MONASTÈRE DE BANJSKA

This Serbian Orthodox monastery (Манастир Бањска/Manastir Banjska, Manastiri i Banjës) is located in the village of Banjska, which has a population of about 350, mostly Serbian. Dedicated to St. Stephen, it was built between 1312 and 1316 as a mausoleum for the Serbian king Stefan Milutin (reign 1282-1321). Although it remains a high historical site, its buildings have suffered numerous destructions over the past seven centuries. Only two buildings stand today on this small plateau covered with medieval ruins. These are the long conventual building where only one monk lives, and the church of Saint Stephen. The latter, partly rebuilt in 1990, only contains fragments of 14th century frescoes in the dome. On the outside, magnificent portions of the original walls decorated with three types of stone remain, at the level of the apse and on the south side. The monastery originally contained a royal palace, a church, a library and annex buildings. The monastery received the remains of King Milutin in 1321. However, after the battle of Kosovo Polje in 1389, it was transferred near the mines of Trepča and then to Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1460, where it still rests today. Part of the buildings were destroyed in a fire in the 15th century, and others were razed by the Ottomans in retaliation for a Serbian revolt in the 16th century. The church was transformed into a mosque in the 19th century. It was recovered by the Serbian clergy in 1918, and since 1939 the monastery has undergone major restoration work.