Medieval Monuments in Kosovo

The Medieval Monuments in Kosovo ( sr, Средњовековни споменици на Косову, Srednjovekovni spomenici na Kosovu; ) are a World Heritage Site consisting of four Serbian Orthodox Christian churches and monasteries which represent the fusion of the eastern Orthodox Byzantine and the western Romanesque ecclesiastical architecture to form the Palaiologian Renaissance style. The construction was founded by members of Nemanjić dynasty, the most important dynasty of Serbia in the Middle Ages. The sites are located in the modern-day Kosovo.

In 2004, UNESCO recognized the Dečani Monastery for its outstanding universal value. Two years later, the site of patrimony was extended as a serial nomination, to include three other religious monuments: Patriarchate of Peć Monastery, Our Lady of Ljeviš and Gračanica Monastery.

In 2006 the property was inscribed on the list of World Heritage in Danger due to difficulties in its management and conservation stemming from the region's political instability.

UNESCO controversy

There is an ongoing controversy over Kosovo's bid to join the UNESCO, which would result in the sites being listed as part of Kosovo and not Serbia. These monuments have come under attack, especially during the ethnic violence in 2004, during Kosovo's UNMIK rule, when the Our Lady of Ljeviš was heavily damaged. In October 2015 Kosovo was recommended for membership by the UNESCO Executive Board. The bid for membership was voted at the UNESCO General Conference in November 2015.

UNESCO has not accepted Kosovo as a member, the proposal failed to gain a two-thirds majority at the organization's General Conference in Paris on November 9, 2015. One of primary reasons for this rejection of Albanian request is 2004 unrest in Kosovo, when 35 Orthodox churches were desecrated, damaged or destroyed, including Our Lady of Ljeviš which is a World Heritage Site. The church is subject to constant looting - even of its construction material, specifically valuable lead has repeatedly been stolen from the roof.See the link:

Gallery

File:Visoki Dečani, exterior view (Julian Nyča).jpg, Visoki Dečani
File:Pecka apside.jpg, Patriarchal Monastery of Peć
File:Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Ljevis, Prizren, Kosovo, 2014-04-16, DD 05.JPG, Our Lady of Ljeviš
File:Gračanica.jpg, Gračanica

See also

* '' Kosovo: A Moment in Civilization''
* Destruction of Albanian heritage in Kosovo
* Destruction of Serbian heritage in Kosovo

Notes

References

External links

Medieval Monuments in Kosovo
at the official UNESCO site
Mediaeval monuments in Kosovo
National Tourism Organisation of Serbia
Medieval Monuments in Kosovo
'Learn the World'

{{National symbols of Serbia

World Heritage Sites in Serbia

Medieval Serbia
Monuments and memorials in Kosovo
World Heritage Sites in Danger