Krka monastery
Encyclopedia
Krka Monastery is a Serbian Orthodox monastery
dedicated to the Archangel Michael, located near the river Krka
, 3 km east of Kistanje
, in central Dalmatia
, Croatia
. It is the best known monastery of the Serb Orthodox Church in Croatia and it is officially protected as part of the Krka National Park
.
, half-sister of the Serbia
n emperor
Dušan, the wife (and later widow) of Mladen III Šubić, Croatian
duke of Skradin and Bribir. This monastery lays above an old Roman
site, it is excavated catacombs (Roman burial cites) beneath the church, thus it's a part of a greater historical site..
The church of St. Archangel
was erected in 1422 on the location of an earlier Gothic
structure. The Turks
devastated the church around 1530 but it was restored on several occasions. The monastery buildings (18th-19th century), the church and the bell tower are situated around a rectangular cloister
with arcades.
The monks of this monastery in the 17th century were forced to flee from the Ottomans. They found shelter in Zadar
, where pope Innocent X in 1655 gave them two churches, that were the ownership of Franciscans of the Third Order
, the "Glagolitians" (glagoljaši) . In the later agreement with the Franciscans, monastery monks declared that they "live in the service of the Greek Church, the old illyrian or Croatian language."
The last destruction in the history of the monastery happened after Operation Storm
in 1995 when the monastery was looted by Croatian para-militaries and the seminary shut down. Some of the damage has since been repaired, and the seminary reopened in 2001, but the priceless stolen property of prominent cultural heritage hasn't been found.
. The complex also includes a chapel of Saint Sava
built in the 19th century, as well as the new building of the seminary and an additional dormitory building. The monastery has its archives and a library
with a variety of ancient books and valuable items from the 16th to the 20th century, a collection of icon
s (painting on wood St. John the Baptist from the 14th or 15th century, work by the so-called Master of the Tkon Crucifix), silverware
and embroideries.
Besides the main church, there is a small chapel of St. Sava, which was built by Dalmatian Bishop Stefan Knežević.
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
dedicated to the Archangel Michael, located near the river Krka
Krka (Croatia)
Krka is a river in Croatia's Dalmatia region, famous for its numerous waterfalls. It is long and its basin covers an area of .Possibly the river called Catarbates by the ancient Greeks, it was known to the ancient Romans as Titius, Corcoras, or Korkoras.The river has its source near the border...
, 3 km east of Kistanje
Kistanje
Kistanje is a village and municipality in Šibenik-Knin County, Croatia. According to the 2001 census, Kistanje municipality has 3,038 inhabitants of which 57.14% are Serbs and 41.31% are Croats.-History:...
, in central Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. It is the best known monastery of the Serb Orthodox Church in Croatia and it is officially protected as part of the Krka National Park
Krka National Park
Krka National Park is one of the Croatian national parks, named after the river Krka that it encloses. It is located along the middle-lower course of the Krka River in central Dalmatia, in Šibenik-Knin county, downstream Miljevci area, and just a few kilometers northeast of the city of Šibenik...
.
History
In 1345, this monastery was mentioned for the first time as the endowment of princess Jelena Šubić (Nemanjić)Jelena Šubic (Nemanjic)
Jelena Šubić was the daughter of Stefan Uroš III Dečanski of Serbia and the half-sister of Stefan Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia. She was married to the Croatian magnate Mladen III Šubić, Prince of Bribir from noble Šubić family. They ruled from Klis Fortress in Dalmatia...
, half-sister of the Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n emperor
Emperor
An emperor is a monarch, usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife or a woman who rules in her own right...
Dušan, the wife (and later widow) of Mladen III Šubić, Croatian
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
duke of Skradin and Bribir. This monastery lays above an old Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
site, it is excavated catacombs (Roman burial cites) beneath the church, thus it's a part of a greater historical site..
The church of St. Archangel
Archangel
An archangel is an angel of high rank. Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Michael and Gabriel are recognized as archangels in Judaism and by most Christians. Michael is the only archangel specifically named in the Protestant Bible...
was erected in 1422 on the location of an earlier Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
structure. The Turks
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
devastated the church around 1530 but it was restored on several occasions. The monastery buildings (18th-19th century), the church and the bell tower are situated around a rectangular cloister
Cloister
A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...
with arcades.
The monks of this monastery in the 17th century were forced to flee from the Ottomans. They found shelter in Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
, where pope Innocent X in 1655 gave them two churches, that were the ownership of Franciscans of the Third Order
Third order
The term Third Order designates persons who live according to the Third Rule of a Roman Catholic religious order, an Anglican religious order, or a Lutheran religious order. Their members, known as Tertiaries, are generally lay members of religious orders, i.e...
, the "Glagolitians" (glagoljaši) . In the later agreement with the Franciscans, monastery monks declared that they "live in the service of the Greek Church, the old illyrian or Croatian language."
The last destruction in the history of the monastery happened after Operation Storm
Operation Storm
Operation Storm is the code name given to a large-scale military operation carried out by Croatian Armed Forces, in conjunction with the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to gain back control of parts of Croatia which had been claimed by separatist ethnic Serbs, since early...
in 1995 when the monastery was looted by Croatian para-militaries and the seminary shut down. Some of the damage has since been repaired, and the seminary reopened in 2001, but the priceless stolen property of prominent cultural heritage hasn't been found.
Architectural features
The belltower of this monastery was built in the Romanesque styleRomanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
. The complex also includes a chapel of Saint Sava
Saint Sava
Saint Sava was a Serbian Prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law and literature, and a diplomat. Sava was born Rastko Nemanjić , the youngest son of Serbian Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja , and ruled the appanage of Hum briefly in...
built in the 19th century, as well as the new building of the seminary and an additional dormitory building. The monastery has its archives and a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
with a variety of ancient books and valuable items from the 16th to the 20th century, a collection of icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
s (painting on wood St. John the Baptist from the 14th or 15th century, work by the so-called Master of the Tkon Crucifix), silverware
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and embroideries.
Besides the main church, there is a small chapel of St. Sava, which was built by Dalmatian Bishop Stefan Knežević.
Literature
- dr. Marko Japundžić: Tragom hrvatskoga glagolizma, KS, Zagreb, 1995., p. 51-54, 978-953-151-060-1
- Mato Marčinko: Novi velikosrpski memorandum nazvan Deklaracija, feuilleton in Politički zatvorenik magazine, nr. 64/65 Jul/Aug 1997 - nr. 86 Aug 1999
External links
- Website of the Monastery (in English) Pravoslavni manastir sv. Arhanđela Mihaila na rijeci Krki sagraðen je na temeljima katolièkoga samostana Banac, IvoIvo Banac-External links:*...
http://www.yale.edu/history/faculty/banac.html : The National Question in Yugoslavia: Origins, History, Politics, Cornell University Press, 1988, ISBN 978-0801494932