BLAGO: Archives

Virtual Walk (VR)
Monastery grounds
View the monastery grounds, including the church from the outside.
Church interior
Move around the church or select a few interesting points for viewing.
Details & Pictures
Church snapshots
Wide angle snapshots inside the church.
Digital archive
Frescoes, sacral objects, architectural elements, and more, in detail.
Slide archive
Reference library of slide pictures.
Other Exhibitions
Views of Kosovo
Photo exhibition.
Drawings
Drawings based on Gracanica's fresco painting.
BLAGO crew at work
Actual work of BLAGO team.
Research
Papers
Research papers and other resources.
Maps
The Gracanica monastery, near Lipljan in Kosovo, is one of the last monumental foundations of King Milutin Nemanjic. Built on the ruins of the former Church of the Holy Virgin, the monastery, finished in 1321, was dedicated to the Dormition of the Holy Virgin. On the southern wall of the chapel is written the king's charter, including the following words: "I have seen the ruins and the decay of the Holy Virgin's temple of Gracanica, the bishopric of Lipljan, so I have built it from the ground and painted and decorated it both within and without".

The narthex and the tower were added a few decades later, in order to protect the frescoes on the west facade. The narthex was heavily damaged by the Turks several times between 1379-1383, when the tower was burned and the fire devoured a rich collection of manuscripts and other precious objects. The narthex was reconstructed in 1383. Again, Gracanica suffered damages at the time of the Kosovo battle (1389).

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Editor's choice
  • Monastery grounds
  • Church interior
  • Frescoes of Serbian History
  • Life of St. Nicholas
  • Frescoes of Last Judgement
  • New Testament Events (with Gospel quotations)
  • Portraits of Old Testament Prophets