MONASTERY OF THE HOLY ANGELS

This 16th-century Serbian Orthodox monastery (Manastiri i Arkangjelit të Shenjtë, Манастир Светих Архангела/Manastir Svetih Arhangela) has been extensively damaged over the centuries, but is once again active and houses significant ruins that make it a high point in Serbian history. It was designed by the Serbian king and emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan (1331-1355) to house his mausoleum and is located in an impressive setting 500 m above sea level in the Prizrenska Bistrica canyon. The monastery was built between 1343 and 1352, together with the nearby fortress of Višegrad, which protected it. Abandoned in the 16th century, the complex was then used as a quarry for building materials for the Sinan-Pasha Mosque (1615) and many buildings in Prizren until the 19th century. During excavations in 1927, the tomb of Stefan Dušan was discovered here and his remains were transferred to the Church of St. Mark in Belgrade. A small community of monks settled here in 1995. But in June 1999, the living quarters were burned down and the only monk left was executed by the KLA. After the beginning of a new restoration, the monastery was again targeted during the anti-Serbian riots of March 2004.

Visit. Now under KFOR protection, the complex hosts a community of eight monks and attracts pilgrims, notably for Pentecost (June 26) and the Feast of the Holy Exchange (November 21). Surrounded by its old fortified enclosure and guarded by a high tower rebuilt in the 2000s, the complex includes several recent and ruined buildings. Near the entrance are the remains of the Church of St. Nicholas (under reconstruction), followed by those of the vast Church of the Holy Exchanges where the emperor was buried. On the right stands the konak (inn) which since 1995 houses the monks' cells as well as a small chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Ohrid, archbishop who proclaimed Stefan Dušan emperor in Skopje in 1346. Further on, the ruins of the old refectory remain. Next to it, a fortified gate gives access to a small pre-Ottoman stone bridge, almost unique in the country, which spans the Prizrenska Bistrica. South of the monastery, a steep path leads to the upper part of the Višegrad fortress. Placed on a rocky spur at 680 m of altitude, this one is also in ruins. But the site offers a wonderful panorama on the canyon and the monastery.