Lazarica (church)
Encyclopedia
Lazarica is a Serbian Orthodox church in Kruševac
, Serbia
. It was built in 1375-1378 as an endowment
of prince Lazar of Serbia
. Lazarica, as an outstanding achievement of the Serbian medieval architecture, was declared a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance
in 1979, and it is protected by the Republic of Serbia. Lazarica was built as a prototype of the Morava school
of architecture, as a palace church associated with the Kruševac Fortress
, the capital of Prince Lazar. Today, only Lazarica and parts of the keep remain from the vast fortress complex.
. Lazar of Serbia
built the church at the same time as the fortifications
for the capital Kruševac
. In 1455, Kruševac fell under Ottoman Empire
rule, and the church was abandoned and desecrated. Lazarica was used as a stable for horses, and the roof was torn down for use elsewhere. During the Russo-Austrian-Turkish War, from 1736 to 1739, Lazarica was partially reconstructed, and the interior was painted with frescos
by Andra Andrejević. After that, Kruševac fell under Ottoman rule again. The first major reconstruction of Lazarica occurred after the establishment of the independent Principality of Serbia, with numerous modifications over the next hundred years.
, a variant of the cruciform
plan, with three bays in length, a dome over the central area and narthex
, originally with open side passages. It has a semicircular apse on the inside, which is five-sided on the outside, with attached colonettes. The church is oriented five degrees from a perfect west–east orientation. The foundation of Lazarica is at an elevation of 159 metres (521.7 ft). Internal length, from the top of the altar apse to the west wall of the narthex, is 15.65 feet (4.8 m). The western width of the nave is from 5.15 to 5.2 m (16.9 to 17.1 ) and the radius of the apse ranges from 1.61 to 1.65 m (5.3 to 5.4 ). Internal height to the apex of the semicalotte main dome is 17.25 metres (56.6 ft). Wall thickness ranges from 1 to 1.75 m (3.3 to 5.7 ). The foundations were laid at a depth of 0.6 metres (2 ft).
Lazarica's masonry is basically Byzantine style: continuity of horizontal rows of dressed white sandstone with three rows of brick joints associated with thick plaster, without insisting on randomly placed bricks. A peculiar process was used to draw thick mortar joints out from the wall.
Kruševac
Kruševac is a city and municipality, and the administrative center of the Rasina District, in central Serbia. According to the 2011 census, the municipality has a population of 127,429, while the town has 57,627....
, 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...
. It was built in 1375-1378 as an endowment
Financial endowment
A financial endowment is a transfer of money or property donated to an institution. The total value of an institution's investments is often referred to as the institution's endowment and is typically organized as a public charity, private foundation, or trust....
of prince Lazar of Serbia
Lazar of Serbia
Lazar Hrebeljanović , was a medieval nobleman that emerged as the most powerful Serbian ruler after the death of the previous, childless, Emperor Uroš the Weak, which resulted in years of instability in the Serbian realm. As Stefan Lazar, he was Prince of Serbia from 1371 to 1389, ruling what is...
. Lazarica, as an outstanding achievement of the Serbian medieval architecture, was declared a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance
Monuments of Culture of Exceptional Importance (Serbia)
Cultural Monuments of Exceptional Importance are the monuments in the Republic of Serbia that have the highest level of the State protection, and some of them are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites....
in 1979, and it is protected by the Republic of Serbia. Lazarica was built as a prototype of the Morava school
Morava school
The Morava School or Moravska School entails the establishments of architectural style in Serbia from 1370-1459. The churches and monasteries were built by the rulers Lazar Hrebeljanović , Stefan Lazarević and Đurađ Branković and their nobleman. The first endowment was the royal tomb of Ravanica...
of architecture, as a palace church associated with the Kruševac Fortress
Kruševac Fortress
Kruševac Fortress or City of Prince Lazar was a medieval fortified town in Kruševac, Serbia, former capital of Prince Lazar. Within the city there is the court church so called Lazarica...
, the capital of Prince Lazar. Today, only Lazarica and parts of the keep remain from the vast fortress complex.
History
Informations about the founding of the Lazarica monastery can be found in the "Žitije despota Stefana Lazarevića" by Constantine of KostenetsConstantine of Kostenets
Constantine of Kostenets , also known as Konstantin Kostenechki and Constantine the Philosopher , was a medieval Bulgarian writer and chronicler...
. Lazar of Serbia
Lazar of Serbia
Lazar Hrebeljanović , was a medieval nobleman that emerged as the most powerful Serbian ruler after the death of the previous, childless, Emperor Uroš the Weak, which resulted in years of instability in the Serbian realm. As Stefan Lazar, he was Prince of Serbia from 1371 to 1389, ruling what is...
built the church at the same time as the fortifications
Kruševac Fortress
Kruševac Fortress or City of Prince Lazar was a medieval fortified town in Kruševac, Serbia, former capital of Prince Lazar. Within the city there is the court church so called Lazarica...
for the capital Kruševac
Kruševac
Kruševac is a city and municipality, and the administrative center of the Rasina District, in central Serbia. According to the 2011 census, the municipality has a population of 127,429, while the town has 57,627....
. In 1455, Kruševac fell under Ottoman Empire
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...
rule, and the church was abandoned and desecrated. Lazarica was used as a stable for horses, and the roof was torn down for use elsewhere. During the Russo-Austrian-Turkish War, from 1736 to 1739, Lazarica was partially reconstructed, and the interior was painted with frescos
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
by Andra Andrejević. After that, Kruševac fell under Ottoman rule again. The first major reconstruction of Lazarica occurred after the establishment of the independent Principality of Serbia, with numerous modifications over the next hundred years.
Architecture
The church is in the form of a trefoilTrefoil
Trefoil is a graphic form composed of the outline of three overlapping rings used in architecture and Christian symbolism...
, a variant of the cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
plan, with three bays in length, a dome over the central area 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...
, originally with open side passages. It has a semicircular apse on the inside, which is five-sided on the outside, with attached colonettes. The church is oriented five degrees from a perfect west–east orientation. The foundation of Lazarica is at an elevation of 159 metres (521.7 ft). Internal length, from the top of the altar apse to the west wall of the narthex, is 15.65 feet (4.8 m). The western width of the nave is from 5.15 to 5.2 m (16.9 to 17.1 ) and the radius of the apse ranges from 1.61 to 1.65 m (5.3 to 5.4 ). Internal height to the apex of the semicalotte main dome is 17.25 metres (56.6 ft). Wall thickness ranges from 1 to 1.75 m (3.3 to 5.7 ). The foundations were laid at a depth of 0.6 metres (2 ft).
Lazarica's masonry is basically Byzantine style: continuity of horizontal rows of dressed white sandstone with three rows of brick joints associated with thick plaster, without insisting on randomly placed bricks. A peculiar process was used to draw thick mortar joints out from the wall.