Maps of Power

Marković 2019a

Properties

ID 124076
System Class Bibliography
Bibliography Inbook
Case Study Beyond East and West: Sacred Landscapes Duklja and Raška

Description

Miodrag Marković (ed.), Duhovno i kulturno nasledje manastira Studenice. Drevnost, postojanost, savremenost (Beograd 2019).

Relations

Artifacts (6)
Name Class Description
Belgrade Prophetologion Artifact The Belgrade Prophetologion (Narodna biblioteka Srbije Rs 652) is the oldest surviving Serbian copy of the prophetologion and dates back to the first quarter of the 13th century. Written on parchment, the manuscript stands out for the beauty of the written letters and the peculiar initials that adorn it. Most of the initials are made of geometric or floral-geometric interweaving, to which imaginative or realistic animals are sometimes added. The initial O on l stands out on fol. 58v, which is in the form of the head of Christ Emmanuel. The eclectically conceived initials show the influence of Oriental models and Romanesque elements that reached the Serbian lands via an indirect route, mostly through Southern Italy. The manuscript comes from Ras and is kept today in the National Library of Serbia. Actually, it came to the National Library from Skopje and disappeared during the evacuation which occurred at the beginning of the First World War. In 1969 the manuscript was found in Germany and returned to Serbia.
King Radoslav's Ring Artifact The engagement ring of the Serbian King Stefan Radoslav (reigned 1228-1233) was made in gold in 1219. On the "head" of this engagement ring an inscription in the Greek language, written in verse, is engraved, with which he addresses his wife Anna Angelina Komnene Doukaina, the daughter of the ruler of Epirus Theodore Komnenos Doukas. The ring was made in the Byzantine manner, probably in Thessalonica. The exceptionality of this ring is even greater, when one considers that this is the only preserved example that bears the names of members of the imperial and royal families in the act of engagement. Today, the ring is kept in the National Museum in Belgrade.
Studenica, Church of the Holy Mother of God, Altar Trifora Artifact The trifora of the altar apse of the Church of the Holy Mother of God in the Monastery of Studenica is made of marble and dated around 1190. Rich plastic decoration is found in the lunette, window frame and window sill in the form of relief, which the console supports in the form of two almost free-standing figures/statues (actually made in high relief). The altar trifora of the katholikon of Studenica is characterised by stylistic similarities with monuments of Italian Romanesque sculpture. It is interesting to note that the trifora from the Monastery of Dečani is made entirely like the trifora from this Monastery.
Studenica, Church of the Holy Mother of God, Consoles Artifact The consoles of the arcade frieze of the Southern façade of the katholikon of Studenica were made from marble around 1190, at the time of the erection of the Church of the Holy Mother of God. The consoles are decorated with motifs of human and animal heads. The sculpture in Studenica has models in Romanesque art.
Studenica, Church of the Holy Mother of God, Transenna Artifact The lead transenna on the central window of the Northern wall of the under-dome area of the Church of the Holy Mother of God in the Monastery of Studenica is the only preserved example of such a decorated window opening in Serbian medieval art. This transenna is contemporary with the construction of the katholikon of Studenica and is dated around 1190. The lead window sash was filled with colored glass in the larger gaps, and the decoration consists of ten medallions (once probably 12). In the center of each field there is a figural representation, whose outlines are made with a series of densely drilled holes. Various motifs, such as floral motifs and representations of realistic and fantastic animals facing the center of the plate, decorated the transenna. Eight preserved fields have depictions of animals and only two have rosettes. The window frame was restored, so it is possible that certain fields were given a place that did not originally belong to them.
Vukan's Gospel Artifact Vukan's Gospel is a full aprakos, written on parchment probably between 1200 and 1202. The manuscript was copied by several scribes, and the major part of the codex was written by the hand of the elder Simeon. The decoration of the codex consists of a large number of initials, several headpieces and two miniatures. Vukan's Gospel was written in Ras, but it was kept for a long time in the cell of Saint Sava (ca. 1175-1236) in Karyes on the Holy Mount Athos. Bishop Porfirij Uspenskij (1804-1885) brought it to Russia in the 19th century, where it is still today. The Gospel is kept in the National Library of Russia in Saint-Petersburg (Fn I 82), while one leaf is kept in the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Places (1)
Name Class Begin End Description
Studenica Monastery, Church of the Holy Mother of God Place The Church of the Holy Mother of God in the Studenica Monastery is situated 39km to the South-West of the city of Kraljevo. It was built between 1183 and 1196 by the Serbian Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja (reigned 1166/68-1196) (Spisi sv. Save 153; Kralj Stefan 9; Domentijan 24; ZSp. 569 V - I u Rasinyi methohь Popovacь, crьkva hramь Vavědenïe prěsvetïe Bogorodica i zaselakï, i selo Vožetinь, selo Rakla i zaseljakь, i selo Pohovacь, i selo Vělika Vruševïca i Podrumi, i povele da prinose vyno trevy rady monastiru). The relics of Stefan Nemanja were brought to Studenica (from the Monastery of Hilandar) making this place the political, cultural and spiritual center of the Serbian realm. Around his tomb are buried - his wife Ana (nun Anastasija), his son the Serbian King Stefan Prvovenčani (reigned 1196-1227), Grand Prince Vukan, Nemanja's grandson Stefan (the son of King Uroš I) and the Serbian King Stefan Radoslav (reigned 1228-1233) with his wife. Therefore, Studenica Monastery became known as the Lavra of St. Simeon the Myrrh-Streaming (Myroblytos). For this reason the church became the model to emulate in the construction and fresco painting of Serbian churches. It is a single nave edifice with a dome and a three-part altar space, side vestibules and a narthex. The vestibules had a cult purpose, as evidenced by niches in their Eastern walls. The façade of the Church of the Holy Mother of God is made in accordance with the traditions of Romanesque art (the masons came from the coastal region, perhaps Kotor). Some typically Byzantine details, such as the semicircular arch on the sides of the tambour of the dome and the disposition of the windows on it, are harmoniously integrated into the Western concept of the exterior of the walls. The most impressive Romanesque features of the monastery's katholikon are the friezes of arcades on the upper edges of the walls and the shapes of window openings and portals, i.e. their sculptural decoration. The Western and Southern entrance doors, along with a trifora at the altar, are most prominent example of the rich sculptural decoration of this period in history. Also, the lunette above the Western door is richly decorated with sculptural decoration of the Holy Mother of God with Christ and two Archangels. An inscription on the tympanum of the Western portal is written in Serbian letters, which indicates that the artist(s) were probably Serbian. According to the fragmentarily preserved inscription in the tambour of the dome, it is known that the painting of the church began in 1208 and 1209. The fresco decoration was thoroughly renovated in 1569 by Longin. Around 1230 the Serbian King Stefan Radoslav (reigned 1228-1233), the son of the Serbian King Stefan Prvovenčani (reigned 1196-1227), built an exonarthex with two semicircular chapels on the Southern and Northern sides and perhaps a square tower with a chapel on the upper floor of the main entrance of the monastery.