Properties
| ID | 123966 |
|---|---|
| System Class | Bibliography |
| Bibliography | Book |
| Case Study | Beyond East and West: Sacred Landscapes Duklja and Raška |
Description
Milka Čanak-Medić/Danica Popović/Dragan Vojvodić, Manastir Žiča (Beograd 2014).
Relations
Artifacts (2)
| Name | Class | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Reliquary with the Relic of Saint John the Forerunner’s Right Arm, the Chapel of Saint John the Baptist in Siena Cathedral | Artifact | The reliquary with the relic of Saint John the Forerunner’s right arm is today kept in the crypt of the Chapel of St John the Baptist in the Cathedral of Siena. The foundation charter of the Monastery of Žiča shows that the Serbian King Stefan Prvovenčani (reigned 1196-1227) and his son, the later Serbian King Stefan Radoslav (reigned 1228-1233), bestowed some of the most highly venerated Christian relics upon it, among which is the above-mentioned relic with the ultimate purpose to transfer the image of the Holy Land to Serbia, and in that way secure sacral legitimacy for the young kingdom. Later, in 1464 the Despot of Morea Thomas Palaiologos brought it with him to Siena, along with some other precious possessions, and turned it over to Pope Pius II (1458-1464) in exchange for a remarkable recompense. The relic consists of the embalmed, excellently preserved forearm and hand. The original cylindrical silver-gilt reliquary, clearly distinguishable from the later 15th century one, is decorated with filigree ornaments, gemstones and rows of pearls. In terms of style and craftsmanship, it finds closest analogies in the work of Byzantine goldsmiths of the 10th to 12th centuries.The waist-length portrait of Saint John the Baptist incised in the middle of its domical lid is encircled by the donor’s prayerful inscription: The Forerunner’s right arm. Protect me, Sava, Serbian Archbishop. Based on analogies from the Byzantine world, it seems very likely that the relic was used on important state and church occasions. The relic enjoys the status of a highly venerated cult object ever since. |
| Staurotheke of Saint Sava of Serbia, Diocesan Museum in Pienza | Artifact | The staurotheke of Saint Sava of Serbia is today kept in the Diocesan Museum in Pienza. Along with the Forerunner's arm (now in the Chapel of Saint John the Baptist in Siena Cathedral), the Despot of Morea Thomas Palaiologos gave it to Pope Pius II (1458-1464), who then donated it to Pienza. The silver-gilt reliquary has the shape of a double-arm cross and is richly decorated with filigree, pearls and precious stones. The relic of the True Cross can be viewed through two cruciform apertures sheltered by rock crystal. Apart from exquisite craftsmanship the staurotheke carries a rather complex symbolism, common in this type of objects. Its handle bears a calligraphic repoussé inscription: "Sava, the first Serbian archbishop and patriarch". The reliquary replaced an older one and has been reliably dated to the last quarter of the 14th century by style and workmanship, as well as by the title "patriarch" attributed to Saint Sava of Serbia, which reflects the state of affairs after 1375, when the dispute between the Serbian and Byzantine churches caused by the former's elevation to the rank of patriarchate was settled. |
Places (1)
| Name | Class | Begin | End | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Žiča Monastery, Church of the Ascension of Jesus Christ | Place | The Church of the Ascension of Jesus Christ in the Žiča Monastery is situated 32km from Vrnjačka Banja and near the city of Kraljevo. It was built by the Serbian King Stefan Prvovenčani (reigned 1196-1227) and his brother Saint Sava (ca. 1175-1236) in 1207 and was finished of 20 May 1221, on the feast of Ascension when the Great Council was held (Teodosije 139-141). It was the see of the Serbian Orthodox Archbishopric since 1219 and a place of coronation of the Serbian Kings (after Stefan had received the royal wreath from Pope Honorius III in 1217 and was coronated in Žiča). It is also a mausoleum of the First-Crowned Serbian King. The ground plan of the church follows the pattern formed previously in the Church of the Holy Mother of God in the Studenica Monastery with some differences visible at the altar space, making it a model of all future buildings of the 13th century, of the so-called Raška monumental architecture. The church was built in several stages. Firstly, a single nave edifice was erected with three bays and a narthex with a parekklesion on both of its sides, semicircular apse and a dome. The present Western section was separated by a narthex wall until the end of the 13th century, when the wall was removed and the narthex was joined to the nave in a single space. The lateral arms of the transept were erected next to the central bay. After 1220 (but prior to the Great Council in 1221) the prothesis and the diaconicon were added in the altar. By 1230 a spacious exonarthex with a bell-tower was built on the Western side, which has a katechoumemion on the upper floor and a parakklesionon the upper floor of the tower. Another special feature of this church is its façade, which is painted in red. It is believed that the builders came both from Byzantium and the Adriatic. The church was fresco painted by artists from Byzantium. There are two layers of frescoes in the interior: the older one, created around 1220, belongs to the so-called Golden Age of Serbian painting and the younger one, from the beginning of the 14th century, belongs to the painting from the period of the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin (reigned 1282-1321), created under the influence of the so-called Palaiologan Renaissance style. |