dečanski in1327 . Its original founding charter is dated to1330 . The following year the king died and was buried at the monastery, which henceforth became his popular shrine. Indeed, theepithet "Dečanski" refers to the king's foundation of the monastery. The construction was continued by his sonStefan Dušan until1335 , but the wall-painting was not completed until1350 .The monastic church, dedicated to
Christ Pantocrator and built from blocks of red-purple, light-yellow and onyxmarble , was constructed by builders working under aFranciscan monk, Vitus ofKotor . The church is distinguished by its imposing size and Romanesque andEarly Gothic structure and design. Apart from the extensive and well preserved fresco cycles the interior features the original 14th-century stonetemplon , the throne of thehegumen and the carved woodensarcophagus of the founder King Stefan.In
2004 ,UNESCO listed the monastery on theWorld Heritage List , citing its frescoes as "one of the most valued examples of the so-called Palaeologan renaissance in Byzantine painting" and "a valuable record of the life in the 14th century". In 2006, it was added to theList of World Heritage Sites in danger due to the potential for attacks by ethnic-Albanian partisans; it is protected by theUnited Nations ' KFOR.On
March 30 2007 an explosion was heard near the monastery. The explosion was confirmed by Serbian and international sources in Kosovo. Bishop Teodosije, the prior of the Visoki Dečani monastery, stated that the incident was a grenade attack on the monastery, with an objective of sending threatening messages to the monks and KFOR forces. [http://www.rts.co.yu/jedna_vest.asp?source=komentar&IDNews=181856]Gallery
References and notes
Bratislav Pantelić, "The Architecture of Dečani and the Role of Archbishop Danilo II", Reichert Verlag, 2002.
External links
* [http://whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/724.pdf Evaluation by the World Heritage Committee]
* [http://www.kosovo.net/main.html Decani Monastery on www.kosovo.net]
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