The Pec Patriarchate

A couple of kilometres from the town of Peja sits the Pec Patriachate, for hundreds of years the seat of the Serbian Orthodox church and one of the most important cultural, historic and religious sites for Serbs both within and outside Kosovo.

This was both the home and the mausoleum of the Serbian Archbishops (and later the Patriachs – the highest ranking bishop, or ‘first among equals‘) from the thirteenth century onwards – interrupted only by the years of Ottoman rule, when the influence and authority of the Patriachate waned.

The centrepoint of the complex are the chapels – the first of these, the Church of the Apostles, was built around 1250 by Archbishop Arsenije. The next, St. Demetrius, was constructed by Archbishop Nikodim in 1320. Archbishop Danilo II then added the Church of the Virgin (and a smaller chapel, the Church of St. Nicholas) – and joined the three main churches together with a single narthex, or porch. The result is a unique layout. The interior walls of complex are covered in dark murals painted and restored at various times up until the 17th century. The murals depict the lives of Saints and figures from the church’s history, such as St Sava who founded the Serbian Orthodox church. Additional buildings – a tower, a guest house, a water mill – have since been added.

Today the patriarchate feels a haven of tranquillity with a streams and meticulously tended gardens. A few tourists wander round taking photos and a cluster of beehives sits on the wall behind the church. But the buildings have been targeted by extremists both before and during the war. In 1981 buildings were torched and the resulting fire destroyed the living quarters. In 1999 three shells were fired into the complex, but failed to damage the church. Even now to enter the complex I have to leave my passport with a contingent of Italian troops at a KFOR roadblock. Recently a new concrete barrier was built around the church, blocking the view of them from the road – but you can still get a bird’s eye view by walking up into the foothills. A couple of dozen of nuns still remain in residence, although very few Serbs still live in the immediate region. In July 2006 the site was added to the UNESCO World heritage list – and to the list of sites considered at risk.