Patriarchate of Peć Monastery (Virtual Reward) Virtual Cache
Patriarchate of Peć Monastery (Virtual Reward)
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We visited this place in August 2017 because we’re very interested in the UNESCO World Heritage sites. We were so surprised - who would have thought that we’d find the most peaceful place of our vacation in Kosovo? The monastery is worth a visit and the three churches and the covered frontyard (“narthex”) are so full of paintings that it’s an overkill for the eye. Enjoy!
This is the first virtual cache of Kosovo and also Serbia, as Kosovo is listed as "Serbia" on geocaching.com.
Let’s speak about the architecture…
The church complex consists of four churches. Three of them - the Church of the Holy Apostles, the Church of St. Demetrius and the Church of the Holy Mother of God Hodegetria - are connected by common entry room, the “narthex”. Also the narthex, despite not being a religious building, is full of paintings and also features a painted calendar - one scene for every day of the year.
The entire Patriarchate of Pec was once encircled by a wall strengthened with five towers. Of some monastic facilities, only the foundations have survived.
Some history - what is a Patriarchate?
The middle church (Church of the Holy Apostles) was built in the 13th century (painted in 1250), the other churches were added around 1320. The basic narthex, open to the sides, was built as early as 1330, the walls were added in the 1560.
The Nemanjić dynasty was the most important dynasty of Serbia in the Middle Ages, and one of the most important in Southeastern Europe. The family tree is depicted here in Pec (you will see it while searching the answer for question 1) and also in Decani and Gracanica. Serbia reached its height of power during the Nemanjić dynasty.
Pećs importance was greatly enhanced by the decision in 1346 to elevate the serbian archbishop to the rank of patriarch, cutting all ties with Constantinople. From then on, the serbian orthodox church was fully independent.
After the tumultuous early years of the ottoman advance in the Balkans, the Patriarchate was officialy reinstated in 1557. Now the relation with the Ottoman Empire was better, at least for a short time. During the war between the Turks and Austrians the Serbs fought on the Christian side (against the Ottoman Empire) and the patriarchate was badly damaged. The monastery's treasury was transported to the Monastery of Gracanica and hidden in one of its domes; however, the Turkish rebel Jeghen Pasa discovered this location and removed the treasure in 1688. According to the legend, the treasure was so big that nine horses were necessary to carry it away!
In 1690, ahead of the Turkish offensive spearheaded by Tatar and Albanian irregulars, Patriarch Arsenije III Carnojevic was forced to flee to safety in Belgrade. After the Turks took Belgrade in October of 1690, he withdrew to the Hungarian side with about 30,000 Serbian refugees. The Turks and Albanians plundered and desecrated the monastery, as well as many other Serbian sanctuaries. The Patriarchate was abandoned in another war with the Turks, 1737-1739, when Patriarch Arsenije IV Jovanovic and the monks left for Srem, taking with them the remaining valuables. Yet another demolition the monastery suffered by the Aslan Pasa of Bosnia in 1831.
The period of ottoman rule in the region ended in 1912. By the Treaty of London (1913) the region of Peć was officially awarded to Montenegro and the Monastery of Peć again became an episcopal seat. After the first world war Montenegro joined the Kingdom of Serbia. After the Bishoprics of the Serbian Orthodox Church united in 1920, metropolitan Dimitrije was enthroned in Pec as the first Patriarch, after 1766, of the renewed Serbian Patriarchate. Ever since, all the elected patriarchs have been enthroned ceremonially in this monastery. The Patriarchate of Pec is a monastery under the administration of the Patriarch himself, and exempted from the jurisdiction of the regional bishopric.
UNESCO World Heritage status
Four monasteries and churches form the site “Medieval Monuments in Kosovo”, protected by the UNESCO since 2004. The Patriarchate of Pecs is one of those four sites, you can find the coordinates for the other three places as waypoints. They’re definetely worth a visit, too!
The church in Prizren is unfortunately not open to the public, it was damaged by a fire in 2004 and it’s waiting for a renovation ever since…
The reason for the inscription was that the monuments “reflect the high points of the Byzantine-Romanesque ecclesiastical culture, with its distinct style of wall painting, which developed in the Balkans between the 13th and 17th centuries.”
At the same time, the monuments are inscribed on the “red list”, the list of monuments in danger (reason: Lack of legal protection and management; political instability and security).
How to get there
Attention while planning your travel route, at the time of writing (August 2017), it’s not possible to enter Kosovo from Montenegro through the Rugova Canyon, so Google Maps is correct in suggesting a huge detour via Rozaje! There are talks to open the border again in the future.
Park somewhere along the street (see parking coordinates for the general area), get your documents checked by the police, and then walk through the gate towards the monastery, where you’ll have to pay a 2 euro entrance fee. I promise, it’s worth it.
Please take an audio guide (for free as of August 2017), also to help you with question 1!
As of August 2017, the protection of the monastery is now in the hands of the local police (not the KFOR any more). To avoid problems, please bring your passport! According to the travel guide book, albanian citizens could have problems to enter the monastery.
Your tasks to claim the find for this cache:
1. Find the family tree of the Nemanjics family. How many persons (not counting Jesus and the angels) can you see?
2. On the left side of the entrance to the narthex there is a huge “water basin” out of stone. Estimate the height of it.
3. Please take a picture of you with the church complex in the background. It’s not necessary that your face is visible. Alternatively, take a picture of one of your personal items in front of the church.
Please send me the answers for questions number 1 and 2 via e-mail or Geocaching message, and attach the photo to your log. Please note that - unlike earth caches - it’s mandatory for virtual caches to attach the photos. Without photo, your log could get deleted.
Unfortunately it is forbidden to take photos inside of the churches, please respect this!
sources:
* Wikipedia
* travel guide “Kosovo”, by Gail Warrander and Verena Knaus
* http://srpskoblago.org
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.
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