BLAGO PROJECTS
ONGOING PROJECTS
Our Publishing Efforts
Promoting culture and art is an important aspect of our work.
Full of Grace - Representations of Mother of God in Serbian Medieval Wall Painting
As we have photographed innumerable frescoes in Serbian monasteries and churches with beautiful representations of The Mother of God, we wanted to create an entire publication devoted solely to depictions of the Mother of God in the Serbian wall paintings of the Middle Ages.
100 pages of high-quality images from the most famous monasteries and those lesser-known. This book will be sold in Serbian bookstores or on Amazon for a worldwide audience.
Wikimedia Agreement on Cooperation
From the inception of the BLAGO Fund, our goal has been to increase the knowledge and awareness of Serbian medieval heritage. We hope that our cooperation with Wikimedia will enable an even greater number of people to become acquainted with some of its most beautiful monuments. The agreement will allow Wikimedia to use BLAGO photographs of the most famous Serbian monasteries and churches from our collections in the illustrative material for Wikipedia articles, accessed by thousands of people from across the world.
Our Collections
We work on many collections at the same time. While we process pictures for some of them, we already plan other expeditions.
Collections: Sredačka and Sirnićka Župa, Kosovo
The County of Sredska is a valley in the southeastern part of Kosovo and Metohija, below the Shar mountains and the source of the Prizren Bistrica river. Historically, this area constituted a small administrative division, “zhupa,” of the medieval Serbian state with the town of Sredska and seven villages around it. Relatively small in size, it has a great number of old churches, built around the time of restoration of the Patriarchate of Pec in 1557.
Collections: Monastery Gracanica (Грачаница), collection refresh
Although we have been to Gracanica many times, we believe it is time for a new complete collection. Most of the frescoes have been cleaned and restored in the last few years, and the technology moved to the point of doubling the original picture resolution. Considering the proximity to Sredacka Zupa, we hope to accomplish both of the goals in one long field trip.
Collections: Monastery Kalenić
Built in the early 15th century by nobleman Bogdan, during Stefan Lazarevic’s reign, the Kalenić monastery is situated in central Serbia, Levac, near Kragujevac. It is an important Serbian monastery, belonging to the Morava school of architecture that will make an exceptional addition to our collection!
Collections: Monastery Jošanica
It is located in the gorge of the river of the same name at the foot of the mountain Crni Vrh, near the village of Jošanički Prnjavor, about 10 km from Jagodina. It was demolished and rebuilt several times, and its history can be traced back to the 17th century only. It is an important place for the period of the Serbian uprising. where Prince Miloš met with Grand Vizier Marachli Ali Pasha in 1815 to reach the peace agreement and create the modern Serbian state.
Collections: Church of St Nicholas, Ramaća
The church in the village of Ramaca dates from the end of the 14th century and is dedicated to Saints Constantin and Jelena. The church is mentioned in Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent’s writings when the Turks visited this place during their campaign in the Balkans. It will be another of our collections from central Serbia.
Collections: Monastery Manasija
The monastery of Manasija, also known by the name of Resava, is an endowment of Despot Stefan Lazarevic, the son of Prince Lazar and Princess Milica. He wished to build his mausoleum during his lifetime, and the work on the foundation of the monastery began in 1407. The great fortification walls with towers for which it is known, the monumental church of the Holy Trinity, refectory, monastic cells, perhaps even the residence of the despot, were finished in 1418.
Collections: Velika Hoča, Kosovo and Metohija
Velika Hoca (Велика Хоча) is a village in the municipality of Orahovac, in Kosovo & Metohija. It is one of the Serb enclaves in Kosovo, and houses some 13 Orthodox church buildings, most of which date to the Serbian Middle Ages. Velika Hoča is situated in the historical region of Metohija and is one of the oldest settlements in Metohija. It was given as metochion by Stefan Nemanja to Hilandar in 1198–99 (Charter of Hilandar).
More Information
BLAGO Content
While the content of the BLAGO Fund collections is free to use, there are also some restrictions on commercial use and proper attribution of the material. Follow the links below for more information.
> BLAGO Collections License
> Image Request
BLAGO Fund also accepts the contribution of material. Please contact us with any material you wish to publish on our website.
Contact
BLAGO Fund, Inc.
PO Box 60524
Palo Alto, CA 94306
USA
info@blagofund.org