Studenica Monastery

Coordinates: 43°29′9.996″N 20°32′12.012″E / 43.48611000°N 20.53667000°E / 43.48611000; 20.53667000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Studenica.
Studenica Monastery
Студеница Манастир
Studenica Manastir
Црква Свете Богородице
Crkva Svete Bogorodice
Style
Raška school
Byzantine
Years built1190
Completed1190
Administration
ArchdioceseEparchy of Žiča
Studenica Monastery is located in Serbia
Studenica Monastery
Europe
Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance
Designated1979

The Studenica Monastery (

monastery situated 39 kilometres (24 mi) southwest of Kraljevo and 40.9 kilometres (25.4 mi) east of Ivanjica, in central Serbia
. It is one of the largest and richest Serb Orthodox monasteries.

white marble. The monastery is best known for its collection of 13th- and 14th century Byzantine-style fresco
paintings.

Studenica was declared

Republic of Serbia, and in 1986 UNESCO included Studenica monastery on the list of World Heritage Sites, with the description:[1]

The Studenica Monastery was established in the late 12th century by Stefan Nemanja, founder of the medieval Serb state, shortly after his abdication. It is the largest and richest of Serbia's Orthodox monasteries. Its two principal monuments, the Church of the Virgin and the Church of the King, both built of white marble, enshrine priceless collections of 13th- and 14th-century Byzantine painting.

History

King Milutin with a model of King's Church, a fresco from King's Church.

The monastery Studenica, dedicated to the Presentation of the

medieval Serbia
.

Studenica enjoyed continual care by the members of the

King Milutin built a small but lovely church dedicated to saints Joachim and Anna
.

Since the fall of the last of the medieval Serbian states in 1459, the Turks often assaulted the monastery. The first of the significant restorations of the damage took place in 1569, when the frescoes in the Church of the Virgin were repainted. In the early 17th century, an earthquake and a fire befell the monastery, and historical documents and a significant part of the artistic heritage were destroyed and lost forever.[2]

Architecture

The Virgin's Church is a

Raška School
.

Northwest of the Church of the Virgin there is the church of saints Joachim and Anna, known after its founder King Milutin as the King's Church. The church was constructed in 1314, in the form of a compressed cross, with the exterior structure of an octagonal dome. It is built of stone and tuff, with plastered facades.

The complex of the Studenica monastery includes the Church of

Archbishop Sava. Finally, on the western side of the monastery complex there is a bell tower, erected in the 13th century. There used to be a chapel inside; now, only fragments of frescoes can be seen there. Remains of fresco painting have also been numbered on the external part of the narthex, splendidly representing the Nemanjić dynasty
genealogy. They obviously relate to the frescoes from the Virgin's Church which date back to 1208-1209.

Northward from the Studenica refectory is the 18th century

monastic
residence, which now houses a museum and displays a number of the precious exhibits from the Studenica treasury. However, the frequent wars and plunders have considerably reduced the depository of the Studenica treasury.

Art

Crucifixion, fresco from Church of the Holy Virgin, Monastery of Studenica, 1208. On the left is St. Mary the Holy Virgin.

The artistic achievements of the sculpture of Studenica culminate in four

Serbian lettering on the tympanum
of the west portal.

The Virgin's Church was painted in the first decade of the 13th century. The original

Jesus Christ as the Magistrate Impartial. The narthex was painted in 1569. Those frescoes include an exquisite representation of the Last Judgment in the upper registers and the portrait of Nemanja's wife Ana as the nun Anastasia
.

Panorama picture of the Studenica
(Church of the Virgin in the foreground)

The earliest fresco painting in King's church marks the supreme achievement of

Arsenije and Sava II
(Radoslav's brother).

Burials

Gallery

  • Map of the Studenica monastery complex
    Map of the Studenica monastery complex
  • Monastic cells.
    Monastic cells.
  • Detail of Church Decorations.
    Detail of Church Decorations.
  • Church of the Virgin
    Church of the Virgin
  • Church of the King
    Church of the King
  • The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, fresco from King's Church, Studenica, 1314.
    The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple
    , fresco from King's Church, Studenica, 1314.
  • Entry to the monastery with decorative sculptors
    Entry to the monastery with decorative sculptors
  • Stone tower on the monastery grounds
    Stone tower on the monastery grounds
  • Etching (1758) in the Serbian Orthodox Museum in Szentendre
    Etching (1758) in the Serbian Orthodox Museum in Szentendre

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Studenica Monastery.

References

  1. ^ "Studenica Monastery". whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Foundation.
  2. ^ a b c Šakota, Mirjana (1986). Studenica Monastery. Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of the Socialist Republic of Serbia. pp. 1–5, 20–30.
  3. ISBN 9781000410846
    .
  4. ^ Ćirković, Korać & Babić 1986, p. 13, 20.

Sources

  • Ćirković, Sima M.; Korać, Vojislav; Babić, Gordana (1986). Studenica Monastery. Jugoslovenska revija.
  • Ćirković, Sima (2004). The Serbs. Malden: Blackwell Publishing.
  • Pirivatrić, Srđan. "The chronology and the historical context of the construction of the Studenica monastery: Contribution to the study." Zograf 39 (2015): 47-56.
  • Živković, Miloš. "Depictions of holy monks in the western bay of the Church of the Virgin in Studenica." Zograf 39 (2015): 65-90.
  • Erdeljan, Jelena. "Studenica: An identity in marble." Zograf 35 (2011): 93-100.
  • Todić, Branislav (1999). Serbian Medieval Painting: The Age of King Milutin. Belgrade: Draganić.

External links

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