.....and my main objective was to visit an old, old monastery there but also just to walk around in a more rural setting.
My first job at the embassy went well. I did have problems taking my laptop inside, and that is a critical part of my training, however, after a half-day we got that sorted out. I took my iPhone and they wouldn't let me take that inside either because it has a camera function. So, instead, they cleared all the paperwork to get me a government-issued phone temporarily (but this phone also has a camera function too). I'm actually kind of glad to have a local phone--mine doesn't work here--and it gives me yet a little more freedom of movement like calling for a taxi.
To get to the village of Gračanica, I took a taxi out of the industrial area of Pristina. Once into the countryside, it became farmland very quickly. As we approached the village, my taxi driver told me that Gračanica was a "Serbian village." "Only Serbs live there," he emphasized. I guess that, given the Serbian ethnic-cleansing in Kosovo, that would be significant given the resentment and retaliation factors from the Kosovars.
It's quiet today, but some fourteen years after the war, Swedish soldiers still guard the monastery. Until recently, you had to show your passport to enter and they had a tank positioned in front of the gates but today that was gone. Some soldiers remain, however.
Odd as it may seem, the old nuns in this monastery are protected by razor wire and KFOR (Kosovo Force) soldiers. There were actually a lot of soldiers here but I had the impression many of them were there as tourists today.
This building is considered an example of Byzantine architecture and was completed in 1322. My guide book says this area has been raided and sacked by the Romans, the Gauls, the Huns, Philip of Macedonia, multiple Turkish raids, the forces during World War I and later, the German Army in the second world war, and more recently, Serbian and NATO bombing. Still, today, the nuns pray and make their wine and olive oil.
I thought the history was kind of interesting. It was built by a King Milutin--a war-like Serbian king from 1284-1321. Reportedly he told God that, if he became king, he would build a new church every year of his reign. He lasted 42 years--therefore 42 churches and this is considered his crown jewel.
It was built on the remains of a 6th century early Christian basilica and was designed as a Byzantine church formed in the shape of a cross with five cupolas--the largest and tallest being in the center of the cross.
I was taking pictures without flash, so the beauty of the frescoes doesn't really show through but the almost 700-year old stone walls are amazing.
The raiding armies could raid, sack, burn and pillage, but they couldn't tear these massive walls down. Over the centuries, the monastery--like so many others in this area--has had priceless treasures destroyed and looted and ancient manuscripts burned. But the frescoes--some of them 14th century originals--are in amazing shape and very clear although some of the lower-level ones have been badly vandalized.
From the beginning, the frescoes were the focal point of the church. The king had married a daughter of the Byzantine Emperor who furnished a whole school of the finest artists to decorate the church. Frescoes were also painted on the exterior.
The narthex and the tower were added a few decades later, in order to protect the frescoes on the west facade. The narthex was heavily damaged by the Turks several times between 1379–1383, when the tower was burned and the fire devoured a rich collection of manuscripts and other precious objects. The narthex was reconstructed in 1383. Again, Gračanica suffered damages at the time of the Battle of Kosovo (1389).
This frontal view shows the 1383 narthex today. The two white pillars beside the door are the only remaining pieces of the original before the Turkish raids.
Inside the narthex is where most of the recent vandalism has occurred.
The narthex also has a cupola--not part of the original church, but an amazing example of stone masonry in itself. Remember, this "reconstructed" narthex dates back to the late 1300s.
During Ottoman rule Gračanica became an important cultural center and in the 1500s, several icons were painted on the altarpiece.
After the French forces reached this area during World War I, they decided to dedicate a plaque to "Serbian-French Friendship" and, for whatever reason, the French decided to embed the plaque in the middle of a 14th century fresco. You can see it in the lower right of the photo on the pillar--a black square in the middle of a Medieval bishop. Geez, guys, I doubt if the Serbs considered you that good of friends......
It was also shortly after Gutenberg developed his printing press in Germany that the technology spread and a press was established at this church around 1500. Because of this, Gračanica became a cultural and learning center. Of course, most of the old manuscripts printed here have been burned or destroyed.
Outside the church, there are still a few artifacts that have survived the ravages of time:
But today the church and monastery are mostly about the frescoes. After World War II, the place became a convent and nunnery and today about 24 sisters live here and the convent is known for icon painting, artwork, vineyards and the nuns operate a winery.
The nuns are very open to visitors and I talked briefly with an older nun who spoke excellent English.
They obviously have a very good rapport with the Swedish soldiers here and speak English with them as well. When I bought some souvenirs in the gift shop, a younger nun talked me into buying a bottle of their red wine, so now I have to figure out how to get that home in my checked luggage without it getting broken.
After leaving the monastery, I walked around Gračanica a bit but there wasn't much else here. This is basically what a Serbian village looks like in rural Kosovo......
I called my taxi driver on the Embassy-supplied phone and he picked me up and returned me to the hotel. This was a very worthwhile trip.
Sometime, after I get back home, I'll celebrate something and open the bottle of red wine and toast the nuns of Gračanica......
My first job at the embassy went well. I did have problems taking my laptop inside, and that is a critical part of my training, however, after a half-day we got that sorted out. I took my iPhone and they wouldn't let me take that inside either because it has a camera function. So, instead, they cleared all the paperwork to get me a government-issued phone temporarily (but this phone also has a camera function too). I'm actually kind of glad to have a local phone--mine doesn't work here--and it gives me yet a little more freedom of movement like calling for a taxi.
To get to the village of Gračanica, I took a taxi out of the industrial area of Pristina. Once into the countryside, it became farmland very quickly. As we approached the village, my taxi driver told me that Gračanica was a "Serbian village." "Only Serbs live there," he emphasized. I guess that, given the Serbian ethnic-cleansing in Kosovo, that would be significant given the resentment and retaliation factors from the Kosovars.
It's quiet today, but some fourteen years after the war, Swedish soldiers still guard the monastery. Until recently, you had to show your passport to enter and they had a tank positioned in front of the gates but today that was gone. Some soldiers remain, however.
Odd as it may seem, the old nuns in this monastery are protected by razor wire and KFOR (Kosovo Force) soldiers. There were actually a lot of soldiers here but I had the impression many of them were there as tourists today.
This building is considered an example of Byzantine architecture and was completed in 1322. My guide book says this area has been raided and sacked by the Romans, the Gauls, the Huns, Philip of Macedonia, multiple Turkish raids, the forces during World War I and later, the German Army in the second world war, and more recently, Serbian and NATO bombing. Still, today, the nuns pray and make their wine and olive oil.
I thought the history was kind of interesting. It was built by a King Milutin--a war-like Serbian king from 1284-1321. Reportedly he told God that, if he became king, he would build a new church every year of his reign. He lasted 42 years--therefore 42 churches and this is considered his crown jewel.
It was built on the remains of a 6th century early Christian basilica and was designed as a Byzantine church formed in the shape of a cross with five cupolas--the largest and tallest being in the center of the cross.
I was taking pictures without flash, so the beauty of the frescoes doesn't really show through but the almost 700-year old stone walls are amazing.
The raiding armies could raid, sack, burn and pillage, but they couldn't tear these massive walls down. Over the centuries, the monastery--like so many others in this area--has had priceless treasures destroyed and looted and ancient manuscripts burned. But the frescoes--some of them 14th century originals--are in amazing shape and very clear although some of the lower-level ones have been badly vandalized.
From the beginning, the frescoes were the focal point of the church. The king had married a daughter of the Byzantine Emperor who furnished a whole school of the finest artists to decorate the church. Frescoes were also painted on the exterior.
The narthex and the tower were added a few decades later, in order to protect the frescoes on the west facade. The narthex was heavily damaged by the Turks several times between 1379–1383, when the tower was burned and the fire devoured a rich collection of manuscripts and other precious objects. The narthex was reconstructed in 1383. Again, Gračanica suffered damages at the time of the Battle of Kosovo (1389).
This frontal view shows the 1383 narthex today. The two white pillars beside the door are the only remaining pieces of the original before the Turkish raids.
Inside the narthex is where most of the recent vandalism has occurred.
The narthex also has a cupola--not part of the original church, but an amazing example of stone masonry in itself. Remember, this "reconstructed" narthex dates back to the late 1300s.
During Ottoman rule Gračanica became an important cultural center and in the 1500s, several icons were painted on the altarpiece.
After the French forces reached this area during World War I, they decided to dedicate a plaque to "Serbian-French Friendship" and, for whatever reason, the French decided to embed the plaque in the middle of a 14th century fresco. You can see it in the lower right of the photo on the pillar--a black square in the middle of a Medieval bishop. Geez, guys, I doubt if the Serbs considered you that good of friends......
It was also shortly after Gutenberg developed his printing press in Germany that the technology spread and a press was established at this church around 1500. Because of this, Gračanica became a cultural and learning center. Of course, most of the old manuscripts printed here have been burned or destroyed.
Outside the church, there are still a few artifacts that have survived the ravages of time:
But today the church and monastery are mostly about the frescoes. After World War II, the place became a convent and nunnery and today about 24 sisters live here and the convent is known for icon painting, artwork, vineyards and the nuns operate a winery.
The nuns are very open to visitors and I talked briefly with an older nun who spoke excellent English.
They obviously have a very good rapport with the Swedish soldiers here and speak English with them as well. When I bought some souvenirs in the gift shop, a younger nun talked me into buying a bottle of their red wine, so now I have to figure out how to get that home in my checked luggage without it getting broken.
After leaving the monastery, I walked around Gračanica a bit but there wasn't much else here. This is basically what a Serbian village looks like in rural Kosovo......
I called my taxi driver on the Embassy-supplied phone and he picked me up and returned me to the hotel. This was a very worthwhile trip.
Sometime, after I get back home, I'll celebrate something and open the bottle of red wine and toast the nuns of Gračanica......
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