SAINT DEMETRIOS CHURCH

The Church of St. Demetrios (Црква Светог Димитрија/Crkva svetog Dimitrija, Kisha e Shën Dhimitrit) was commissioned by Archbishop Nicodemus I (1317-1324) and was completed in 1324. Located to the north (left) of the Church of the Holy Apostles, it is dedicated to St Demetrios of Thessaloniki, a martyr of the early 4th century, one of the most venerated saints of the Orthodox. The frescoes date from about twenty years after the end of the construction and were commissioned by Archbishop Joannice II (1338-1354). The church also houses two sarcophagi of Serbian prelates.

Frescoes in the naosThe

tiny nave is full of original 14th-century frescoes that have hardly been altered since. On the walls begins a liturgical cycle depicting the twelve great Orthodox feasts and the feasts of the Holy Week. This cycle continues throughout the church.

West wall.

Above the door, the niche is dedicated to the sponsor of the frescoes. St. Joannice the Great, an eighth-century Greek ascetic, is kneeling before the Mother of God. It was from him that Joannice II took his monastic name. On either side are painted two scenes from Holy Saturday (liturgical cycle): the deploration of Christ and a rare representation of the Myrhophores ("perfume-bearers") coming to embalm the body of Christ under the protection of an angel while the guards are sleeping. Below, four armed figures frame the door. On the left: Saint Procopius of Antioch (4th century martyr) and the Archangel Michael. On the right: the Archangel Gabriel and Saint Mercury of Caesarea (3rd century legionary and martyr). Note the anachronistic crossbow held by the latter, a weapon whose use spread in the Balkans from the 11th century.

South wall.

In the corner, above the marble sarcophagus of Patriarch Sava IV (1354-1375), are four figures. From left to right: Archbishop Nicodemus I and King Stefan Dečanski (both of whom were responsible for the building of the church), then the future emperor Dušan (then about 15 years old) and St. Sava, whose portrait here is the finest made in the Middle Ages. The upper part of the wall is dominated by a large scene of the dormition of the Mother of God (liturgical cycle).

North wall.

A scene of Pentecost (liturgical cycle) occupies the upper register. Then, around the gothic window, the "Theodore saints" (Theodore the Stratilate and Theodore Tiron, martyrs of the 4th century) and the anargyre saints (who heal "without money") Como and Damian stand. On the window frames stand two unidentified saints, one of whom is probably the French-born Serbian queen Helena of Anjou (1237-1314), mother of King Milutin. In the lower part there is a portrait of a private donor added in the 17th century and the tomb of Patriarch Jefrem (1375-1380).

Vault.

The frescoes here are badly damaged. Around the Christ Logos (embodying "reason") are depicted four councils. The Byzantine emperors Constantine and Theodosius dominate the Ecumenical Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople (4th century). These two scenes are echoed by St. Sava, Milutin and Dušan presiding over the first councils of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Frescoes in the dome areaThe

original works are generally well preserved, although there are more restored parts (17th century) than in the nave.

Dome.

The programme follows the model of the ascension of Christ adorning the dome of the adjacent Church of the Holy Apostles. However, in the case of the evangelists, the pendentives feature a graphic innovation: a hand dipping the pen in ink to represent the writing of the Gospels. The parts between the pendentives were painted in the 17th century and are inspired by those in the same area in the neighbouring church of the Mother of God. They represent the Mandylion, the Keramion and two cherubs. Below, the prophets Solomon, Isaiah, Habakkuk and David appear.

Transept.

The frescoes here are divided into three registers that run horizontally across the walls. The most important are those in the middle register: this is one of the first times in Orthodox iconography that the life of St. Demetrios is painted in a cycle. Six scenes remain. On the north wall, the first two scenes depict Demetrios in legionary garb before the Roman emperor Maximian Hercules, and then blessing his disciple Nestor. This is followed by the great scene in which Nestor kills Lyaeos, a gladiator who slaughters Christians, and, on the left, the death of Demetrios in his cell. On the south wall, after the funeral of Demetrios, a large battle scene recounts the miraculous intervention of the saint during the defence of Thessalonica against the Bulgars in 1207. The last scene is missing. However, Demetrios can be found once again on the north wall, in the lower right-hand corner, surrounded by two other "warrior" saints and wearing a cloak with a very unrealistic drape.

Sanctuary. Reserved for the communion clergy, it is forbidden to visitors, the faithful and the nuns. However, one can admire the magnificent Orante (14th century) in the apse, with the Mother of God surrounded by the archangels Gabriel and Michael. The iconostasis dates from the construction of the building. It is the oldest in the monastery with marble columns rising to almost 3 m high. But its original icons have disappeared, replaced by sacred images of no artistic value.