Our Lady of Ljeviš
| Our Lady of Ljeviš | |
|---|---|
| Богородица Љевишка | |
|
Overview of the church, 1980 | |
| 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 | Serbo-Byzantine style |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | stone |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | |
| Official name | Medieval Monuments in Kosovo |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iii, iv |
| Designated | 2004 (28th session) |
| Reference no. | 724 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| State party | Serbia |
| Extensions | 2006 |
| Official name | ЦРКВА БОГОРОДИЦЕ ЉЕВИШКЕ |
| Type | Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance |
| Designated | 1947 |
| Reference no. | СК 1369[1] |
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. It was converted to a mosque during the Ottoman Empire and then back into an Orthodox Church in the early 20th century.
History
The construction of the church was commissioned in 1306–9 by Milutin of Serbia.[2] It was built on the site of the ruins of an earlier Byzantine church, whose original name Metera Eleousa was preserved in Slavic as Bogorodica Ljeviška.
In 1990 Serbia designated Our Lady of Ljeviš as 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.
The Church was guarded by KFOR after June 1999. However, it was heavily damaged by arson during the 2004 unrest in Kosovo.[3] [4]
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 -- even of its construction material, specifically valuable lead has repeatedly been stolen from the roof. [5]
Gallery
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The famous fresco Bathing of the Christ before it was destroyed and burned in 2004.
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Bathing of the Christ, after vandalism by a Kosovo Albanian mob during the 2004 unrest in Kosovo.
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The fresco of King Milutin, Bogorodica Ljeviška
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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
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View of the church in 2010, after repairs
See also
- Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance
- Tourism in Serbia
- Medieval Monuments in Kosovo
- List of Serbian Orthodox monasteries
- Serbian Orthodox Church
Further reading
- Felix Corley and Branko Bjelajac (18 March 2004). "Kosovo and Serbia: Churches & Mosques Destroyed Amid Inter-Ethnic Violence". Forum 18.
Notes and references
^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and the 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 108 out of 193 United Nations member states.
- ↑ Monuments of Culture in Serbia: ЦРКВА БОГОРОДИЦЕ ЉЕВИШКЕ (SANU) (Serbian) (English)
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ For details and photos see here: http://www.spc.rs/eng/prizren_our_lady_ljevis_xiv_century_burnt_inside_photo_2232004
- ↑ and here: "Around 900 houses and 35 churches and monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church were set on fire, including mediaeval holy sites such as the Church of Our Lady of Ljevis in Prizren which dates back to the 14th century." http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/52282.htm
- ↑ See the link: http://theorthodoxchurch.info/blog/news/2011/04/church-roof-stolen-in-prizren-bishop-protests/
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bogorodica Ljeviška. |
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