Church of Peter

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The Church Saint Apostles Peter and Paul, or Church of Peter, is located on a hill near Stari Ras, the mediaeval capital of Rascia (Serbia) near Novi Pazar, Serbia. It is the oldest church in Serbia, dating from the 9^th or 10^th century, when the first Serbian state was created under great Prefect Nemanja in the 11th century.
 

Petar Gojnikovic, who ruled Serbia from 892-917, was entombed in this church. In the chrysobulls of Basil II dated to 1020, the Ras bishopric is mentioned as serving the whole of Serbia, with its seat at the Church of the Apostolic Saints Peter and Paul. Saint Sava (1175–1235), founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church, a Serbian prince and the brother of the Serbian king Stefan Prvovencani (the First-Crowned) was baptised in this church. Stefan Nemanja held the council here which outlawed the Bogomils, an ancient Gnostic religious sect which originated in Bulgaria, and whose refusal to adhere to Orthodox dogma made them a destabilising element in the embattled Serbian kingdom of the early Middle Ages. 

Black-figure vase

Archaeological findings attest that the church was built on several earlier churches, the remains of which have been well preserved. During archaeological excavations in 1957/58 a 5^th century BC Illyrian royal grave was excavated beneath the floor of the church. Greek sculptures dating from the 7^th and 6^th century BC, as well as Black-figure pottery, silver dishes, gold jewellery, bronze, glass and amber objects, masks, beads and other items of remarkable historical value were also unearthed. Today the church is surrounded by the 18-19th century Serbian Orthodox cemetery which is one of the best preserved of its kind in Serbia.

In the 7^th century, above the former Prince’s grave, an Early Christian church was built which was converted in the 9^th or 10^th century. This construction work was probably started during the reign of Caslav Klonimirovic (Serbian Prince who ruled probably between 927-960), and formed the basis of the church which with later alterations assumed today's appearance.

 
The foundation of the church, with its massive columns, extensive floor-plan and an octagonal tower which conceals an inner dome are examples of the circular mausoleum architectural type used after Emperor Constantine. The Church has a ground plan of a rotunda with an inscribed quatrefoil, and originates from the Byzantine era, while the frescoes are from the 10^th, 12^th and 13^th century.

After exhaustive archaeological excavations, this church was fully restored in 1960. Stylistically it is similar to churches in Georgia and Armenia dating from the 7^th to 9^th centuries, but thanks to the alterations and upgrades it became unique, which was one of the reasons that it found a place on the UNESCO list of protected monuments.

The church was declared a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979, and it is protected by the Republic of Serbia.

 

Prohor Pcinjski Monastery

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Prohor Pcinjski Monastery lies on the wooded slopes of Kozjak Mountain, 30 km south of Vranje on the left bank of the River Pcinja, near the village of Klenika.

Romanus IV Diogenes' Coin

According to tradition, it was founded between 1067 and 1071 by the Byzantine Emperor Romanus IV Diogenes in honour of Saint Prohor Pcinjski, who prophesied that Romanus would become Emperor.

According to King Stefan Prvovencani, Stefan Nemanja conquered the Vranje area during the wars with the Byzantine Empire (1180-1190). Assimilating the newly conquered territories into a greater Serbia required the need for re-organisation of the church, which St. Sava carried out in 1220.

St. Prohor Pcinjski

The original church, a modest, single nave building, was erected above the grave of this renowned saint and missionary. It has been restored numerous times. One of the most significant restorations was carried out by King Milutin, who in 1316/17 employed his favourite Thessalonian artists Mihail and Eutychus to paint the new church.

The original church, a modest, single nave building, was erected above the grave of this renowned saint and missionary. It has been restored numerous times. One of the most significant restorations was carried out by King Milutin, who in 1316/17 employed his favourite Thessalonian artists Mihail and Eutychus to paint the new church.

After the Battle of Kosovo, the monastery was demolished by the Turks. It was restored in 1489 by Marin of Kratovo, with the frescoes painted at this time being considered some of the most important artistic creations of their time. There was a painters’ studio in the monastery in the 16^th century, and the artists’ who were resident there created frescoes of great value in the chapel on the south side of the church.

So-called Vranjska Gate

A monastery fence made of cut stone is covered with stone plates and ceramida; the monastic quarters (konak), are on the northern, western and southern side. The main gate, the Vranjska gate, leads directly from the west towards the church portal; the southern gate, below the konak, is facing Kumanovo, from which it got its name. To the east, the church is divided from the Mitropolija by the partially excavated foundations of the mediaeval church of St. John.

The imposing multi-domed church which now occupies the site was built in 1898-1904, and incorporated the older structures into its overall design. The entrance to the church is on the west side atop 12 semi-circular steps.

Even with the lack of material evidence, it is believed that the tomb of St. Prohor Pcinjski was part of the former temple. From the oldest shrine only the chapel with the relics of St. Prohor was preserved – a small, short, rectangular place. In the spherically shaped eastern side are relics, where in the right upper corner is a small hole through which, throughout the entire millennium, a miraculous miro poured. 

According to a preserved inscription on the north wall, the church had an iconostasis which was an integral architectural feature, being unusually constructed from masonry. The church was significantly restored at the end of the 16^th century, when the chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary was added to the main body of the church.

This monastery complex is dominated by two monastic quarters, of which the monumental “Vranjski konak” is one of the most beautiful buildings of this type in Serbia. It was built between 1854 and 1862, thanks to the generosity of Hadzi-Mihailo Pogarcevic, a merchant from Vranje.

 

So-called Vranjski konak

Within the monastery there is a theological school, and the artistic principles of iconography are also taught there.

The building is under the protection of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of the Republic of Serbia, and was declared a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979, and is therefore protected by Republic of Serbia.