Visoki Decani Monastery welcomed the message Samantha Power sent during her visit to Gracanica Monastery last week. While addressing the public in front of the monastery, Power underlined that it is one of the most beautiful Serbian Orthodox monasteries she had ever visited. The message from Decani came after Kosovo officials once again avoided confirming that the monastery is a part of Serbian cultural and religious heritage.
“This is a Serbian Orthodox monastery – one of the most beautiful monasteries I have ever visited,“ the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, Samantha Power, said on Friday evening in a video published on her Twitter page.
In the video, Power praised the beauty of this monastery.
Today I toured Gračanica Monastery, a beautiful Serbian Orthodox monastery in Kosovo. pic.twitter.com/CzlU7UBQBr
— Samantha Power (@PowerUSAID) May 12, 2023
On the same night, Kosovo Minister of Culture, Hajrulla Ceku, published a video about this monastery on his social media, with a voiceover in Albanian with Serbian subtitles. Once again, Ceku avoided describing Gracanica as a Serbian Orthodox monastery.
Ceku defined Gracanica and other religious sites of the Serbian Orthodox Church as “common cultural heritage” while using the words “Orthodox church.”
Kosovo officials frequently deny that the monasteries in Kosovo are part of the heritage of the Serbian Orthodox Church, except in the case when they place the SOC in a negative context, linking it to Slobodan Milosevic’s regime during the 1990s. Moreover, a dominant narrative within Kosovo’s academic and social mainstream in Kosovo is that Serb history there is „falsified“, and that the SOC „appropriated“ most of the „ancient Arberian monuments in Kosovo“.
Cultural and religious heritage sites as a testament to religious freedom
„Cultural and religious heritage sites transcend politics and political boundaries,“ Visoki Decani monastery tweeted today.
“They primarily represent civilizational values and, in the context of religious sites, act as a testament to religious freedom. Each religious and cultural site carries a multifaceted history while maintaining a distinct religious and cultural identity, which should be immune to political exploitation. This approach is a fundamental civilizational achievement.”
Preserving and protecting the identity of religious and cultural sites in Kosovo and elsewhere does not contradict the multi-layered identity that these heritage sites hold for the wider community and the world at large, the monastery reminded, adding:
“It’s crucial to cultivate such a comprehensive understanding of cultural heritage rather than subjecting it to politicization.”
The monastery also recalled that politicization has often been a problem and frequently used as a “pretext” for attacks on such sites, even after the 1999 Kosovo War.
“We deeply appreciate the remarks made by Ms. Samantha Power, the USAID Administrator, who was captivated by the beauty of Gracanica Monastery during her recent visit.”
This monastery from the 14th century has always been a place of worship and a spiritual center for the Serbian Orthodox Church and forms part of its rich history in Kosovo and the region, they added.
Concurrently, it is a significant element Kosovo’s heritage overall. In a broader context, Serbian Orthodox Church sites in Kosovo, such as Gracanica Monastery, the Patriarchate of Pec, Decani Monastery, and Our Holy Virgin of Ljevis in Prizren, form an essential part of European history and are ultimately recognized as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
“Naturally, Gracanica monastery as well as other SOC sites in Kosovo hold particular importance for Orthodox Serbs who worship there for centuries. At the same time, these heritage sites also represent a source of pride for all other residents of Kosovo, irrespective of their religious beliefs or ethnic backgrounds.”
“The ultimate goal of all religious and cultural sites throughout the world is to unite people, regardless of their backgrounds. This is especially true for religious sites, which serve specific religious communities in accordance with their customs and traditions. Yet, these sites should also remain havens of tranquility and spiritual reflection for every individual seeking peace and a deeper understanding of life,” the monastery concluded.
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