Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church

Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church

Serbian Orthodox Church Museum was founded in 1926 upon decision of the Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church held in Sremski Karlovci forty years earlier. The aim of founding the Museum next to the Serbian Patriarchate in Belgrade was to reflect the entire development of the Serbian Orthodox Church at various historical periods and in various places without stressing any particular diocese, personality or epoch.

In 1940 Professor Radoslav Grujic /1878-1955/ had accomplished revitalisation of the Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade likewise he had established in 1924 the Museum of South Serbia in Skopje. Renowned Professor Grujic was expert in church history, museology, epigraphy and archaeology, regular professor of history of the Serbian Orthodox Chuch at the Faculty of the Orthodox Theology in Belgrade, one of the most distinguished protectors of the Christian monumental heritage, the remarkable well-versed specialist and restless interpreter of ancient manuscripts, relics and reliquaries and artifacts, responsible for protection of the Serbian and international cultural legacy. During excavations of the locality of the Monastery of Holy Archangels near Prizren in 1927, Professor Grujić discovered the grave and earhen remains – relics of Tsar Dusan Nemanjic. He also took part in rescue of the holy relics of the Serbian saints of the Saint Uros Nemanjic, the Saint Lazar and the Saint Stefan Stiljanovic kept in the monasteries of Fruska Gora against the Ustashas attacks and plundering. During his precious work in Skopje, Professor Grujić participated in excavations of the Monastery of Saint Athanasius in the Lesak village near Tetovo as well as return and interpretation of the tombstone of the mother of Tsar Dusan – Queen Teodora that was positioned within the circle of the Church of Saint Demetrios in Skopje, that was in both world wars taken away to Soffia where it still remains.

The expression of „Južna Srbija“ – South Serbia determinated the area liberated as the Kosovo Avengers from the Ottoman Turkey in the First Balkan War, 1912-1913 by Serbia and Montenegro – the two Serb kingdoms and allies which prevented conquiring assaults of Bulgaria in the Second Balkan War in summer of 1913. The Južna Srbija – South Serbia contained the area of Stara Raska, Metohija, Kosov and part of the Vardar Macedonia, i.e. the territory of the present North Macedonia. All those territories as the integral parts of Kingdom of Serbia, known under the common name of Juzna Serbia, joined the newly-establieshed Kingdom of the Serbs, the Corats and the Slovenes, on December 1st 1918. The earlier center of the Kosovo Vilayet during the Ottoman rule was in Skopje, and also the consulate of Kingdom of Serbia 1887-1912, with the center of the southernmost Vardarska Banovina administrative unit of Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

The exhibited items of the Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church originate from numerous sources, often by donations of persons interested in improvement of the museum or purchases. Majority of exhibited finds and items of the Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church are of extraordinary value in terms of religious, cultural and artistic heritage and presents the history of the Serbian Orthodox Church from the time of Stefan Nemanja and Saint Sava to the present time. The items exhibited of the Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Belgrade contain the most precious collections of hand written and printed church books, old Serbian engravings, costumes, sacral items manufactured from metal, wood, bones, mother of pearls and leather, votive gifts, church embroidery, seals, historical documents and portraits of church dignitaries. The majority of the exhibits are items and objects kept in the Fruska Gora Monasteries as well as from churches in eastern Srem which were brought back from Zagreb where they were taken during the occupation in the course of the Second World War. The Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church Belgrade would have a far richer collection, had all objects plundered during the past been brought back, and particularly had not so many of them been lost for food during the wars.

The rich collection of the Serbian Orthodox Church Museum comprises church paintings, portraits of church dignitaries, ancient Serbian engravings, old Serbian manuscripts and printed books, all types of vestments, sacred objects of metal, wood, bone, mother-of-pearl and leather, votive offerings, altar embroideries, the seals of historical documents…. The outstanding Serbian Orthodox Church Museum exhibits of international significance are : the unique collection of textiles : the epitaphion /shroud/ from the late 13th century supposed to have belonged to King Milutin embroidered on dark red silk filled with ornaments, edged in velvet and interspersed with gold; The vestment of Prince Lazar with Heraldic signs, lions embroidered into the material with a helmet and oxen horns on the metal button; The shroud for the relics of Prince Lazar made by nun Efimija widow of Despot Jovan Ugljesa in 1402, the master-piece with silver and gold thread on red satin; extraordinary skillfully and artistically manufactured silver plated Ciprovac reliquary that is art work of Nikola Nedeljkovic from Ciprovac and includes depictions of saints; Metal ritual vessels and other sacred metal objects used during liturgical services representing artistic crafts, particularly the goldsmith’s art in Serbia; Byzantine crosses and seals; candlesticks, distinctive manuscripts and ornately decorated gospels, incense-boxes, numerous icons /specially Russian icons/ and many more….

 

 

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