On Orthodox Christmas Day, an article was published by the Pristina-based Koha portal stating that the church of the Holy Virgin of Ljevis was allegedly built on the „foundations of the pagan Dardanian sanctuary“ – and not during Serbian or Byzantine times. „Misrepresentation of history“ – the Visoki Decani monastery reacted, stating that there is no concrete written evidence „about any Dardanian ethnic churches“. They specify that the late Eastern Roman, Byzantine church was built in honor of the Mother of God the Merciful in the 11th century, and then reconstructed in the 14th century by King Stefan Milutin.
On Sunday, Koha published an article entitled „Church of Saint Petka in Prizren, the universal cultural heritage of Kosovo“ by Agon Rrezja, who is listed as a researcher of medieval times and a Ph.D. student at the University of Zagreb.
This author claims that the church was not built in Serbian or Byzantine times, instead, he links its origin with the Dardanians.
„It was older, so in the study of its foundations based on archaeological findings, it turns out that this church was built on the foundations of a pagan Dardanian sanctuary,“ the Koha text reads.
The author writes about the apostle Paul and the expansion of Christianity, as well as the „acceptance of religion by the Dardanians“, and the construction of churches, which he links with Prizren.
He claims that Prizren was mentioned as an episcopal center after the long liberation wars of the Byzantine emperor Vasili II against Samuil, the Bulgarian emperor, whom he defeated in 1014.
Rrezja writes that he then set free all the re-established bishoprics cantered in the Ohrid Orthodox-Byzantine archbishopric, which, as he states, was also called the Prizren bishopric.
The text centers around the church of Our Lady of Ljevis, stating that it was the seat of the bishopric that „developed religious activity“ from the 5th to the 13th century – „when Kosovo was finally conquered by Stefan Milutin II“.
„Since it was destroyed in the Byzantine-Serbian wars, it was rebuilt in 1307 by the architects Nikola and Astrapa, who came from the Epirus despotism, while the church was dedicated to Saint Mary (the Virgin of Ljevis) in order to create a new Serbian identity, but the collective memory of the locals the rest is under the old name, Sveta Petka,“ Rrezja claims.
The author then states that there is „political and cultural instrumentalization of the churches in Kosovo“ at hand.
He mentions the March pogrom of 2004, the „burning of churches“, but with the statement that churches in Kosovo „are unfortunately described as Serbian in Serbian and international academic circles“.
Rrejza recalled that „this church is also included in a special list of Serbian medieval monuments under the protection of UNESCO“.
V.Decani: This church is a source of pride for Prizren and should be respected by all
Visoki Decani Monastery reacted last night, saying that the article grossly misrepresents the history of the Church of the Holy Virgin of Ljevis.
“Regrettably, despite positive coverage of Orthodox Christian Christmas in Kosovo and the positive Christmas wishes from major Kosovo political leaders, the news portal Koha, once known for professional journalism, has now become an outlet frequently publishing one-sided, pseudo-historical texts that incite ethnic and religious hatred, particularly against the Serbian Orthodox Church.”
The monastery said it’s important to note that the Church of Panagia Eleousa – Bogorodica Ljeviška – originally a late Eastern Roman, Byzantine church from the 11th century, was built in honor of the Mother of God the Merciful.
“Falling into disrepair, it was reconstructed in the 14th century by King Stefan Milutin of Serbia, who added significant features, giving it the current five-dome structure.”
According to the monastery, the church’s history is well-documented in medieval and modern historical and art literature, with an extensive list of sources to attest to this.
Throughout medieval times, they added, the church served as the main diocesan church for Orthodox Christian bishops, who were Serbian-speaking and linked to the Serbian Nemanjić Dynasty, which had its capital in Prizren.
On the other hand, Visoki Decani said there is no concrete written evidence of “any Dardanian ethnic churches.”
“Dardania and later Moesia, mentioned in Roman Christian sources, were administrative regions the Empire and are not related exclusively to modern ethnic identities.”
They remarked that since its complete rebuilding in the 14th century, the church has retained King Milutin’s design, even though it was converted into a mosque during Ottoman rule in the 17th century:
“Where it was used for Friday Jumu’ah Muslim prayers and known as the Friday Mosque (or Holy Friday Church – Shentje Prempte in Albanian). Therefore, this name has no connection with the original name of the church but with the mosque.”
After the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 and liberation from Ottoman rule, the church was converted back to a church.
“Many frescoes with Serb inscriptions were recovered and continue to function as an Orthodox church and the historical seat of the Serb-Orthodox Bishops in Kosovo.”
The monastery underlined that the complex Byzantine and Serbian history of this church does not justify denying its current identity as a UNESCO World Heritage Site belonging to the Serbian Orthodox Church, registered under its historical name, the Holy Virgin of Ljevis (from its older Greek name Eleousa).
This church is a source of pride for Prizren and should be respected by all
Moreover, they stated that publishing “historically biased and incompetent texts that generate misleading information and deny the identity of those who worship at this holy church is not only deeply insulting but also undermines professional journalism and stirs ethnic and religious intolerance.”
“Furthermore, this church suffered extensive damage during the massive Kosovo Albanian riots in 2004, when rioters brought barrels of burning tar inside, damaging the medieval frescoes and the church bell tower.”
Simultaneously, all other Christian Orthodox churches in Prizren were burned and desecrated. Most of the churches have been restored since, they added.
They emphasized that the foundation of every democratic society should be the respect for diverse religious and cultural identities, which, in their universal meaning, belong to all people of Kosovo, Europe, and the entire world.
“Media that spread fake news and indirectly incite ethnic violence and sectarianism are detrimental to Kosovo and highlight the need for long-term protection of the Serbian Orthodox heritage in the region,” they concluded.
This is not the first time Koha Ditore reported about the religious buildings of the Serbian Orthodox Church, including the Virgin of Ljevis, as well as about temples of Arberian, Illyrian origin. They usually publish such texts in the section on culture, and the authors of the texts are presented as historians or scientists from Kosovo.
Koha: „Srbi su gradili na osnovama starih ilirskih i arberijskih hramova“
Koha: „Prisvajanje srednjovekovnih arberijskih spomenika na Kosovu od strane Srba“
Koha: „Ne prestaje debata u Srbiji posle pisanja u kulturnom dodatku Kohe“
Malja: „Crkve i manastiri na Kosovu bili su na sigurnom upravo zahvaljujući Albancima“
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
