Monastery of St. Nicholas, Kuršumlija

Coordinates: 43°08′24″N 21°16′37″E / 43.1399°N 21.2769°E / 43.1399; 21.2769
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Monastery of St. Nicholas
Native name
Serbian: Манастир Светог Николе
Monastery of St. Nicholas in Toplica
Location18430 Kuršumlija, Serbia
Built1166
Cultural Monument of Exceptional Importance
Designated18 November 1947
Reference no.SK 207[1]

The Monastery of St. Nicholas (

Serbian Orthodox monastery built by the Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja between 1159 and 1166. It is situated in the center of the historical region of Toplica, near the present day city of Kuršumlija (Serbia), in the upper valley of Toplica river
.

It was one of the most important monasteries founded by the Nemanjić dynasty that ruled in Serbia during the Middle Ages. The monastery may be the oldest one founded by Stefan Nemanja.[2][3]

In the time of its foundation, the Monastery belonged to the Eparchy of Niš. From 1219 up to the first half of the 18th century, the Monastery was the seat of Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Toplica. Since then, it was merged with the Eparchy of Niš.

History

In the middle of the 12th century, before he became ruler of Serbia, prince

Bela Crkva ("White Church"), became the capital of the principality, and was given that name because the buildings were covered in lead roofs that shined white in the sun. After the Serbian Church became autocephalous archbishopric (Nicaea, 1219), the church became the seat of the Eparchy of Toplica.[9][8]

A

Arnauts took bricks from the church, and materials were later used to build bakeries and army buildings.[8]

The

National Museum in Belgrade took the first steps to repair the church in 1910, and built the roof. After World War II the reconstruction project was continued until 2003 with occasional breaks. The church today is under state protection. It is considered a cultural monument of exceptional importance.[8]

Architecture

As one of the most beautiful monuments of Serbian culture, the church is one of the prototypes of the

King Milutin built a chapel on the north side of the church.[10]

The interior is grand and has several rooms. The altar space is separated from the nave and there is no iconostasis. The altar contains two niches. The communion table is made in three pieces and stands in the centre of the altar. The floor of the altar is made of brick tiles. The church has a characteristic brick facade. Every second row is indented and covered with mortar. The single and double doors are made of oak wood and rotate around metal axles.[10]

Art

The inside of the church is plastered and frescoed. A small number of original frescoes from the 14th century are preserved on the window dome and the chapel of south tower. Apart from fragments of some frescoes showing bishop and Virgin, the church is not painted today.[8]

Gallery

  • Post-restoration photo of Church of Saint Nicholas near Kuršumlija
    Post-restoration photo of Church of Saint Nicholas near Kuršumlija

References

  1. ^ "Информациони систем непокретних културних добара".
  2. ^ "Info About Saint Nicholas Church". Super Odmor. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
  3. ^ Žarko Mijajlovic- Manastir svetog Nikole- Kuršumlija
  4. ^ Ćirković 2004, p. 31.
  5. ^ Mateja Matejić and Dragan Milivojević, "An Anthology of medieval Serbian Literature in English" (Columbus, Ohio, Slavica Publioshers, Inc., 1978)
  6. ^ Petko D. Marjanović, Toplica kroz vekove, Prokuplje 2008
  7. ^ Marija Janković, Toplička episkopija i Mitropolija u srednjem veku
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Monuments of Culture in Serbia: Monastery of Saint Nicholas in Kuršumlija (SANU) (in Serbian and English)
  9. ^ Ćirković 2004, p. 43.
  10. ^ a b c Душан Миљковић, Распеће вечности. Цркве и манастири куршумлијске области, Ниш 1998

Bibliography

External links

43°08′24″N 21°16′37″E / 43.1399°N 21.2769°E / 43.1399; 21.2769

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