Gračanica Monastery (Gračanica)

 church, orthodox christianity, interesting place, UNESCO World Heritage Site

Gračanica Monastery one of King Milutin's last monumental endowments. It is situated in the village of Gračanica, 5 km from Pristina, the administrative centre of Kosovo.

In the charter inscribed on the south wall of the chapel, King Milutin says: "I saw the devastation and fall of the church of the Holy Theotokos of Gračanica, Bishopric of Lipljan, I had it built from the foundation stone, I had it inscribed and decorated from the inside and from the outside." All this happened in the year 6830, that is, in 1321 since the birth of Christ. Only the church remains from the original monastery complex. The vestibule with the dome was additionally built several decades later. This vestibule was ruined during Turkish assaults in 1379-1383, when the dome was lost in fire, as well as a rich collection of manuscripts. The vestibule is believed to have been restored in 1383 by Bishop Simeon of Gračanica.