Banjska monastery

Banjska Monastery (Serbian: Манастир Бањска/Manastir Banjska;  listen , Albanian: Manastiri i Banjskës) is a Serbian Orthodox monastery in the Banjska village near Zvečan in Kosovo.

History

The monastery, along with the Church of St Stephen, was built between 1313 and 1317, founded by Serbian King Stefan Milutin, one of the most powerful rulers of his time and of the Nemanjić dynasty. Milutin built the church as his burial place, and it is where he was first laid to rest. However, following the Battle of Kosovo (1389), his body was moved to Trepča and then in 1460 to Sofia (Bulgaria), where it lies to this day.

The monastery shared the fate of its founder. The monumental building with its church, library, monks' quarters and "imperial palace" began to fall into disrepair very early. At the beginning of the 15th century, a fire destroyed the library and in the second half of the same century the monastery was probably abandoned. Benedikt Kuprešić, a traveller, mentioned that the monastery was razed to the ground in the 16th century on the orders of the Ottoman Sultan, as Christians who had fled Ottoman tyranny were gathering in it.

St Stephen's, almost totally destroyed, was turned into a mosque in the 19th century and served as such until World War I. The first conservation activity was carried out in 1939 and again in 1990, when the church was partly rebuilt. The monastery is one of the few for which the founding charter has been preserved; it was granted a large estate at its founding, of 75 villages and 8 pastures. As the complex was built as the final resting place of a king, the bishopric was "upgraded" to a stavropegial monastery - roughly translated, an Imperial monastery, fourth by rank in the state (after Studenica, Mileševa and Sopoćani).

The building works were led by Archbishop Danilo II, at that time a prior, later Serbian Archbishop, who was a close confidant to the king. According to medieval sources, as well as oral tradition, Banjska was one of the most beautiful Serbian monasteries, built in the Raška architectural style, which was used for all royal mausoleums, from Stefan Nemanja's Studenica monastery to Emperor Dušan's Monastery of the Holy Archangels. The monastery was declared a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1990, and is protected by the Republic of Serbia.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Banjska Monastery.

• List of Serbian Orthodox monasteries

Annotations

Further reading

• Novaković, S. (1892) Manastir Banjska - zadužbina Kralja Milutina u srpskoj istoriji. Glas Srpske kraljevske akademije, Beograd, 32, 35-41

External links

• Banjska Monastery
• Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Kosovo-Metohija

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Spiritual leaders of the Serbian Orthodox Church   Archbishops 1219–1346 Sava (St.) Arsenije Sremac (St.) Sava II (St.) Danilo I (St.) Joanikije I (St.) Jevstatije I (St.) Jakov (St.) Jevstatije II (St.) Sava III (St.) Nikodim I (St.) Danilo II (St.) Joanikije II (St.)   Patriarchs (since 1346) 1346–1463 Joanikije II (St.) Sava IV Jefrem (St.) Spiridon (St.) Danilo III Sava V Danilo IV Kirilo I (St.) Nikon I (St.) Teofan I Nikodim II Arsenije II 1557–1766 Makarije Sokolović (St.) Antonije Sokolović Gerasim Sokolović Savatije Sokolović Nikanor Jerotej Filip Sokolović Jovan Pajsije I Gavrilo I (St.) Maksim I Arsenije III Kalinik I Atanasije I Mojsije I Arsenije IV Joanikije III Atanasije II Gavrilo II Gavrilo III Vikentije I Pajsije II Gavrilo IV Kirilo II Vasilije I Kalinik II since 1920 Dimitrije Varnava Gavrilo Vikentije German Pavle Irinej   Heads of the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Habsburg Monarchy (1690–1920) Metropolitans of Karlovci 1690–1726 Arsenije III Čarnojević Isaija Đaković Sofronije Podgoričanin Vikentije Popović Metropolitan of Belgrade 1718–1726 Mojsije Petrović Metropolitans of Belgrade and Karlovci 1726–1739 Mojsije Petrović Vićentije Jovanović Arsenije IV Jovanović Šakabenta Metropolitans of Karlovci 1739–1848 Arsenije IV Jovanović Šakabenta Isaija Antonović Pavle Nenadović Jovan Đorđević Vićentije Jovanović Vidak Mojisije Putnik Stefan Stratimirović Stefan Stanković Josif Rajačić Metropolitans and Patriarchs of Karlovci 1848–1920 Josif Rajačić Samuilo Maširević Prokopije Ivačković German Anđelić Georgije Branković Lukijan Bogdanović   Metropolitans of Belgrade 1831–1920 Melentije Pavlović Petar Jovanović Mihailo Jovanović Teodosije Mraović Inokentije Pavlović Dimitrije Pavlović   Metropolitans of Montenegro 1766–1920 Sava Petrović Arsenije Plamenac Petar I Petar II Danilo II Nikanor Ivanović Ilarion Roganović Visarion Ljubiša Mitrofan Ban
Serbian Orthodox monasteries Serbia Banjska* Bavanište Bođani Devič* Gračanica* Holy Archangels* Banja Beočin Bukovo Ćelije Crna Reka Đurđevi stupovi Fenek Gorioč* Gornjak Gradac Hajdučica Kalenić Kastaljan Koporin Kovilj Ljubostinja Manasija Mesić Mileševa Nimnik Poganovo Pokajnica Prohor Pčinjski Pustinja Rača Rajinovac Ravanica Rukumija St. Nicholas Sopoćani Studenica Suvodol Tronoša Tuman Vitovnica Bešenovo Divša Grgeteg Jazak Krušedol Kuveždin Mala Remeta Novo Hopovo Petkovica Patriarchate of Peć* Privina Glava Rakovac Staro Hopovo Šišatovac Velika Remeta Vrdnik-Ravanica Holy Trinity St. Melanija Sombor Središte Vojlovica Visoki Dečani* Zemun Žiča Zočište* Montenegro Bijela Beška Cetinje Ćelije Dajbabe Dobrilovina Donji Donji Brčeli Dovolja Dubočica Duljevo Đurđevi Stupovi Gradište Kaludra Kom Kosijerevo Majstorovina Miholjska Prevlaka Morača Moračnik Nikoljac Orahovo Ostrog Piva Podmaine Podmalinsko Podostrog Podvrh Praskvica Reževići Savina Stanjevići Starčeva Gorica St. Nicholas, Obod Vranjina Bosnia & Herzegovina Bišnja Detlak Dobrićevo Dobrun Dragaljevac Duga Njiva Duži Glogovac Gomionica Hercegovačka Gračanica Ilinka Karno Klisina Knežina Krupa Liplje Lomnica Lovnica Moštanica Ozren Papraća Petropavlov Pjenovac Rmanj Rožanj Sase Sokolica Stuplje St. Nicholas St. Basil of Ostrog Tavna Treskavac Tvrdoš Veselinje Vozuća Zavala Žitomislić Croatia Dragović Gomirje Komogovina Krka Krupa Lazarica Lepavina Oćestovo Orahovica Sv. Nedjelje Sv. Petke St. Basil of Ostrog Others Hilandar (Mount Athos) New Gračanica Monastery (USA) Notes * indicate monasteries in Kosovo, which is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Kosovo. List of Serbian Orthodox monasteries
Serbian Orthodox churches Serbia Church of Saint Sava St. Michael's Cathedral St. George, Banovo Brdo Ružica St. Mark's Church St. Basil of Ostrog St. Achillius, Arilje Peter's Church, Ras Cave Church, Lukovo Štava Church Odžaklija Kađenica Lazarica Church Church of St. George, Lukovo Church of Holy Ascension, Krupanj Saint George's Cathedral (Novi Sad) the Assumption, Zrenjanin Our Lady of Ljeviš* Church of the Virgin Hodegetria* Church of St. Elijah, Podujevo* Church of St. Nicholas, Prizren* Mala Gospojina Church* Christ the Saviour Cathedral, Pristina* Montenegro Cathedral of Podgorica Vlah Church Bosnia and Herzegovina Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Sarajevo Old Orthodox Church in Sarajevo Church of the Holy Transfiguration, Sarajevo Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Banja Luka Church of St. George, Sopotnica Church of St. Nikola, Dobrelja Old Church of St. Nicholas, Javorani Croatia Church of the Holy Venerable Mother Parascheva Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Trpinja Church of St. Nicholas, Vukovar Church of Pentecost, Vinkovci Church of St. George, Kneževo Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, Negoslavci Church of Pentecost, Markušica Church of St. George, Bobota Church of St. Stephen, Borovo Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, Srijemske Laze Church of St. Peter and Paul, Bolman Church of St. Stefan Štiljanović, Karanac Church of St. Nicholas, Mirkovci Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Gaboš Church of St. Nicholas, Jagodnjak Church of St. Demetrius, Dalj Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, Zagreb Church of St. George, Grubišno Polje Church of St. Nicholas, Karlovac Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, Drežnica Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Štikada Church of St. George, Varaždin Church of the Holy Annunciation, Dubrovnik Orthodox Church in Knin Church of St. Peter and Paul, Tepljuh St. Spyridon Church, Peroj Church of St. Nicholas, Rijeka Church of St. Nicholas, Vrlika Orthodox church of Holy Salvation, Cetina United Kingdom Church of St Sava, Notting Hill, London Church of the Holy Prince Lazar, Birmingham Serbian Orthodox Church, Halifax St. Nicholas, West Wycombe United States Sts. Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church, USA Trinity Chapel Complex, USA Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church (Jackson, California), USA Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church (Merrillville, Indiana), USA St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), USA Other countries St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church (Toronto), Canada Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church, Slovenia Serbian Church in Arad, Romania St. Sava Church, Paris, France Saint Spyridon Church, Trieste, Italy Annunciation Church, Szentendre, Hungary Transfiguration Church, Szentendre, Hungary Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, Stockholm, Sweden Notes * indicate churches in Kosovo, which is the subject of a territorial dispute between Serbia and Kosovo.
Serbian saints St. Angelina St. Basil of Ostrog St. Danilo II St. Gavrilo Rajić St. Helen of Anjou St. Jovan Vladimir St. Prince Lazar / St. Princess Milica St. Makarije Sokolović St. Maksim Branković St. Nikodim I St. Nikolaj Velimirović St. Peter of Cetinje St. Sava St. Sava II St. Simeon the Monk St. Simeon the Myrrh-flowing St. Stefan Lazarević St. Stefan Štiljanović St. Stefan Uroš St. Stefan of Dečani St. Stefan the Blind St. Stefan of Piperi St. Teodor Komogovinski St. Vladislav St. Vukašin St. Georgije Bogić

Coordinates: 42°58′17″N 20°46′57″E / 42.97139°N 20.78250°E / 42.97139; 20.78250