Our Lady of Ljeviš

Mother of God Ljeviška
Богородица Љевишка
Overview of the church, 1980
Coordinates: 42°12′41″N 20°44′09″E / 42.21139°N 20.73583°E / 42.21139; 20.73583
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	Eparchy of Raška and Prizren
UNESCO World Heritage Site
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
Cultural Heritage of Serbia
Type	Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance
Designated	1947
Reference no.	СК 1369[1]

Mother of God Ljeviška (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 a church in the early 20th century.

History

The construction of the church was commissioned in 1306–9 by Serbian King Stefan Milutin.^[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 it a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance, and on 13 July 2006 Mother of God Ljeviška 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

• 

  The famous fresco Bathing of the Christ before it was destroyed and burned in 2004.

• 

  Bathing of the Christ, after vandalism by a Kosovo Albanian mob during the 2004 unrest in Kosovo.

• 

  The fresco of King Milutin, Bogorodica Ljeviška

• 

  Saint Simeon (Stefan Nemanja), fresco from Mother of God Ljeviška.

• 

  Fresco "Communion of Apostles", Bogorodica Ljeviška

• 

  Stefan Prvovenčani, beginning of the 14th century (1307–1309), fresco from Bogorodica Ljeviška church in Prizren

• 

  Saint Sava, beginning of the 14th century (1307–1309), fresco from Bogorodica Ljeviška church in Prizren

• 

  View of the church in 2010, after repairs

See also

• Tourism in Kosovo
• List of Serbian Orthodox monasteries

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 Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the Brussels Agreement. Kosovo has been recognised as an independent state by 108 out of 193 United Nations member states.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bogorodica Ljeviška.

• Pictures and history of cathedral
• Frescoes

Cultural Heritage of Serbia Archaeological sites Exceptional Importance Great Importance Protected Monuments of Culture Exceptional Importance Great Importance Protected Historic Landmarks Exceptional Importance Great Importance Protected Spatial Cultural-Historical Units Exceptional Importance Great Importance Protected

Serbian Orthodox churches Serbia Church of Saint Sava St. Michael's Cathedral St. George, Banovo Brdo Ružica St. Mark's Church St. Basil of Ostrog St. Achillius, Arilje Peter's Church, Ras Cave Church, Lukovo Štava Church Odžaklija Kađenica Lazarica Church Church of St. George, Lukovo Church of Holy Ascension, Krupanj Saint George's Cathedral (Novi Sad) the Assumption, Zrenjanin Our Lady of Ljeviš* Church of the Virgin Hodegetria* Church of St. Elijah, Podujevo* Church of St. Nicholas, Prizren* Mala Gospojina Church* Christ the Saviour Cathedral, Pristina* Montenegro Cathedral of Podgorica Vlah Church Bosnia and Herzegovina Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Sarajevo Old Orthodox Church in Sarajevo Church of the Holy Transfiguration, Sarajevo Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Banja Luka Church of St. George, Sopotnica Old Church of St. Nicholas, Javorani Croatia Church of the Holy Venerable Mother Parascheva Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Trpinja Church of St. Nicholas, Vukovar Church of Pentecost, Vinkovci Church of St. George, Kneževo Church of the Assumption of the 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 Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, Zagreb Church of St. George, Grubišno Polje Church of St. Nicholas, Karlovac Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, Drežnica Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Štikada Church of St. George, Varaždin Church of the Holy Annunciation, Dubrovnik Orthodox Church in Knin Church of St. Peter and Paul, Tepljuh St. Spyridon Church, Peroj Church of St. Nicholas, Rijeka Church of St. Nicholas, Vrlika Orthodox church of Holy Salvation, Cetina United States Sts. Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church, USA Trinity Chapel Complex, USA Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church (Jackson, California), USA Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church (Merrillville, Indiana), USA St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), USA Other countries St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church (Toronto), Canada Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church, Slovenia Serbian Church in 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 Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, Stockholm, Sweden Notes * indicate churches in Kosovo, which is the subject of a territorial dispute between Serbia and Kosovo.

World Heritage Sites of Serbia Gamzigrad-Romuliana, Palace of Galerius Stari Ras Đurđevi stupovi Peter's Church Sopoćani Studenica Monastery Medieval Monuments in Kosovo Visoki Dečani Patriarchate of Peć Our Lady of Ljeviš Gračanica Monastery