Banjska monastery

Banjska monastery

View of the Banjska monastery church
Monastery information
Full name	Манастир Светог архиђакона Стефана - Бањска
Order	Serbian Orthodox
Established	1317, (reestablished in 2004)
Disestablished	16th century
Dedicated to	Saint Archdeacon Stephen
Diocese	Eparchy of Raška and Prizren
People
Founder(s)	King Stefan Uroš II Milutin
Site
Location	Hill near Zvečan, Kosovo[a]
Public access	Limited

Banjska Monastery (Serbian: Манастир Бањска, Manastir Banjska), ( listen (help·info)), is a Serb Orthodox monastery in the Banjska village near Zvečan in the Kosovo and Metohia southern province of Serbia.

History

The monastery, along with St. Stephen's Church was built between 1313 and 1317 and was founded by the Serb King Stefan Uroš II Milutin, one of the most powerful Balkan rulers of the period and one of the most powerful rulers of the entire Nemanjić dynasty. Milutin built the church as his burial place and it is there that he was first laid to rest. However, following the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 his body was moved to Trepča and then in 1460 to the Bulgarian city of Sofia, where it lies to this day.

The monastery shared the fate of its founder. The monumental building with its church, library, monks' quarters and "imperial palace" began to fall into disrepair very early. At the beginning of the 15th century, a fire destroyed the library and in the second half of the same century the monastery was probably abandoned. Kuprešić, an author writing about his travels, mentions that the monastery was razed to the ground in the 16th century on the orders of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, as Christians who had fled Turkish slavery were gathering in it.

St. Stephen's church, which was almost totally destroyed, was turned into a mosque in the 19th century and served as such until World War I. The first conservation activity was carried out in 1939 and again in 1990, when the church was partly rebuilt.

Banjska Monastery is one of the few for which the founding charter has been preserved. From it we can see that the monastery was granted a large estate at its founding, of 75 villages and 8 pastures.

As the complex was built as the final resting place of a king, the Bishopric was "upgraded" to a stavropegial monastery - roughly translated, an Imperial Monastery, fourth by rank in the state (after Studenica, Mileševa and Sopoćani). The building works were led by Archbishop Danilo II, at that time a prior, later a Serb Archbishop. He was a close confidant of the king, as well as a man of letters and great knowledge. According to medieval sources, as well as oral tradition, Banjska was one of the most beautiful Serb monasteries, built in the style of the Raška school, which was used for all royal mausoleums, from Stefan Nemanja's Studenica monastery to Emperor Dušan's Saint Archangels Monastery.

Banjska Monastery was declared Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1990, and it is protected by Republic of Serbia.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Banjska Monastery.

• Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance
• Tourism in Serbia
• List of Serb Orthodox monasteries

Notes and references

Notes:

References:

External links

• Banjska Monastery
• Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Kosovo-Metohija

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Lazarica Orahovica Sv. Nedjelje Sv. Petke Sv. Vasilija Ostroškog Others Hilandar (Mount Athos) New Gračanica Monastery (USA) Notes * indicate monasteries in Kosovo, which is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Kosovo. List of Serbian Orthodox monasteries v t e Serbian Orthodox churches Serbia Temple of Saint Sava St. Michael's Cathedral Ružica St. Mark's Church St. Basil of Ostrog St. Achillius, Arilje Peter's Church, Ras Pećinska church Štava church Odžaklija Kađenica Lazarica Church Lukovo church Church of Holy Ascension, Krupanj Cathedral of Novi Sad the Assumption, Zrenjanin Our Lady of Ljeviš* Church of Virgin Hodegetria* St. Elijah Church* Church of St. Nicholas, Prizren* Mala Gospojina Church* Christ the Saviour Cathedral, Pristina* Montenegro Cathedral of Podgorica Our Lady of Remedy Vlah Church Bosnia and Herzegovina Cathedral Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel Church of the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Banja Luka Old St. Nicholas Church, Javorani Croatia St. Petka's Church, Banovci Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Trpinja Church of St. Nicholas, Vukovar Church of Pentecost, Vinkovci Church of St. George, Kneževo Church of Assumption of Blessed Virgin, Negoslavci Church of Pentecost, Markušica Church of St. George, Bobota Church of St. Stephen, Borovo Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, Srijemske Laze Church of St. Peter and Paul, Bolman Church of St. Stefan Štiljanović, Karanac Church of St. Nicholas, Mirkovci Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Gaboš Church of St. Nicholas, Jagodnjak Church of St. Demetrius, Dalj Zagreb Orthodox Cathedral Church of St. George, Grubišno Polje Church of St. Nicholas, Karlovac Church of Nativity of the Virgin, Drežnica Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Štikada Orthodox church of st. George, Varaždin Holy Annunciation Orthodox church, Dubrovnik Orthodox Church in Knin Church of St. Peter and Paul, Tepljuh San Spirodine Church, Peroj Church of St. Nicholas, Rijeka Church of St. Nicholas, Vrlika Orthodox church of Holy Salvation, Cetina Other countries Saints Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church, USA Trinity Chapel Complex, USA Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, Jackson, USA Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church, Slovenia Serbian Church (Arad), Romania St. Sava Church, Paris, France Church of the Holy Prince Lazar, United Kingdom Serbian Orthodox Church, Halifax, United Kingdom St. Nicholas, West Wycombe, United Kingdom Saint Spyridon Church, Trieste, Italy Annunciation Church, Szentendre, Hungary Transfiguration Church, Szentendre, Hungary Church of Our Lady, Göteborg, Sweden Notes * indicate churches in Kosovo, which is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Kosovo. v t e Serbian saints St. Angelina St. Basil of Ostrog St. Danilo II St. Helen of Anjou St. Jovan Vladimir St. Prince Lazar / St. Princess Milica St. Makarije Sokolović St. Nikodim I St. Nikolaj Velimirović St. Peter of Cetinje St. Sava St. Sava II St. Simeon the Monk St. Simeon the Myrrh-flowing St. Stefan Lazarević St. Stefan Štiljanović St. Stefan Uroš St. Stefan of Dečani St. Stefan the Blind St. Stefan of Piperi Teodor Komogovinski St. Vladislav St. Vukašin

Coordinates: 42°58′17″N 20°46′57″E / 42.97139°N 20.78250°E / 42.97139; 20.78250