Our Lady of Ljeviš
Encyclopedia
Our Lady of Ljeviš is a 12th-century Serbian Orthodox Church
in the town of Prizren
, located in southern Serbia - Kosovo and Metohija. It was converted to a mosque
during the Ottoman Empire
and then back into an Orthodox Church in the early 20th century.
on a previous 9th-century church which held the Bishopric mentioned in a charter of Byzantine emperor Basil II
in 1018.
The Church was guarded by KFOR after June 1999. However, it was burned down during the 2004 unrest in Kosovo
by Albanian mobs.
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 (valuable lead has repeatedly been stolen from the roof).
In 1990 Serbia designate Our Lady of Ljeviš 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.
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
in the town of Prizren
Prizren
Prizren is a historical city located in southern Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district.The city has a population of around 131,247 , mostly Albanians...
, located in southern Serbia - Kosovo and Metohija. It was converted to a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
during the 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...
and then back into an Orthodox Church in the early 20th century.
History
The church was built in the 12th century by Stefan NemanjaStefan 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...
on a previous 9th-century church which held the Bishopric mentioned in a charter of Byzantine emperor Basil II
Basil II
Basil II , known in his time as Basil the Porphyrogenitus and Basil the Young to distinguish him from his ancestor Basil I the Macedonian, was a Byzantine emperor from the Macedonian dynasty who reigned from 10 January 976 to 15 December 1025.The first part of his long reign was dominated...
in 1018.
The Church was guarded by KFOR after June 1999. However, it was burned down during the 2004 unrest in Kosovo
2004 unrest in Kosovo
Violent unrest in Kosovo, which at the time was under United Nations administration, broke out on 17 March 2004. Kosovo Albanians, numbering over 50,000, took part in widescale attacks on the Serbian people, compared by the then Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica to ethnic cleansing but not...
by Albanian mobs.
A group of experts sponsored by 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...
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 (valuable lead has repeatedly been stolen from the roof).
In 1990 Serbia designate Our Lady of Ljeviš 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....
, and on 13 July 2006 Our Lady of Ljeviš was placed on UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
's World Heritage List as an extension of the Visoki Dečani site (named Medieval Monuments in Kosovo
Medieval Monuments in Kosovo
Medieval Monuments in Kosovo is a World Heritage Site consisting of four Serbian Orthodox Christian churches and monasteries which represent the fusion of the eastern Orthodox Byzantine and the western Romanesque ecclesiastical architecture to form the Palaiologian Renaissance style...
), which as a whole was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
See also
- Monument of Culture of Exceptional ImportanceMonuments 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....
- Tourism in SerbiaTourism in SerbiaSerbia stretches across two geographic and cultural regions of Europe: Central Europe and Southeast Europe. This boundary splits Serbia roughly in a ratio of 1:2 alongside the Danube and Sava rivers. The northern parts of the country are Central-European lowlands while the southern and central...
- Medieval Monuments in KosovoMedieval Monuments in KosovoMedieval Monuments in Kosovo is a World Heritage Site consisting of four Serbian Orthodox Christian churches and monasteries which represent the fusion of the eastern Orthodox Byzantine and the western Romanesque ecclesiastical architecture to form the Palaiologian Renaissance style...
- List of Serb Orthodox monasteries
- Serbian Orthodox ChurchSerbian Orthodox ChurchThe Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...