Maps of Power

Monastery of Dečani

Properties

ID 134888
System Class Place
Place Monastery
Case Study Beyond East and West: Sacred Landscapes Duklja and Raška

Relations

Artifacts (2)
Name Class Description
Monastery of Dečani, Coffin-Reliquary (Sarcophagus) with the Relics of the Saint King Stefan Dečanski Artifact The coffin-reliquary with the relics of the Saint Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski (reigned 1321-1331) in the Monastery of Dečani represents the only surviving and hence particularly valuable medieval Serbian coffin-reliquary (sarcophagus). Its carved geometric, floral and zoomorphic ornaments finished by painting and gilding evoke the heavenly abode the Saint dwells in. From the standpoint of function, it is undoubtedly an object of the highest rank. Its shape and location – raised on tall legs beneath the Saint King's fresco portrait at the side of the iconostasis – not only materialised the Saint’s presence, but also enabled all permitted forms of veneration. In addition to the usual "see and touch", the custom of lying or pulling oneself under the coffin was and still is believed to be particularly benedictory. The royal relics have been perfectly preserved and therefore remain the foci of veneration to this day.
Monastery of Dečani, Icons from the KatholiKon Artifact Four icons - Christ Pantocrator, the Holy Mother of God with the child Jesus, St. John the Baptist and St. Nicholas - adorned the middle part of the iconostasis of the Church of Christ Pantocrator in the Monastery of Dečani. The icons were made around 1343 and were in place until the end of the 16th century, when they were replaced by new ones (those will again be replaced in the fourth decade of the 20th century). The icons are the work of one of the painters who painted the Katholikon of the Monastery of Dečani. In addition to their exceptional artistic value, these icons are a rare, early example of icons that have been preserved in their original place.