Kosovo's Orthodox Churches

Kosovo's Orthodox Churches The The ethn ethnog ogen enes esis is of toda today' y's s Serb Serbia ia begi begins ns with with the the emer emerge genc nce e of the the Slav Slavic ic sett settle leme ment nts s sout south h of Danube River. Historians in general have stayed from the subject as to what followed with Slav Slavic ic sett settle leme ment nts. s. The The simp simple le,, idea ideali list stic ic Serb Serbia ian n view view is that that they they came came,, esta establ blis ishe hed d empi empire res, s, and every subject relating to life under these empires relates exclusively to them. As to what happened to the the orig rigina inal populati latio on of the the area rea, is said nothin thing g, and one is lea lead to assum ssume e tha that there never was such a population. The There is no basis sis to assum sume tha that the area rea was was unpopula pulatted or tha that the the orig rigina inal inh inhabita itants had left left the the area rea after ter the Sla Slavs came. me. At lea least for the the case of Kosovo sovo,, knowle wledge tha that has come to light after WWII has tended to support the view that the original population had survived the Slavic onslaught and had continued to inhabit the area throughout the middle ages. Here is what what well well know known n Yugo Yugosl slav av hist histor oria ians ns have have note noted d abou aboutt the the surv surviv ival al of the the prepre-Sl Slav avic ic popu popula lati tion on of the the area area.. Fann Fannul ula a Papa Papazo zogl glu u has has indi indica cate ted d that that Dard Dardan ania ia was was one one of the the Balk Balkan an regi region ons s less less Romanized and that its population seems to have preserved better its individuality and its consciousness from antiquity, and the possibilty that the Dardanians were able to escape Romanization and to have preserved its individuality, cannot be excluded.(Iliri I Albanci, Belgra lgrad de, 1988, 88, p. 19) Hen Henrik rik Baric ric ind indicat icate ed that the the Alba lbania nians had inh inhabit bited Darda rdania and Peonia before Slavs settled in these areas. In the absence of historical sources to support a contrary view, the Albanian presence at the end end of Anti Antiqu quit ity y and and the the begi beginn nnin ing g of Medi Mediev eval al peri period od is indi indica cate ted d not not only only by indi indivi vidu dual als s bear bearin ing g Illy Illyri rian an name names s appe appear arin ing g in tomb tombst ston one e insc inscri ript ptio ions ns,, but but also also the the old old topo topono nomy my of the the area area,, such such as Shku Shkup p (Scu (Scupi pi), ), Nish Nish (Nai (Naisc scus us), ), Shti Shtip p (Ast (Astib ibos os), ), Oher Oher (Lyc (Lychn hnid id), ), etc. etc.,, whic which h are are not not expl explai aine ned d on the the basi basis s of Slav Slavic ic phon phonol olog ogic ical al rule rules, s, but but on the the basi basis s of Alba Albani nian an lang langua uage ge.. (H. (H. Bari Baric, c, Hyrj Hyrje e ne historine e gjuhes shqipe, Prishtine, 1955, f. 49-50). It is a fact that the population of the Byzantine Empire was multi-ethnic but it was traditionally identified by a common name, spec specif ific ical ally ly Roma Romano noi. i. Lite Litera ratu ture re has has note noted d Alba Albani nian ans s as a sepa separa rate te ethn ethnic ic grou group p only only at the the time time they defied the empire and in turn identified with Rome. What is possibly the earliest written reference to the Albanians is that to be found in an old Bulg Bulgar aria ian n text text comp compil iled ed arou around nd the the begi beginn nnin ing g of the the elev eleven enth th cent centur ury. y. This This frag fragme ment nt of a lege legend nd from the time of Tsar Samuel endeavours, in a catechismal 'question and answer' form, to expla xplain in the the orig rigins ins of peoples les and lan languages: It can be see seen tha that the there are vario rious lan languages on earth. Of them, there are five Orthodox languages: Bulgarian, Greek, Syrian, Iberian (Georgian) and Russian. Three of these have Orthodox alphabets: Greek, Bulgarian and Iberian. There are twelve languages of half-believers: Alamanians, Franks, Magyars (Hun (Hunga gari rian ans) s),, Indi Indian ans, s, Jaco Jacobi bite tes, s, Arme Armeni nian ans, s, Saxo Saxons ns,, Lech Lechs s (Pol (Poles es), ), Arba Arbana nasi si (Alb (Alban ania ians ns), ), Croatians, Hizi, Germans. It appears that division is made on the basis of three religious categories: Orthodox, half-believers (i.e. non-Orthodox Christians) and non-believers.  A major question can be raised here, that is if all the Albanians Albanians were included under this identification, that is “half-believers", when we know they were they were religiously split betw betwee een n Cons Consta tant ntin inop ople le and and Rome Rome.. Alba Albani nian an hist histor ory y defi defini nite tely ly refl reflec ects ts this this nort north h sout south h spli split. t. A cons consid ider erab able le numb number er of Alba Albani nian ans s clun clung g to the the Orth Orthod odox ox fait faith h thro throug ugho hout ut the the Chri Christ stia ian n era. era. In other words, the 1054 schism did not change much when it came to what were Albanian

terr territ ito orie ries. At the outset set of the the 12th cen century, ry, the there were ere 20 bish ishoprics rics in Alba lbania. ia. Bish ishopric rics of  Nort Northe hern rn Alba Albani nia a were were depe depend nden entt on the the Cath Cathol olic ic Arch Archbi bish shop opy y of Anti Antiva vari ri,, whil while e thos those e affi affili liat ated ed with Patrichate of Constantinople were Metropolite of Durres (central Albania), and  Archbishopry  Archbishopry of Oher (which included southern Albania). With the rise of Serbian power, there was a corresponding reduction in the affiliation of areas under its domination with Catholic Rome Rome,, spec specif ific ical ally ly the the area area call called ed form former erly ly Dard Dardan ania ia whic which h incl includ uded ed toda today' y's s Koso Kosovo vo and and part parts s of  Mace Macedo doni nia. a. Duri During ng the the VI Cent Centur ury, y, at the the time time of Slav Slavic ic inva invasi sion ons, s, geog geogra raph phic ical al desi design gnat atio ions ns,, Dard Dardan ania ia and and Mace Macedo doni nia a (2nd (2nd ) cons consis isti ting ng of Epir Epirus us Nova Nova et pars pars Mace Macedo doni nia a Salu Saluta tari ris s were were stil stilll in use and distinctions remained. Noel Noel Malc Malcom om (Kos (Kosov ovo: o: A Shor Shortt Hist Histor ory, y, 1998 1998)) indi indica cate ted, d, that thathi hist stor ory y for for the the Serb Serbs, s, star starte ted d in the the early 7th century, when they settled in the Balkans but their power base was outside Kosovo until they fully conquered it in the early 13th century. They ruled Kosovo for about 250 years, unti untill the the fina finall Otto Ottoma man n take takeov over er in the the midmid-15 15th th cent centur ury. y. This This domi domina nati tion on turn turned ed into into an even eventu tual al claim that Kosovo was the "cradle" of the Serbs, as baseless a claim as the one that connects today's Macedonia with the Macedonia of antiquity! The fact that these claims are in contradiction with historical facts, on the basis of their opinions are just not important. And Malc Malco om adds tha that the there is no more con continu inuity ity betwe tween the med mediev ieval Serbia rbian n stat state e and tod today's Serbia than there is between the Byzantine Empire and Greece. Churches and monasteries in territories of former Dardania that were established with the adaptio tion of Christ ristia ian nity ity con continu inued the their exis xistan tance. It is int interest restin ing g to note, te, as we will ill ind indica icate belo below, w, that that most most of plac places es of wors worshi hip p were were func functi tion onal al and and in exis existe tenc nce e befo before re the the intr introd oduc ucti tion on of  Serbian dominance. One can assume that with the strengthening of the Nemanje state, the state administration also took control of the churches. Can one assume that the worshipers were exclusively Serb, that is very doubtful. It would be spe specula ulative ive to com commen ment about how muc much the the “Se “Serbia rbian n ethno hnos had con consolid lidated ted at the time former Dardanian territories fell under the Nemanjid state. By all indications, as a who whole, le, today’s y’s Serb erbs are not descen cendents of a genuine ine ethnic nic grou roup, but a con conglom lomera eration ion of  various Christian communities around the church. Under this reality any follower, willing or  forc forced ed,, woul would d be cons consid ider ered ed a “Ser “Serb” b”,, whic which h in real realit ity y was was also also a gene genera rall medi mediev eval al norm norm.. Ther There e is no reason why Albanians after 200 years of Serbian dominance would not be part of this flo flock. It is of imp importa rtance to note tha that whe when old Serb tex texts ref refer to Alba lbanian ians, the inf inferen rence is not the these Orth rthodox foll follo owers wers,, but Cat Catholic lic Alba lbania nians. Unless less the there is an extra traordin rdina ary, ry, as yet yet an unkn unknow own n real realit ity, y, we have have to acce accept pt that that afte afterr 200 200 year years s of poli politi tica call and and reli religi giou ous s domi domina nanc nce, e, the the population of what came to be known as Kosovo had gone through a process of assimilation. Data relating to the period right after the Ottoman takeover, clearly reveal the effects of this process. Research of Turkish archives by H. Hadibegic, A. Handzic, E. Kovacevic (OblastBrankovica, Opstirni katastarski popis, Sarajevo, 1972) and S. Pulaha (Popullsia Shqiptare e Kosoves gjatr Shek. XV-XVI, Tirana, 1984) has provided valuable information relating to the ethnic status of the area at the time the Ottoman occupation commenced. A summary of S. Pulaha findings follows: Regi Regist stra rati tion on of land land and and popu popula lati tion on of Shko Shkodr dra a Sand Sandja jak k in 1485 1485 incl includ udes es info inform rmat atio ion n on an area area that that exte extend nded ed betw betwee een n Trop Tropoj oj,, Juni Junik k and and Gjak Gjakov ove, e, know known n as Altu Altunn-Al Alia ia.. Area Areas s to the the nort north h and and sout south h of this this dist distri rict ct were were not not incl includ uded ed in the the Shko Shkodr dra a Sand Sandja jak. k. This This dist distri rict ct incl includ uded ed 53 vill villag ages es

wit with 926 househ seholds, lds, 356 able-b le-bo odied ied men men and 99 wido idow househ seholds. lds. The reg registe isterr rec recorde rded the names of the heads of the families, the able-bodied and widows of each village that was responsible for dues. This period is reflective of the period of when Ottomans had just taken over ver the the area rea and orga rganize ized it admin ministr istra ative ively, ly, and Isla Islam m had not as yet taken ken hold. ld. Thus the names mes of the the inha inhab bita itants ref reflect lect their reli relig giou ious affil ffilia iati tio on prio rior to the con conversio rsion n to Isla Islam. m. The ten tendency being ing tha that the the Catho tholics lics main mainttaine ined the their Alba lbanian ians names whil while e others had eith ither  Slavic names or a mix of Slavic-Albanian names.  Albanian researcher researcher used this phenomenon phenomenon as criteria in identifying identifying the ethnicity of the inh inhabita itants, and based on this this,, Pulah laha sta stated ted that the pla plain betwee ween Gjak jakova and Jun Junik in the the 15th 15th cent centur ury y was was with withou outt the the slig slight htes estt doub doubtt a terr territ itor ory y inha inhabi bite ted d enti entire rely ly by Alba Albani nian ans. s. He also also adds that on the the high igher groun round ds, tow towards rds Tro Tropoja, ja, there ere were were vill villa ages where the inh inhabita itants exhibited Slavic names with Albanian names not being in preponderance. S. Pula Pulaha ha also also obse observ rved ed,, that that ther there e were were case cases s of Alba Albani nian an fami famili lies es usin using g Slav Slavic ic name names. s. Here Here is how this phenomenon appears: Radosavi, son of Gjon; Vladi, son of Gjon; Bozhidari, son of  Gjon Gjon;; Gjor Gjorgj gj Maza Mazara raku ku or Vulk Vulkas ashi hin n Zhev Zheval alii and and Gjon Gjon,, his his son; son; Leka Leka son son of Miro Mirosa savi vi;; Deja Dejan, n, son son of Gjon; Novak, son of Gjon; Ukca Stepani, son Leka Stepani and grandson of Stepan Leka; Mile Milen n son of Daba and his his son son, Llesh leshii the the son son of Mile Milen n; Gjon jon Bogoi and Ivan van, his son; Llesh leshii son son of Gjorg jorgji ji,, Tan Tanushi son of Rad Radsave; ve; Bogdan, son of Novak vak, Dimit imitri ri,, his broth rothe er, and Duka, ka, his brot brothe her. r. Pula Pulaha ha indi indica cate tes s that that ther there e are are many many othe otherr such such case cases. s. Ther There e are are also also Alba Albani nian an name names s with Slavonic adaptations, such as Lekac from Leka, Nikac from Nika, Dedac from Deda… More telling in this regard is information about the Vilayet of Kecova, located to the south of   Altun-Alia which relates to the period of Bayazid the Second. The Ottoman register divides Kercova into Albanian (arvnanvud) and Serb (serf) quarters. Pulaha indicates that the inh inhabita itants of the the Alba lbanian ian sec sectio tion are ind indica icated to bear ear not Alba lbanian ian but Slavo lavon nic names mes. Of  the 547 Christian heads of family about 217 had Albanian or Albanian-Slav names and 330 heads of fam family ily had Slav lav Orth rthodox or Gree reek Byzan zantine ine reli relig giou ious sph sphere. re. By all ind indica ication ions, the the form forme er grou roup was was made up of ind individ ividu uals of Alba lbanian ian ethn thnicit icity y. At lea least part of the the latt latte er grou roup must also be of Albanian ethnicity. The phenomenon of Albanians bearing Serbian names prior to the Ottoman occupation is atte attest sted ed by Miha Mihail il Luka Lukare revi vic, c, a Dubr Dubrov ovni nik k merc mercha hant nt who who had had affi affili liat atio ions ns in Novo Novobe berd rda a duri during ng the the thirties of the 15th Century. His debtor books give a considerable number of people with  Albanian names which point to the existence of an Albanian majority in this area. Along with peop people le with with pure purely ly Alba Albani nian an name names s and and surn surnam ames es,, ther there e are are also also mixe mixed d Alba Albani nian an-S -Sla lav v name names s or Albanian names with characteristic Serbian suffixes. In the the cadastre stre book ooks of 1455 in Vucit citern and Pris rishtin tina area reas foll follo owing ing typ type names are found: Todo Todor, r, son son of Arba Arbana nas, s, Bogd Bogdan an son son of Todo Todor; r; Radi Radisl slav av,, son son of Todo Todor; r; Bran Branis isla lav, v, son son of Arba Arbana nas s (Ku (Kucic cica villa illag ge); Bozh ozhida idar Balsh lsha (Bre (Bres snic nica villa illag ge); Rad Radovan, an, son Gjon jon (Cik (Cikat ato ovo villa illag ge); Radi Radisl slav av,, son son of Gjon Gjon and and Bogd Bogdan an,, his his son son (Siv (Sivoj ojev evo o vill villag ages es); ); Bran Branko ko,, son son of Gjon Gjon and and Radi Radica ca,, his brother; Gjoka, son of Miloslav (Gornja Trepz village), etc. A. Handic concluded that adaptio tion of Slav lavic names was eviden identt in sec second gen generat ration ion Alba lbanian ians (A. (A. Hadgic, ic, Nekoli kolik ko vjes vjesti ti o Arba Arbana nasi sima mana na Koso Kosovo vo i Meto Metohi hiji ji sred sredin inom om XV veka veka,, Simo Simozi zium umii per per Sken Skende debe beun un,, 1969 1969,, p. 110). It is inte intere res stin ting to note that hat in the the 1566-15 -1574, the Vucit citern Sandjak jak reg regist ister refe refers rs to a loc locatio tion

desi design gnat ated ed as Alba Albani nian an quar quarte ters rs in Janj Janjev eva, a, in whic which h near nearly ly half half of the the inha inhabi bita tant nts s (84 (84 head heads s of  family and 8 bachelors) carried Slav Orthodox names. Thus, in the section identified as inh inhabite ited by Alba lbanian ians, inh inhabita itants bore Slavi lavic c names or a mixt ixture of Alba lbanian ian-Sla -Slav v names mes. This This phenomenon is observe rved in many villa illag ges of Kosovo and as far far north rth as Kursh rshumlia lia and Nis Nish. The data would sup support the vie view tha that at this time ime, Alban lbania ian ns also lso bore Slavi lavic c names, and it would be wrong, as some have done, to consider these inhabitants as being of Serb ethnicity. The The Serbia rbian n anthro throp ponomy cert certa ainly inly was was the the effe ffect of two hundre ndred d yea years of Serbia rbian n polit litica ical and reli relig giou ious domin mination ion of Alba lbanian ians. Under this rea realit lity, man many Alba lbanian nians s adapted ted Serbia rbian n names, as they were to adapt Moslem names under Ottoman occupation. But the mass con conversio rsion n to Isla Islam m of populat lation ion in Koso osovo, vo, would ind indica icate that the their ethn thnic dilu ilutio tion was was not deep. As the Serbian control ended, Albanians renounced their Serbian names.  As for the claim that Albanians Albanians flooded Kosovo after the Ottoman occupation, occupation, this data makes it imp impertin rtine ent. There might ight have been norma rmal populati latio on movem vements, ts, but the the fac fact is tha that this this did not cha change the the stat tate of ethnic com compos positio ition n of Kosov sovo. The Turk Turkis ish h defte fters had the pract ractic ice e of  noti noting ng the the new new come comers rs to the the vill villag ages es.. The The ment mentio ione ned d rese resear arch cher ers s foun found d no evid eviden ence ce in the the XV century data to connect the new comers with Albanians. (M. Ternava, Popullsian e Kosoves gjate shekujve XIV-XVI, Prishtine, 1995, p. 46) Serb nation ionalist lists s hav have used the exist istenc ence of church rches and monaste sterie ries to prove rove the their claim laims s that Kosovo was theirs and that it belongs to them. This is in itself a ridiculous claim. As I indi indica cate ted d abov above, e, most most of the the chur church ches es and and mona monast ster erie ies s were were in exis existe tenc nce e prec preced eded ed the the Serb Serbia ian n takeover. It would be normal to assume that the Albanians element continued to be part of  Orth rthodox reli relig giou ious life life assoc sociate iated d with ith thes hese chu church rches and mon monasteri terie es. The que questio tion, then arises, why contrary to all historical data, would Serbs claim the exclusive right to these churches? M. Cera Cerabr breg egu u in his his Dist Distor orti tion onis ism m in Hist Histor orio iogr grap aphy hy,, 19th 19th cent centur ury y fals falsif ific icat atio ions ns,, New New York York,, 1995 1995 has provided a brief history of Kosovo Churches. He took a broader view of history and conc conclu lude ded d that that the the Serb Serbia ian n clai claim m that that Koso Kosovo vo chur church ches es are are Serb Serbia ian n has has no basi basis. s. Bein Being g that that the the  Albanians  Albanians were in the area before VI century, and have continued continued to use the churches through the the centuri turie es the they also lso have a rig right to consid sider most of the church rches and mon monaste sterie ries as the their  own. wn. Below low is a sum summary mary of Cerab rabrega rega’s ’s work work.. Cerab rabreg rega’s work. rk. The The names of church rches are reflective of how the Albanians of the area identified these centers of worship. The Church of Shen Meria (St. Mary) The church was built by Byza Byzant ntin ine e eccl eccles esia iast stic ic buil builde ders rs in downtown Prizren. Its  Albanian-Byzantine  Albanian-Byzantine basilica is the most original among churches. Conspicuous in the cent centra rall sect sectio ion n a doub double le head headed ed eagle dominates the altar. In 1326 reference about the Prizrendi archbishopric,

indi indica cate tes s that that hist histor ory y of Shen Shen Meri Meria a star starts ts at a dist distan antt past past.. It was was chat chater ered ed by vari variou ous s Byan Byanti tine ne Empe Empero rors rs.. Char Chartt of Nema Nemanj nja a (acc (accor ordi ding ng to Alba Albani nian an etym etymol olog ogy: y: nem+ nem+an anja ja,, lite litera rall lly y mean meanin ing g big+side)) indicates that the church was previously an old Byzantine archbishopry. Recent rest restor orat atio ion n (fro (from m a mosq mosque ue to a chur church ch)) reve reveal aled ed its its orig origin inal al deco decora rati tion ons. s. The The doub double le-h -hea eade ded d eagle, in its color and design, painted as a fresco is an excellent copy of Comnens adapted symbol and testimony of emperor’s influence of authority. In Priz Prizre ren n is also also loca locate ted d The The Shen Shen-P -Pje jetr trii (St. (St. Pete Peter) r) Mona Monast ster ery y whic which h date dates s from from Byza Byzant ntin ine e era. era. Orig rigina inal fresc resco o paint inting ings and insc inscri rip ptio tions were in Gree reek. Othe ther chu church rches in this this area rea are: re: the wall walls s and dome of Church rch of the the Holy Savio viour, in the the Stes teske area rea stan tand the the ruin ruins s of a Byza yzantin tine era chu church rch, in Koris rishe is loc locate ated Byza yzantin tine era monaste astery ry,, ins inside ide the the city ity of Priz rizren ren is situ ituated St. Archangels Church. The Shin Kolla (St. Nicholas) Further north, in the foothill of the lofty  Albanian Alps, close to the river Bistrica, at the entrance of Rugova gorge is situa situated ted Shin-K Shin-Koll ollii (St. (St. Nicho Nicholas las)) Churc Church. h. The history of this monastery is closely linked to the life and deeds of a prominent Albanian Saint called Shin Kolla or Shin Kolli (St. Nicholas) during the Byzantine era. After adaption as a Slavi lavic c church urch,, the the Church rch experi perie enced numerous restoration, although, the interior fresco painting of the existing church is representative of several periods. The original part of the church is pres preser erve ved d in arch archit itec ectu ture re,, whil while e deco decora rati tion ons s and and scri script pts s have have suff suffer ered ed chan change ges. s. This This chur church ch desig signation ion is prese reserv rve ed only among the Alba lbanian ians. In the Slav lav lite litera ratture the the church rch is call calle ed Patr Patria iarc rcha hate te of Peje Peje-P -Pec ec,, refl reflec ecti ting ng the the pree preemi mine nent nt role role Empe Empero rorr Dush Dushan an (acc (accor ordi ding ng to Alba Albani nian an etymo tymolo log gy: ‘du ‘dush’ bein being g a prom romine inent name and ‘an ‘an’ being ing a cha charac racteri teris stic tic suffix ffix), ), famil amily y had bestowed it. St. Nicholas chapel is situated in the southern part of the complex of three churches. The first church along the chapel is dedicated to our Lady of Odgria, the second chu church rch is dedica icated ted to St. Dhimit imitri ri (us) (us),, and the the third ird chu church rch is dedica icated to the Holly lly Aposte stels. ls. There is a narthex that connects the entrances of the three churches. In close proximity, arch archeo eolo logi gist sts s have have unea uneart rthe hed d a site site on whic which h a chur church ch had had exis existe ted, d, most most like likely ly dati dating ng from from earl early y Christianity.  As Dushan stretched his dominion from Sava ad nDanube Rivers, to the Adriatic and the Gulf of  Cori Corint nth h and and was was crow crowne ned d the the Empe Empero rorr of Alba Albani nian ans, s, Gree Greeks ks and and Slav Slavs, s, in 1345 1345 he desi design gnat ated ed the Church of Shin Kolli to being the seat of Patriarchate. With the Ottoman takeover, archbishopric of Ohrid took jurisdiction over the church and Patriarchate ceased to exist. Serbs were helped by their status as Ottoman vassals and allies. In 1557, as a reward for   Serb Serbia ian n assi assist stan ance ce agai agains nstt Hung Hungar ary, y, The The Sult Sultan an,, acce accept pted ed reco recomm mmen enda dati tion on of Mehm Mehmet et Pash Pasha a

Soko Sokolo lovi vic, c, of Bosh Boshnj njak ak desc descen ent, t, and and appo appoin inte ted d latt latter er’s ’s brot brothe her, r, Maka Makari rie e Soko Sokolo lovi vic, c, as patr patria iarc rch, h, thu thus lea leading ing to the the rest resto orati ratio on of the the seat of the Patria triarc rch hate. te. The The seat was abolish lishe ed again in 1690 1690,, afte afterr an Alba Albani nian an insu insurr rrec ecti tion on lead lead by an Alba Albani nian an Cath Cathol olic ic fria friarr forc forced ed Patr Patria iarc rch h Arse Arseni nie e Cernojevic to move north. Only after the area was occupied by the Serbs in 1912, the Church was was rest restor ored ed as a Serb Serbia ian n Patr Patria iarc rcha hate te whic which h last lasted ed unti untill afte afterr the the Seco Second nd Worl World d War, War, when when the the seat was again moved to the north. Gashi Church (Visoki Decani) This church rch is erec erecte ted d in the the wes western tern part of Decani, the center of the  Albanian Gashi clan settlement. settlement. It is situated in the foothills of the  Albanian Alps, on the right bank of  river Bistrice, facing the Decani gorge. Due to its situation within the Gashi clan settlements, the church has has been been trad tradit itio iona nall lly y been been iden identi tifi fied ed as Kisha e Gashit=Gashi Church. It is an imme immen nse build ilding ing encircl ircle ed by high walls. It was built during Dush Dushan an’s ’s reig reign. n. The The arch archit itec ectt of the the chur church ch was was Fran Franci cisc scan an fria friarr Vito Vito from from Koto Kotor. r. Arch Archit itec ectu tura rall lly, y, the the constru struct ctio ion n repre epres sents a com composit sition ion of Byza yzantin tine styl style e (the the dome), of Gothic thic (Ca (Catho tholic lic Chur Church ch heig height ht), ), and and Roma Romane nesq sque ue (sha (shape pe of door doors s and and wind window ows) s) elem elemen ents ts.. The The fres fresco co pain painti ting ng,, as well well as othe ther deco ecorati ratio ons was done by skill kille ed Byza yzantin tine maste sters. rs. A larg large e met metal cha chandelie lier  sus suspended in the north rthern sub-do -dome, me, was was pres resented ted to the the church urch by Skenderbe rbeg in the the 15th century. The Church of Ulipiana (Gracanica) This This chu church rch was was built ilt in the site ite wit within the ancient Ulpiana, as it was called prior to Slavic invasion of the Balkans and Justiniana Secunda since the time of   Justinian the Great. The Church stands on the the foun founda dati tion on of a Chri Christ stia ian n sanc sanctu tuar ary y whic which h was was erect recte ed above the the tom tomb of two earl early y Chri Christ stia ian n mart martyr yrs, s, duri during ng the the time time of  Diocletian. The church is considered a fine model of Byzantine architecture. Much of the building material was taken ready-made from the ruins of Classical Ulpiana. Walls contain stones with latin scri script pts, s, bric brick k and and tomb tombst ston ones es from from Roma Roman n time times. s. The The orig origin inal al fres fresco co pain painti ting ngs s have have unde underg rgon one e rene renewa wall and and chan change ges s in the the cour course se of cent centur urie ies. s. The The mona monast ster ery y play played ed an impo import rtan antt role role as the the

residence of the archbishop from the time of its foundation in both Roman and Byzantine times. Other Churches: The Church of Monte Argentaria or Nova Barda The Church is situated on a hilltop near the fort fortre ress ss of Nova Barda rda (Arg (Argje jen ntari taria a), the loc locatio tion known as rich rich in lea lead, silv silver er and and gold mine ine. Today the church is in ruins, probably since the time of barbarian invasions. The Church of Zvecani The church is situated on the top of a conical hill where an Illyrian castle had existed. It was a Byza Byzant ntin ine e stro strong ngho hold ld agai agains nstt barb barbar aria ian n inva invasi sion ons s and and duri during ng the the time time of Just Justin inia ian n the the Grea Greatt it was restored and enlarged. The high location of the church provides an unhindered view of  Kosov sova Plain lain.. In the the cent entral ral part of this this high igh fort fortre ress ss sta stand the rema remain ins s of a church rch built ilt durin uring g the Middle Ages. The Church of Banjska On the north of Mitrovica, on the left side of the Iber Valley stands a settlement and a church erected near a spa called Banjska (etymology: -ba + -anj + -ska, meaning well + side + rock). The monastery has been there before the barbarian invasions.  Addendum:  Addendum: Nat Nation ionalist list Serb his histori toria ans have held myth mythic ica al vie views about the the so-c so-cal alle led d 1690 “gre “grea at Serbia rbian n exodus”‚ of “37,000 families” from Kosovo. Their view is that after this mass exodus, the  Albanians  Albanians settled Kosovo. This view has no historical backing whatsoever. whatsoever. On the subject of this exodus, Noel Malcom, after a thorough research would rely on signed statements by the Serb Serbia ian n Patr Patria iarc rch h Arse Arseni nije je III III Carn Carnoj ojev evic ic whic which h utte utterl rly y cont contra radi dict ct the the Serb Serbia ian n trad tradit itio iona nall clai claim m that 37,000 families departed Kosovo. In fact a smaller number of people did join in the with withdr draw awal al of the the Aust Austro ro-H -Hun unga gari rian an Army Army.. Cath Cathol olic ic Ency Encycl clop oped edio ioa, a, 1913 1913 woul would d writ write: e: “Whe “When, n, in 1690 1690,, the the Empe Empero rorr Leop Leopol old d I issu issued ed a proc procla lama mati tion on decl declar arin ing g that that he woul would d prot protec ectt the the reli religi gion on and and the the poli politi tica call righ rights ts of all all Slav Slavon onic ic peop people les s on the the Balk Balkan an peni penins nsul ula, a, and and call called ed upon upon them them to rise rise agai agains nstt the the Turk Turks, s, abou aboutt 36,0 36,000 00(s (sic ic.) .) Serv Servia ian n and and Alba Albani nian an fami famili lies es,, led led by thei theirr patr patria iarc rch, h, emig emigra rate ted d from from Serv Servia ia.. Afte Afterr Leop Leopol old d had had give given n them them the the desi desire red d guar guaran ante tees es they they cros crosse sed d the the Save and settled in Slavonia, in Syrmia, and in some of the Hungarian cities, where their   desc descen enda dant nts s now now form form a cons consid ider erab able le port portio ion n of the the popu popula lati tion on (Cha (Charl rles es Geor George ge Herb Herber erma mann nnm, m, Encyclopedia Press, 1913, p. 733). By Paja_Jovanovic, Serbian Migratio Migrations(1 ns(1896 896)) depictin depicting g the Gr Grea eatt Se Serb rb Migrations In addi additi tion on to the the chur church ch hier hierar arch chy y head headed ed by Patria triarc rch h Arse rsenije ije III and the ide idealiz lized guards, one can see typical Albanian moun mounta tain inee eerr dres dress s worn worn by many many othe others rs in the painting. I don’t know the source of   Paja Jovanovic’s inspiration for the specifics of this painting, but one can assume sume tha that he was was atte ttempt mpting ing to con convey his information about the event. What is

important, the impressions of the painting reflect support for view that the Albanian had continued to play a vital role in the Orthodox religious life of Kosovo.