Devič

Devič Monastery

Devič Monastery reconstruction after it was burned down in 2004
Monastery information
Full name	Манастир Девич
Other names	Manastiri i Deviçit
Order	Serbian Orthodox
Established	1434
Dedicated to	St. Joanikije of Devič
Diocese	Eparchy of Raška and Prizren
People
Founder(s)	Despot Đurađ Branković
Important associated figures	Đurađ Branković Patriarch Makarije Euphemia the Nun
Architecture
Heritage designation	Cultural monument of Exceptional Importance
Designated date	24 March 1948
Site
Location	Skenderaj, Drenica, Kosovo
Public access	Limited

The Devič Monastery (Serbian: Манастир Девич, romanized: Manastir Devič; Albanian: Manastiri i Deviçit) is a Serbian Orthodox abbey in Kosovo. It was built in 1434 and is dedicated to St Joanikije of Devič. Devič was declared Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1990, and it is protected by the Republic of Serbia.

History

The founder of the monastery is Despot Đurađ Branković, who had it built in memory of his daughter. In the Ottoman census from 1455, the monastery is mentioned as the church of the Theotokos (dedicated to The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple). During Turkish occupation the monastery was pulled down, but the church and the site with the grave of St. Joanikije was reconstructed, and was painted in 1578.

Serbs leaving monastery after 2004 unrest

The monastery was destroyed and burnt down during World War II in 1941 by forces of the Italian Fascist Party, the prior Damaskin Bošković was killed, and Italian troops disassembled the two big bells and took them away in 1942. It was rebuilt in 1947.

Gallery

• 
  Burned and desecrated interior of the Devič.
• 
  Burned monastery lodgings covered in snow
• 
  Burned monastery lodgings covered in snow

See also

• Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance
• Tourism in Kosovo
• List of Serbian Orthodox monasteries

Notes

a.

Further reading

• Ferrari, Silvio; Benzo, Andrea (2014). Between Cultural Diversity and Common Heritage: Legal and Religious Perspectives on the Sacred Places of the Mediterranean. London & New York: Routledge. ISBN 9781317175032.

External links

• Video of the burned, destroyed and desecrated Devič monastery complex
• "Манастир Девич у близини Србице". Споменици културе у Србији.
• Official page on Devic Monastery
• WashPost: Serbian Nun Stands Her Ground Against Albanians 5-25-1999
• Photo story on destruction of Devič, ERP KIM, March 2004