Goraždevac
Encyclopedia
Goraždevac is a village near the city of Peć
in Kosovo
. It has been inhabited since at least the thirteenth century, when it was mentioned in the chrysobull
of Stefan Nemanja
(or his son, Stefan the First-Crowned).
The village possesses the oldest log-cabin church in Serbia, constructed at the end of the sixteenth century and dedicated to Saint Jeremiah
. Although very small, it has a complete nave
and narthex
. The old icons and church vessels are now kept in a new church nearby. In the late 1970s the church underwent extensive conservation and restoration works.
", in the late 1990s as they fought the occupying Serb paramilitary forces, accused of committing atrocities against the local Albanian population. After the end of the Kosovo War
in June 1999, many of its population of around 2,000 Serbs fled attacks by Albanian militants, though some later returned. The population today is said to be around 850 people. The village has come under repeated attack by Albanian extremists since the end of the Kosovo War and is one of a number of Kosovo Serb enclaves
under 24-hour guard by troops from KFOR.
In August 2003, a 19-year old Serbian teenager and a 12-year old boy were killed, with four more children wounded, with fire from automatic rifles, while swimming in the Prizrenska Bistrica river near Goraždevac. The incident sparked a wave of anti-Serbian violence across Kosovo. It was widely blamed on Albanian extremists but the culprits have not yet been found.
In June 2003, Veselin Besović from Goraždevac was sentenced by an international court in Peć to serve seven years in prison for crimes allegedly committed in the villages of Čuska and Zahać. He has appealed.http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10476&Cr=kosovo&Cr1=
Pec
Peć or Pejë is a city and municipality in north-western Kosovo and Metohija - Serbia, and the administrative centre of the homonymous district. Governor of city is Ali Berisha....
in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. It has been inhabited since at least the thirteenth century, when it was mentioned in the chrysobull
Golden Bull
A Golden Bull or chrysobull was a golden ornament representing a seal , attached to a decree issued by Byzantine Emperors and later by monarchs in Europe during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. The term was originally coined for the golden seal itself but came to be applied to the entire decree...
of Stefan Nemanja
Stefan Nemanja
Stefan Nemanja was the Grand Prince of the Grand Principality of Serbia from 1166 to 1196, a heir of the Vukanović dynasty that marked the beginning of a greater Serbian realm .He is remembered for his contributions to Serbian culture and...
(or his son, Stefan the First-Crowned).
The village possesses the oldest log-cabin church in Serbia, constructed at the end of the sixteenth century and dedicated to Saint Jeremiah
Jeremiah
Jeremiah Hebrew：יִרְמְיָה , Modern Hebrew:Yirməyāhū, IPA: jirməˈjaːhu, Tiberian:Yirmĭyahu, Greek:Ἰερεμίας), meaning "Yahweh exalts", or called the "Weeping prophet" was one of the main prophets of the Hebrew Bible...
. Although very small, it has a complete nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
. The old icons and church vessels are now kept in a new church nearby. In the late 1970s the church underwent extensive conservation and restoration works.
1990s and 2000s conflicts
As a Serb-inhabited enclave in a heavily Albanian-inhabited region of western Kosovo, Goraždevac has for several years been the scene of ethnic tensions between the two communities. It was the scene of attacks by the guerilla group, the "Kosovo Liberation ArmyKosovo Liberation Army
The Kosovo Liberation Army or KLA was a Kosovar Albanian paramilitary organization which sought the separation of Kosovo from Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the 1990s....
", in the late 1990s as they fought the occupying Serb paramilitary forces, accused of committing atrocities against the local Albanian population. After the end of the Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
in June 1999, many of its population of around 2,000 Serbs fled attacks by Albanian militants, though some later returned. The population today is said to be around 850 people. The village has come under repeated attack by Albanian extremists since the end of the Kosovo War and is one of a number of Kosovo Serb enclaves
Kosovo Serb enclaves
Kosovo Serb Enclaves are the areas of Kosovo where Serbs form a majority, except for North Kosovo. While North Kosovo is connected to the rest of Serbia and mostly functions as a part of it, the enclaves are surrounded with areas of Albanian majority....
under 24-hour guard by troops from KFOR.
In August 2003, a 19-year old Serbian teenager and a 12-year old boy were killed, with four more children wounded, with fire from automatic rifles, while swimming in the Prizrenska Bistrica river near Goraždevac. The incident sparked a wave of anti-Serbian violence across Kosovo. It was widely blamed on Albanian extremists but the culprits have not yet been found.
In June 2003, Veselin Besović from Goraždevac was sentenced by an international court in Peć to serve seven years in prison for crimes allegedly committed in the villages of Čuska and Zahać. He has appealed.http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=10476&Cr=kosovo&Cr1=
See also
- Kosovo Serb enclavesKosovo Serb enclavesKosovo Serb Enclaves are the areas of Kosovo where Serbs form a majority, except for North Kosovo. While North Kosovo is connected to the rest of Serbia and mostly functions as a part of it, the enclaves are surrounded with areas of Albanian majority....