Žica
Encyclopedia
Žiča is an early 13th century Serb Orthodox monastery
near Kraljevo
, Serbia
. The monastery, together with the Church of the Holy Dormition, was built by the first King
of Serbia, Stefan the First-Crowned and the first Head of the Serbian Church, Saint Sava
.
Žiča was the seat of the Archbishop (1219-1253), and by tradition the coronational church of the Serbian kings, although a king could be crowned in any Serbian church, he was never considered a true king until he was anointed in Žiča.
Žiča was declared a Cultural Monument of Exceptional Importance
in 1979, and it is protected by Serbia. In 2008, Žiča celebrated 800 years of existence.
were intially under the jurisdiction of the Archbishopric of Ohrid, under the tutelage of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
Rastko Nemanjić, the son of Stefan Nemanja
, ruled as Grand Prince of Hum 1190-1192, previously held by Grand Prince Miroslav
. In the autumn of 1192 (or shortly thereafter) Rastko joins a Russian monks and travels to Mount Athos
where he takes monastic vows and spends several years, in 1195 his father joined him, and together they founded the Chilandar, as the base of Serbian religion. His father dies in Hilandar
on February 13, 1199, he is canonised, as Saint Simeon
. Rastko built a church and cell at Karyes
, where he stayed for some years, becoming a Hieromonk
, then an Archimandrite
in 1201. He writes the Karyes Typicon
during his stay there.
He returns to Serbia in 1207, taking the remains of his father with him, which he relocates to the Studenica monastery
, after reconcileing Stefan II with Vukan, who had earlier been in a successation feud (civil war). Stefan II asks him to remain in Serbia with his clerics, which he does, starting a widespread pastoral and educational duty to the people of Serbia. He founds several churches and monasteries, among them the Žiča monastery.
, in the Rascian architectural style
, in 1207 or shortly thereafter. It was built with help of Greek masters. The red color of the exterior walls is a symbol of the blood of the martyrs of the early Christian church.
(future Saint Sava) brings the regal crown from Rome, crowning his older brother Stefan Prvovenčani "King of All Serbia" in the Žiča monastery in 1217. In 1219, the Serbian Church gains autocephaly, by Emperor Theodore I Laskaris
and Patriarch Manuel I of Constantinople
, Sava becomes the first Archbishop. The monastery acts as the seat of the Archbishop of all Serbian lands.
In 1221, a synod was held in the monastery, condemning Bogomilism
.
When Serbia was invaded by Hungary, Saint Sava sent Arsenije I Sremac
to find a safer place in the south to establish a new episcopal See. In 1253 the see was transferred to the Archbishopric of Peć
(future Patriarchate) by Arsenije. The Serbian primates had since moved between the two.
In 1289-1290, the chief treasures of the ruined monastery, including the remains of Saint Jevstatije I
, were transferred to Peć.
Sometime between 1276-1292 the Cumans
burned the monastery, and King Stefan Milutin renovated it in 1292-1309, during the office of Jevstatije II.
Patriarch Nikon joined Despot Đurađ Branković when the capital was moved to Smederevo
, following Turkish-Hungarian wars in the territory of Serbia in the 1430s.
After the First Serbian Uprising
, the Ottoman destroyed the monastery.
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
near Kraljevo
Kraljevo
Kraljevo is a city and municipality in central Serbia, built beside the river Ibar, 7 km west of its confluence with the Western Morava. It is located in the midst of an upland valley, between the mountains of Kotlenik in the north, and Stolovi in the south.In 2011 the city has population of...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. The monastery, together with the Church of the Holy Dormition, was built by the first King
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
of Serbia, Stefan the First-Crowned and the first Head of the Serbian Church, Saint Sava
Saint Sava
Saint Sava was a Serbian Prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law and literature, and a diplomat. Sava was born Rastko Nemanjić , the youngest son of Serbian Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja , and ruled the appanage of Hum briefly in...
.
Žiča was the seat of the Archbishop (1219-1253), and by tradition the coronational church of the Serbian kings, although a king could be crowned in any Serbian church, he was never considered a true king until he was anointed in Žiča.
Žiča was declared a Cultural Monument of Exceptional Importance
Monuments of Culture of Exceptional Importance (Serbia)
Cultural Monuments of Exceptional Importance are the monuments in the Republic of Serbia that have the highest level of the State protection, and some of them are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites....
in 1979, and it is protected by Serbia. In 2008, Žiča celebrated 800 years of existence.
Founding of Serbian Church
The SerbsSerbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
were intially under the jurisdiction of the Archbishopric of Ohrid, under the tutelage of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.
Rastko Nemanjić, the son of Stefan Nemanja
Stefan Nemanja
Stefan Nemanja was the Grand Prince of the Grand Principality of Serbia from 1166 to 1196, a heir of the Vukanović dynasty that marked the beginning of a greater Serbian realm .He is remembered for his contributions to Serbian culture and...
, ruled as Grand Prince of Hum 1190-1192, previously held by Grand Prince Miroslav
Miroslav of Hum
Miroslav Zavidović or Miroslav of Hum was a 12th-century Great Prince of Zachlumia from 1162 to 1190, an administrative division of the medieval Serbian Principality covering Herzegovina and southern Dalmatia....
. In the autumn of 1192 (or shortly thereafter) Rastko joins a Russian monks and travels to Mount Athos
Mount Athos
Mount Athos is a mountain and peninsula in Macedonia, Greece. A World Heritage Site, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries and forms a self-governed monastic state within the sovereignty of the Hellenic Republic. Spiritually, Mount Athos comes under the direct jurisdiction of the...
where he takes monastic vows and spends several years, in 1195 his father joined him, and together they founded the Chilandar, as the base of Serbian religion. His father dies in Hilandar
Hilandar
Hilandar Monastery is a Serbian Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos in Greece. It was founded in 1198 by the first Serbian Archbishop Saint Sava and his father, Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja of the medieval Serbian principality of Raška...
on February 13, 1199, he is canonised, as Saint Simeon
Saint Simeon
Saint Simeon may refer to:* Simon Peter, 1st century AD; prince of the Apostles, saint, martyr, first bishop of Antioch and Rome, calls himself "Simeon" in 2 Peter 1:1* Simeon of Jerusalem, 1st century AD; saint, martyr, and second bishop of Jerusalem...
. Rastko built a church and cell at Karyes
Karyes (Athos)
Karyes is a settlement in Mount Athos. It is the seat of the clerical and secular administration of the Athonite monastic state. The 2001 Greek census reported a population of 233 inhabitants...
, where he stayed for some years, becoming a Hieromonk
Hieromonk
Hieromonk , also called a Priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholicism....
, then an Archimandrite
Archimandrite
The title Archimandrite , primarily used in the Eastern Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic churches, originally referred to a superior abbot whom a bishop appointed to supervise...
in 1201. He writes the Karyes Typicon
Karyes Typicon
The Karyes Typicon or Typicon of Saint Sava is a 12th-century Serbian Orthodox typicon written in 1199 by Saint Sava , the first "Archbishop of the Serbs" , the youngest son of Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja The Karyes Typicon or Typicon of Saint Sava is a 12th-century Serbian Orthodox...
during his stay there.
He returns to Serbia in 1207, taking the remains of his father with him, which he relocates to the Studenica monastery
Studenica monastery
The Studenica monastery is a 12th-century Serbian Orthodox monastery situated 39 km southwest of Kraljevo, in central Serbia. It is one of the largest and richest Serb Orthodox monasteries....
, after reconcileing Stefan II with Vukan, who had earlier been in a successation feud (civil war). Stefan II asks him to remain in Serbia with his clerics, which he does, starting a widespread pastoral and educational duty to the people of Serbia. He founds several churches and monasteries, among them the Žiča monastery.
Foundation
It was founded by King Stefan Prvovenčani and Saint SavaSaint Sava
Saint Sava was a Serbian Prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law and literature, and a diplomat. Sava was born Rastko Nemanjić , the youngest son of Serbian Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja , and ruled the appanage of Hum briefly in...
, in the Rascian architectural style
Rascian architecture
Rascian architecture is a medieval Serbian ecclesiastical architectural style that spanned from 1170-1300, starting during the rule of Stefan Nemanja Rascian architecture is a medieval Serbian ecclesiastical architectural style that spanned from 1170-1300, starting during the rule of Stefan...
, in 1207 or shortly thereafter. It was built with help of Greek masters. The red color of the exterior walls is a symbol of the blood of the martyrs of the early Christian church.
History
Archimandrite RastkoSaint Sava
Saint Sava was a Serbian Prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law and literature, and a diplomat. Sava was born Rastko Nemanjić , the youngest son of Serbian Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja , and ruled the appanage of Hum briefly in...
(future Saint Sava) brings the regal crown from Rome, crowning his older brother Stefan Prvovenčani "King of All Serbia" in the Žiča monastery in 1217. In 1219, the Serbian Church gains autocephaly, by Emperor Theodore I Laskaris
Theodore I Laskaris
Theodoros I Komnenos Laskaris was emperor of Nicaea .-Family:Theodore Laskaris was born to the Laskaris, a noble but not particularly renowned Byzantine family of Constantinople. He was the son of Manuel Laskaris and wife Ioanna Karatzaina . He had four older brothers: Manuel Laskaris Theodoros...
and Patriarch Manuel I of Constantinople
Patriarch Manuel I of Constantinople
Manuel I, surnamed Sarantenos or Charitopoulos , was Patriarch of Constantinople from December 1216 or January [1217] to [1222. He seems to have been called "the Philosopher": George Akropolites says he was "a philosopher, it seems, in deed, and so named by the people." Manuel was...
, Sava becomes the first Archbishop. The monastery acts as the seat of the Archbishop of all Serbian lands.
In 1221, a synod was held in the monastery, condemning Bogomilism
Bogomilism
Bogomilism was a Gnostic religiopolitical sect founded in the First Bulgarian Empire by the priest Bogomil during the reign of Tsar Petar I in the 10th century...
.
When Serbia was invaded by Hungary, Saint Sava sent Arsenije I Sremac
Saint Arsenije I Sremac
Arsenije Sremac or Arsenius was the second archbishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church and a disciple of Saint Sava of Serbia.- Early life :...
to find a safer place in the south to establish a new episcopal See. In 1253 the see was transferred to the Archbishopric of Peć
Patriarchate of Pec
The Patriarchate of Peć is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located near Peć. The complex of churches is the spiritual seat and mausoleum of the Serbian archbishops and patriarchs....
(future Patriarchate) by Arsenije. The Serbian primates had since moved between the two.
In 1289-1290, the chief treasures of the ruined monastery, including the remains of Saint Jevstatije I
Saint Jevstatije I
Saint Jevstatije I or Eustathius I was the sixth Serbian Archbishop, holding the office from 1279 to 1286.He was born in the Budimlje parish, near Ivangrad. As a young man he took his monastics vows in Zeta, before going to Hilandar monastery, where he later became the hegumen , succeeding...
, were transferred to Peć.
Sometime between 1276-1292 the Cumans
Cumans
The Cumans were Turkic nomadic people comprising the western branch of the Cuman-Kipchak confederation. After Mongol invasion , they decided to seek asylum in Hungary, and subsequently to Bulgaria...
burned the monastery, and King Stefan Milutin renovated it in 1292-1309, during the office of Jevstatije II.
Patriarch Nikon joined Despot Đurađ Branković when the capital was moved to Smederevo
Smederevo
Smederevo is a city and municipality in Serbia, on the right bank of the Danube, about 40 km downstream of the capital Belgrade. According to official results of the 2011 census, the city has a population of 107,528...
, following Turkish-Hungarian wars in the territory of Serbia in the 1430s.
After the First Serbian Uprising
First Serbian Uprising
The First Serbian Uprising was the first stage of the Serbian Revolution , the successful wars of independence that lasted for 9 years and approximately 9 months , during which Serbia perceived itself as an independent state for the first time after more than three centuries of Ottoman rule and...
, the Ottoman destroyed the monastery.
See also
- Monument of Culture of Exceptional ImportanceMonuments of Culture of Exceptional Importance (Serbia)Cultural Monuments of Exceptional Importance are the monuments in the Republic of Serbia that have the highest level of the State protection, and some of them are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites....
- Tourism in SerbiaTourism in SerbiaSerbia stretches across two geographic and cultural regions of Europe: Central Europe and Southeast Europe. This boundary splits Serbia roughly in a ratio of 1:2 alongside the Danube and Sava rivers. The northern parts of the country are Central-European lowlands while the southern and central...
- There is a villageVillageA village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
near the GreekGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
cityCityA city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
of IoanninaIoanninaIoannina , often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 70,203 . It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the...
(NW GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, peripheryPeripheries of GreeceThe current official regional administrative divisions of Greece were instituted in 1987. Although best translated into English as "regions", the transcription peripheries is sometimes used, perhaps to distinguish them from the traditional regions which they replaced. The English word 'periphery'...
of EpirusEpirus (periphery)Epirus , formally the Epirus Region , is a geographical and administrative region in northwestern Greece. It borders the regions of West Macedonia and Thessaly to the east, West Greece to the south, the Ionian Sea and the Ionian Islands to the west and the country of Albania to the north. The...
), also named ZitsaZitsaZitsa is a village and a municipality in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the village Eleousa.-Municipality:...
. It was founded during the Late Middle AgesLate Middle AgesThe Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
, probably when the Serbs had gained a short-lived control over the Despotate of EpirusDespotate of EpirusThe Despotate or Principality of Epirus was one of the Byzantine Greek successor states of the Byzantine Empire that emerged in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. It claimed to be the legitimate successor of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Empire of Nicaea, and the Empire of Trebizond...
, and historianHistorianA historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
s believe that it was named after the monastery. - Aerial video of Žiča