Destroyed Serbian heritage in Kosovo

In total, 155 Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries were destroyed between 11 June 1999 and 19 March 2004, after the end of the Kosovo War and including the 2004 unrest in Kosovo. Many of the churches and monasteries dated back to the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries.

Kosovo War

Main article: Kosovo War

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Aftermath of Kosovo War

Between the arrival of KFOR in June 1999 and after the 2004 unrest, more than 140 holy sites were destroyed.

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• Church of St. Elijah, Podujevo, burnt, 1999
• Church of St. George, Rečani, demolished, mid-1999
• Church of St. Paraskeva, interior torched, June 1999
• Devič Monastery in Srbica, nuns evacuated by Danish soldiers, monastery pillaged and torched, the tomb of St. Joanikije of Devič was desecrated.
• Monastery of the Holy Archangels, desecrated with the cemetery and Pine of Tsar Dušan, June-July 1999

2004 unrest

Main article: 2004 unrest in Kosovo

In a statement on 18 March, the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) reported that a number of its churches and monasteries in Kosovo had been damaged or destroyed by rioters. At least 30 sites were completely destroyed, more or less destroyed, or further destroyed (sites that had been previously destroyed). Apart from the churches and monasteries, tens of support buildings (such as parish buildings, economical buildings and residences), bringing the number close to 100 buildings of the SPC destroyed. All churches and objects of the SPC in Prizren were destroyed. The list includes several UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Site(s)	Location	History	Damage
Our Lady of Ljeviš (Bogorodica Ljeviška)	Prizren	14th c. World Heritage Site	Set on fire from the inside, 12th–14th c. frescos seriously damaged, altar area desecrated, holy table broken
Church of the Holy Saviour	Prizren	14th c.	Set on fire
Cathedral church of the Holy Great Martyr George	Prizren	Built in 1856	Set on fire and mined
Church of St. Nicholas (Tutić's Church)	Prizren	14th c.	Set on fire from the inside
Church of St. George (Runović's Church)	Prizren	16th c.	Set on fire from the inside
Church of St. Kyriaki (Crkva sv. Nedelje)	Potkaljaja neighbourhood, Prizren	14th c.	Burnt
Church of St. Panteleimon	Potkaljaja	14th c.	Burnt
Church of Sts. Cosmas and Damian	Potkaljaja	14th c.	Burnt
Church of St. Kyriaki (Crkva sv. Nedelje)	Živinjane near Prizren	-	Mined, completely destroyed by explosion
Monastery of the Holy Archangels	Prizren	14th c. founded by Stefan Dušan	Robbed and burnt, in the presence of German soldiers who failed to protect it
Serbian Orthodox Seminary of Prizren and the Bishop's Court	Prizren	Established in 1872	Set on fire and people attacked on 17 March.
Church of St. Elijah	Podujevo		destroyed and desecrated, coffins from the nearby Serbian cemetery were dug up, and bones of the dead were scattered away.

The violence quickly spread to other parts of Kosovo, with Kosovo Serb communities and religious and cultural symbols attacked by crowds of Albanians. Some of these locations were ostensibly under the protection of KFOR at the time. During the riots and violence, eight Kosovo Serbians were killed. Among damaged property was the targeted cultural and architectural heritage of the Serb people, and as a result 35 churches, including 18 monuments of culture, were demolished, burnt or severely damaged.

Reconstruction

The Reconstruction Implementation Commission (RIC) for Serbian Orthodox religious sites in Kosovo is an EU-funded project to promote the reconstruction of cultural heritage. It has 35 sites under its responsibility.

See also

• List of destroyed heritage

Sources

Books

Government

Journals

Other

External links

• „Porušeni manastiri na Kosovu i Metohiji“ on YouTube, Office for Kosovo and Metohija (English)(Serbian)