Dečani

Monastery Visoki Dečani is located in Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija 413 km away from Belgrade in the fertile valley of Bistrica river at the bottom of mountains Prokletije. The monastery was built in 1335 as endowment of King Stefana III of Dečani and tsar Dušan and was devoted to Christ Pantocrator and the Feast of the Ascension.Visoki Dečani is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage site list since 2004, two years later monasteries of Peć Patriarchy, Mother of God Ljeviška Church and Gračanica monastery were included in that list with one common name “Medieval Monuments in Kosovo”. Dečani were in 2006 included in the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger because of unstable situation in Kosovo and Metohija, nowadays it is under control of UN Mission in Kosovo, and visits to the Monastery are only possible with Kosovo Force (KFOR) convoy.

Architecture of the main church represents almost ideal connection of multi-nave basilica and one-nave one-cupola church in Raška style whilst epithet „Visoki“ meaning „High“ is justified by the fact that its height reaches 28 meters. Fresco and icons that decorate the monastery represent the most advanced level of medieval art. Here you may see thousands of pictures and faces depicted by skillful painters. Sacristy of the monastery is said to be the richest after Hilandar monastery and the Holly Mount. Here nowadays along with holly ashes and numerous relics there are more than 60 icons dating back to 14th and 17th centuries, numerous books and documents of great value.