NEWS

Information Service of
the Serbian Orthodox Church
March 17, 2004

ARCHIVES OF THE DIOCESE OF RASKA-PRIZREN
EVACUATED FROM PRIZREN

The Diocese of Raska-Prizren evacuated yesterday, 16th March 2004, complete archives, library and museum values from the Bishop’s Residence in Prizren (Dimitrija Tucovica Str. Nr. 1). This was done at the basis of the recent announcement that responsibility for protection of the objects of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Prizren would be transferred under r4esponsibility of the Kosovo police. The Bishop’s residence and the Cathedral Church of St. George (built in 1887), since June 1999 when Bishop Artemije went over to Monastery Gracanica, have remained under protection of the German KFOR. Withdrawal of the soldiers is expected every moment because for commanders of KFOR situation in :Prizren is ‘stabile’.

 

At the moment, KFOR officially avoids to confirm information about the transfer of the competence, although the Diocese is informed that hurried logistic preparations are in process due to the fact that the number of German soldiers is to be reduced to a half of them.

It is sad and tragic that since 1014, when the Diocese of Prizren was mentioned for the first time, by the present transfer of the archives and the treasures practically this ancient Bishop’s residence dies out, and it happens under the auspices of the Mission of UN and German forces within the KFOR.

Serbian Orthodox shrines and monuments in Prizren are the following:

  1. Cathedral church of the Mother of God of Ljevish ( founded in 12 C, renovated by King Milutin 1306-1307 during episcopal administration of Prizren bishops, Damjan and Sava, whose names are engraved on the facade of the church).
  2. Monastery of the Holy Archangels near Prizren, founded by Emperor Dusan 1343-1352.
  3. Church of Christ the Saviour, built and fresco-painted in the third and fourth decades of the 14th C.
  4. Church of St. Demetrius (built in 13-14th C., destroyed in 19th C. Today Roman-Catholic church of the Virgin Mary is situated there.
  5. Church of St. Nicholas, so-called Korac’s church from 14th C., later transformed into a mosque.
  6. Cathedral church of Great Martyr George from 1887, with an icon of the Mother of God from 14th C. and an iconostasis from 18-19th C.
  7. Church of the Unmercennary Healers from 19th C., built on the foundations of an older church, with several precious icons from 18-19 C.
  8. Church of St. Panteleimon in the city district Pantelia, reconstructed in 1937, on the place of an elder church from Middle Ages.
  9. Foundations of the church of St. Apostle Thomas below the Prizren fortress “Kaljaja”.
  10. Remains of the church of St. Procopius in the city district Pantelija.
  11. Church of St. Ann, at the place of which a mosque of Mustafa-Pasha was built later
  12. Church of St. Athanasius within the Prizren fortress “Kaljaja”. At its place Emin-Pasha Rotuli (Albanian) erected a mosque and watch-tower in 1805. This mosque was later destroyed by Bulgarians in the World War I.
  13. Remains of the church of Sts Peter and Paul on the left bank of the Bistrica river.
  14. Church of Prophet Elijah,which with an old Serbian cemetery existed even until 1915.
  15. Theophany church, on remains of which a mosque in Marash-mahala (district) was built.
  16. Church of Transfiguration of the Lord, according to a tradition,. it was a chapel within the court of Emperor Dusan; it stood at the place of today’s mosque Mehmed-Pasha.
  17. Church of St. Nicholas, the so-called “City church” (mentioned even in 14th C.) in the ancient Visegrad fortress, above Monastery of Holy Archangels.
  18. Church of Dormition of Mother of God, mentioned in a charter of Emperor Dusan in 1348.
  19. Monastery of St. Barbara in Prizren, mentioned with its estates in a Turkish list of estates from 1526-1559.
  20. Remains of a cave church and a monastery in the vicinity of a place called “Large Stone” (Golem Kamen) near Prizren.
  21. Church of St. Nicholas or “Rajko’s church” from 14th C., renovated in 1857 with a precious icon from 16th C.
  22. Church of St. George Runovic from 15th C., with royal doors from 16th C. It is situated in the church-yard of St. George’s church in front of the Bishop’s Residence.
  23. Hermitage of St. Nicholas, beside the road Prizren – Monastery of Holy Archangels, with remains of frescoes from 14th C. This is one of numerous hermitages that existed in the valley of the Prizren Bistrica river.
  24. Church of St. Helen, which was situated at the place of the mosque built by Mustafa-Pasha of Prizren.
  25. Remains of a building of an older Metropolitan’s Palace with a Bishop’s chapel, to South-East from the church of the Mother of God of Ljevis.
  26. Church of St. Vlasius (mentioned in a charter of Emperor Dusan in 1348).
  27. Church of St. Nicholas, “Tutic’s church”, founded in 1331/2 and later fresco-painted.
  28. Church of St. Kyriakia with preserved foundations of the church of the Entrance of the Mother of God, a donation of Marko Kraljevic from 1371. Parts of a fresco-painting from 14th C have been preserved
  29. Church of St. Stephen, a foundation of King Milutin in the beginning of 14th C. At present Albanian houses cover it.
  30. Monument to Serbian soldiers from the Balkan Wars and WW I.
  31. Memory-chapel in honor of Serbian soldiers fallen during liberation of Prizren in 1912 and in the WW I.
  32. Monument of Emperor Dusan, in front of the church of St. George. Mined in June 1999.

Due to the fact that the Ministry for Culture of Serbia has not been permitted any concern about the cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metochia, the Prizren shrines and monuments have been neglected and left to a tranquil disappearance. Because of “wild” constractions and a general neglectance of cultural treasures and the natural enviroment, the preserved remains of ancient shrines have already been built into the fundaments of Albanian houses. The so-called Ministry for Culture of Kosovo, along with a lack of a complete expert training, does not show any interest in Serbian cultural heritage. At the moment, the only people who care about the shrines are the monks of the Monastery of Holy Archangels and several Serbian women who live in a devastated and burnt Serbian district, “Potkaljaja”.