Download pdf - Zivojin Andrejic Crtezi Crkava

1

- - - - - - - -

- - - -

2

--- --- --- ---

: -

:.

:

:.

.

.

:

:Interprint Kragujevac

: 200

ISBN 978-86-83829-46-0

3

. ( 1992. ). . - , (1993, 1996), . (2001). , . (2007). (2002) (2010) , , -, (2007-2012).

, 1990-2012. , . . - . , .

: - (1321-1325), (1338-1339), (1369-1370) . (1444-1457).

.

, , . , : . , . (+). , : . , .

, , . , .

5

............................................................................................. 3

.................................................................................................. 5

. ................................. 7

The Holy Virgin Church in Donja Kamenica ............................... 11

........................................................................ 39

Bela Crkva in Karan ........................................................................... 45

...................................... 83

The church of the Purification of the Virgin Mary in the Velue ..................................................... 87

.................................................. 115

The church of Saint Nicholas in Ramaa ..................................... 122

7 .

. , - . - , XIV , . , , XIV . : , III -, . - , -, .

-- , - , . X - 1072-1074. - . . , , () , XII : , , , III . , , , - . III , -.

8 :, , , . . ; : , : (- ), ( ). , II : () , : (), (-), . , I. (), . (?) - (927-950).

, , , () , I, . , - . - (-) XII XIII . - . - , III . III, , .

. - , , . . , , .

. - XII XIII . ,

9 IX X . -, , , XIII , . - XIII . , .

- III, , 1320. . . , , . , 1325. , , , .

: -, . . : , , . , , ; -: . , . , ; . . .

, - . , , .

:

- . -, . , , .. I,

1950, . 53-86.

- D. Panayotova, Les portraits des donateurs de Dolna Kamenica, -

12, 1979, . 143-156.

10

- . , - , 1987.

- . ,

, 211-212, 2003, . 134-150.

- . ,

XII-XV , 6, 2003, . 42-66.

- . , , 219-220,

2005, . 122-132.

- . , , (), 2007.

- . , , 1-2, 2005, 2011.

11

The Holy Virgin Church in Donja

Kamenica

There are almost no preserved sources on the Holy Virgin Church in DonjaKamenica, and purely documented historical studies on the Church and its late resto-ration has brought about that some more founded opinion has not been formed untilthe recent times. All conclusions on its history and founders (patrons) are based onthe untrue historical facts, with the result that the Church architecture has been com-pletily inaccurately evaluated, and the painting has been considered to be the illustra-tion of the Trnovo painting school from the 14th century, which is also absolutely nottrue. For this reason, the Bulgarian scientists, first and foremost, did all to proclaimsome Bulgarian emperors from the middle of the 14th cebtury the founders (patrons).So some non-existans historical personalities were invented: despotes Michael, theson of the tsar Michael Shisman or despotes Michael, the son of the Bulgarian tsarMichael Asen. In order to be able to solve the problem of Donja Kamenica in a validmanner, it was necessery to make review and revaluation of the historical sources,regarding the Serbian and Bulgarian medieval states, their territories, dynastic rela-tions and origins, and the ineoendent despotate of Vidin.

The shaping of the space of the future Despotate of Vidin seems to have its strongprehistory in ancient times by the appearance of the tertitories of the Triballian-Dardanic tribe Timahi and later of the Tribbalian-Slavic tribes Timokians, Kuchansand Moravians that had a unique Dukedom with Borna at the top. The Serbian claimsto this area were taken Back after the fall of the First Bulgarian empire in the11thcentury and the Serbian-Byzantine war 1072-1074 when Bodin proclaimed him-self emperor, having his seat in Ni. It seems that the king Bodin handed over his con-trol over these regions to his grand chieftains of Raka (veliki upan Rake) Vukanand Marko and their successors. The region around the Stara Planina (Old Moun-tains, latin Haemus), from Ni to the Danube, under the name of dendra (the Forest)was transerred to their successors, and from the 12th century to the Serbian grandupan (chieftain) desa and his successors: the son nemawa, the grand-son Tehomil,the great-grandson Michael III Shisman. Tehomils sister Jelena, the nun Evgenia,was married to Jovan Asen, one of the first rulers of the Second Bulgarian empire.Konstantin Teh and Michael III also beceme the tsars of Bulgaria, and some of Kon-stantin Tehs sons also became the rulers of Walachia and Bessarabia.

12

As absolutely true were accepted the facts that upan Desa had the fojjowing chil-dren: Miroslav, Konstantin, Nemanja, Zavida and an unknown daughter; of the sonNemanja he had the following grandsons: Tihomil and Simeon and the granddaugh-ter Jelena, and of the son Zavida: the grandson Miroslav; of the grandson Tehomil hehad the great-grandson Konstantin Teh (the Bulgarian tsar), respectively a great-great-grandson Michael (despotes of the Vidin region). It is also evident that upan ofRaka Uro II had the sons: Tihomil (Tihomir) and udomil, and of the former (ofTihomil) the great-grandsons: Zavida (David), Konstantin (Stracimir), Prvoslav andNemanja. So it has come to be known that the upan Stefan Vukan, father of thegrand upan Stefan Nemanja, is a born brother of the upan Uro I. Their father wasthe upan Marko (Miroslav) and their mother was the sister of the Serbian kingBodin, who was also the Bulgarian tsar under the nam of Petar Bodin for some time.The upans Miroslav (Marko) and Vukan have their origin from the upan of RakaTehomil from the age of the Serbian ruler aslav (927-950).

The very important knowledge is formed on the fact that the upan Desa ruledover Dendra, the region east and northeast from Ni, as well as his son Nemanja,grandson Teho(mil) and great-grandson Konstantin Teh who became the Bulgariantsar, with the support of his relative, the Serbian king Uro I. Despite being the vassalof Serbia, Konstantin cedes this expanded region of Bulgaria under the name of thedespotat of Vidin. The architecure of the church in Donja Kamenica near Knjazevacwith two towers, that are distinctive for the churches of Raka (byzantine-Roman)style towards the end of the 12th century and at the beginning of the 13th cebtury,also backs up this opinion. The renewal of the claims to the heritage to the region ofDendra was also accompanied by the rebuild of the Church and the Church paintingin Donja Kamenica, done by the family of the rulers of Vidin. The founder (patron) ofthe rebuild of the Church and the Church painting was the Lord Belaur (Bela Uro),the brother of the despot and the future tsar Michael III Shishmans. The tsar of Vidinand Bulgarian Michael III, the descendant of Konstantin Teh in the second genera-tion, wanted by attacking Serbia of Stefan Deanski to take over the claims to rulingthe grandfathers and fathers throne on the grounds of the direct claims to the her-itage.

The understandings of the past of the Church in Donja Kamenica has beenincreased by archeological investigations. The grave of the monk was found in thenortern part of the narthex, and the grave of the patroness, the wife of the LordBelaur, was found in the exonartex whit the fragments of the gilded diadem withwhich she was painted on the western wall of the nartex storey. The foundationsremnants of the built altar were also discovered. In the Church yard were discoveredthe foundations of the larger monastery complex, the necropolis and the dry-wall (a

13

wal without morter), that represents the remnants of the built fortress which pro-tected the Church with the kings palac, and the monastery.

The specific architecture of the Church with the two towers classifies it in thechurch building style of Raka towards the end of the 12th and at the beginning of the13th century. The nave base in the form of the simple, some radial and irregular crosshints the search of the analogies with the churches of the 9th and 10th centuries, intimes of the duchy of Timokians. In all, the Church was built, ot the two towers wereonly added at that time, at the begining of the 13th century, ar time of TehomilVukanovic. In the windows of then nave were preserved the parts of the geometricalornaments of the painting of the 13th century. The fragments on the eastern wall ofthe nartex storey, and mostly those on the small pillars of the of the lunette bespeakthis older painting.

The Church was renewed by the Tehomils grandsons, Bela Uros Belaur andMichael III, the despot of Vidin, and painting by them about the year 1320. Further-more, the Lord Belaur built additionally a wooden storey exonarthex and for that rea-son reconstructed the towers, so that the story could be built. The masterbuilders,who were engaged for this work, were the pupils, successors and very good paintersfrom the Serbian kings taif of Michael and Eutohie. After a couple of years, about1325, one of these pupils, a slightly less solid painter, was engaged to paint the storeyof the narthex and the interior walls of the towers.

The painting of the Church in Donja Kamenica bears all characteristics of StaroNagorichane, a village in the Kumanovo region, and those of the small churches fromthe age of King Milutin: The Kings Church in Studenica, the monastery St. Nikita inChucher (uer), near Skopje, and Mushutishte in Kosoovo. As excellency areemphasized the scenes and details in the nave: Agnus in the altar, The Virgin nursingthe infant Jesus, St. Georgios Diasoritis, The Virgin Mary Ascension, The Last Supperand The Mourning; in the narthex: St. Theodor Stratilat and Tiron on the horses, St.Demitrius on the horse, The Blessed Virgin Mary Odigitria with the large foinikias(circular applications on the shulders); and the unified program of the Holy SaintPetka on the storey and in the southern tower. The most individual art achievementand with mostly specific details was realized by the painter of the Nave in the sceneThe Mourning.

On the grounds of all facts that were presented in this book comes out that theChurch in Donja Kamenica belongs to the Serbian cultural Milieu, both according tothe architecture and to the Painting that belongs to the court style of the King Milutinand of the taif of Evtichie an Michael. It is quit understandable taking into accountthe Serbian origin of the founders (patrons), who come from the line of descent of theGrand upan desa, uncles branch of Family Tree of the rulers descending from the

14

Grabd upan Stefan Nemanja, who realized their claims to the throne of Bulgariathrough the long-term common policy.

: ,

Translated into English by: Bratislav Sreckovic, professor

18

XIV XIII

19

:1. 2. . 3. . 4. 5. 6. 7. : 8. : 9. 10. . 11. . 12. . 13. 14. . 15. 16.

20

:

1. 2. , - 3. , 4. 5. - 6. . 7. - 8. - - 9. - - 10. 11. 12. -

21

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. : 6. . 7. . 8. .

22 :

1. 2. 3. 4. . . 5. 6. . 7. .

23

:

- - (),- . . ()

:

- (),- . ()

:

- . .

25

:

1. 2. - . 3. - . 4. 5. 6. . 7. . 8. . . ()

26

:

1. - 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. . 7. . 8. , 9. ,

28

:

1. 2. . (?)3. . , . ()4. . 5. . ( )6. . 7. . 8. . 9. . 10. .

31

:

1. . 2. . 3. . 4. . 5. . 6. . 7. . 8. .

33

:

1. - , , 2. , 3. , (?)4. , 5. . 6. . 7. . (?)8. 9. 10. . 11. . 12. . 13. .

35

:

1. . 2. . 3. . 4. . 5. . 6. . 7. .

36

. (

. ( )

. . (- )

37

e

- - .

38

, XIII

- , XIII

, XIII

39

. - . -, , (802). (926), , (1023) . , . - , , . , ,, , , . , , , , . - - : , , , .

- . - . , , . . , , , .

, , , , - . . .

40

- 670..

- - (), -. - . . , , , . -- , - . , - , . 1455. . - 1476. .

, - , , , - , , XIV . . , 1608. . - .

. . . .

: 1 : 2 , 1 : 1. 3 4 - . -

41

. - , 3 : 5.

. - . , , - . . - . , , .

: , , . . - , , . . , , , , .

, - . . . - -. . - -. . - -- .

42

. -. , -, - . , , , - . - , , . , , -. , . -, , . .

, -, . . . , , (1363-1374. ) . , XIV . , 1476. . - , - , , . (1592-1615.) . , , - -, 1608. . . , .

. - . - . , , . - - , - .

43

: , : . , . . . , 1335-1336. , - . . , , . .

1341-1342 . - - , 1338.. : (9. ), (25. ), - , , . , , . 1339. (25. 03.), , (25. 03.), (9. 03.), (20. 03.), (21. 03.) (28. 03.), : , -, -. , , (20. 28.) 1339. (6.847.) , - . , 1339. . , 1338-1339. ,

- , -. 1325. , , 14. - . - , 1331. , , ,

44

, , . V, , .

-. , , , , , , , .

, . . , - (). , , .

- : . . . - , , - II. , IV, ,, . .

:- . , , 1928.- . , , 31, 2007, 135-151.- . , , 34-1, 2010, 7-37.- . , , , , , II, 2011, 113-147.- . , , 36, 2012. ( ).- . , , (), .

45

Bela Crkva in Karan

Karan, with its church, is located in a tame area of Zupa, on the slopes of UzickaCrna Gora, with the natural and the traffic spine - the valley of the river Luznica.These areas, in the Middle Ages belonged to Moravica, that territorially matched thenew founded episcopate Moravica of the autocephalous Serbian Orthodox Church.Karan village is located in the parish valley of the Luznice river and is located on thegentle slopes that descend from the west, the mountains of Jalova Gora and Buaraand, to the east of the Crnokosa (802). Luznica rises from under Jakasnica ina JelovaGora (926), on the one hand, and the Srebrno Brdo under Drmanovina (1023) on theother. Then it flows through the village Ribasevina, and then in the village of Trnavait receives the river Raskovica. At the entrance to Karan, Luznica flows through thefield Rosulje through a river terrace in the center of the village, is the BogorodicinaChurch of the rector Brajan. Appart from Srebrno brdo and Rosulja, very interestingtoponyms are Grad na Dramanovini, Gubin Do in Ribasevini, Granica, Gradina,Zlostup, Grad and Brezov Grad on Crnokosa. Towards Uzice, on the slopes of Buarathere are toponyms Demir Kapija, Zboriste, Stitari and Gradine. The fertile valley andthe mountainous back represent excellent combination of life conveniences inmedieval times: conveniences for agriculture and cattle breeding, resources of wood,stone for building, bee cultivation and honey and beeswax production, conveniencesfor hunting and forest fruit collecting.

The villages around Luznica were considered to be the most fertile and richest inthe area around Uzice. They always represented the granary of Uzice and the extragrain that was harvested was sold in Pozega. The river Luznica was rich with waterwhich was a precondition for developing watermills, millstones, sawmills andblacksmiths coinage in Middle Ages. The existence of the toponym Srebrno Brdo(Silver Hill) nearby, indicates the existence of significant income by exploitingprecious metal. The position of Luznica, near Crna Gora, at the foot of the mountainsMaljen and Povlen, the hilltops of which presented the northern border of Serbiatowards Hungary for centuries, made it very significant in strategic way, and it led tobuilding of more fortifications.

In the village Karan, beside the road that from Kosjeric descends from Crnokosaand continues in one way towards Uzice, and in the other towards Pozega, on a highterrace of the right bank of the Luznica there is a Bogorodicina Crkva (VirginsChurch) dedicated to Annunciation, among people also known as Bela Crkva (theWhite church). It used to belong to the Eparchy of Moravica, and now belongs toEparchy of Zica. Appart from the church of St, Ahilije in Arilje and Uzice fort,

46

Bogorodicina Crkva in Karan is one of very rare and preserved monuments in thearea of Uzice and Moravica and with its relatively well preserved frescoes is amonument that lasts in Serbian culture for over 670 years.

The discovery of an antique necropolis and remains of a cult object whereBogorodicina Crkva was built point to a very rare history of this area and toponymRosulje where until recently church and folk gatherings and fairs were held for theday of The Holy Trinity (Duhovi), Annunciation and Assumption speak of a longcontinuity. Even in Antique times there was a temple and a necropolis where thecelebration of the holiday Rozalije was held for the festival of the dead. This day is inChristianity dedicated to the holiday Duhovi - The Holy Trinity, and if the church inKaran had an older phase, before this, known to us by Prefect Petar Brajan, it wasdedicated to this festival. The Prefect of Moravica - Luznica, Petar Brajan, therestorer and new founder, dedicated the new temple to the Virgin and Annunciation.Apparently, the area around the basin of the river Luznica belonged to a medievalregion with its center with the same name - Luznica, and later Karan. The Turks tookover the town of Uzice and this area around 1445 and the name of the place waschanged. With the first Turkish index the place is mentioned with the name Karan,and that name was kept until today.

The complete refund of the medieval history of the Moravica land, episcopacyMoravica, the nobility Voinovo and Rastislac as well as qualitative new reading of thefrescoes as a whole in Bogorodicina Crkva in Karan, and especially founders andrulers ensemble, leads to creating of completely new interpretations of Serbianhistory, its rulers and high nobility in the 14th century. The church in Karan was asignificant spiritual center and thus had a high influence to the people of the area. Fora long time there was a monastery here, testified by many notes, inscriptions onfrescoes and where a priest Vuk wrote and decorated the famous four Gospels in1608. Up until nowadays in the area of Rosulja around this church were manygatherings and fairs held.

Bogorodicina Crkva in Karan in architecture is organized as a single nave andsingle dome building with a basis of a cross. The Church is with a lengthened basiswith semicircular altar apse. The facade has no architectural or plastic decorations.Two pairs of pilasters divide the nave and of three unequal transepts and hold thearches carrying the dome.

The relation between the width and length of the Karan temple basis wasconducted almost perfectly: 1 : 2 and the same is the case with the height and length,1 : 1 Chief architect raised in the calotte of the dome to the height of 3 modulardiameter and then there was a subsequent rise of the dome and the conical roof at aheight of 4 modular diameter. Modular diameter - inner diameter of the dome - themodule is identical to the square of the tambur kare. The module is contained in the

47

internal length of the temple three times, and the width and length of the nave werecompared 3 : 5.

On the eastern pilaster is organically linked altar partition whose fresco icons arealmost completely preserved. On-site poles of the iconostasis are painted by one six-winged Seraph on the pilasters and the Virgin and Christ Pantokrator. On the back ofthe iconostasis, the altar the deacons serving in the liturgy are painted. Mediumheight masonry iconostasis originally had three passes and was later walled southentrance to the altar. Thus, in the southern passage and niche was formed by anunknown nun subsequently commissioned a fresco icon of the Virgin Trojerucica.Based on this, an assumption has been established that the unknown nun, for all thefamily of count Bryan conducted a new consecration of the church of the VirginTrojerucica.

The iconographic program of the Bela Crkva in Karan is not extensive but typicalof Byzantine painting: Great Feasts, Madonna's hagiography, the individual figuresand portraits of saints and symbolic liturgical themes. The only exceptions are thefour Great Festivals of the composition in the tambour of the dome. Developed cyclededicated to the Virgin, whose many scenes begin and end at the altar, extendthroughout the nave and then mature in the dome area. In the lower part of the naveare painted standing figures of saints and secular figures. The most importanthistorical scenes painted on the Bela Crkva in Karan are in the lower reaches of thewest bay of the nave, then in the northern part of the altar apse, and in alsosubsequently added and painted niche in the south passing through masonryiconostasis.

In the north, south and west wall of the west bay family members and patrons ofthe ruling family of Serbian King Dusan with his holy ancestors are painted. Thequality and realism of the portraits of secular figures say that the artist was fromtheir proximity. Although the portraits of historical figures characterization carriedout more flatly and monochrome. The ruler and his family were painted idealisticand symbolic in function of their glorification. Large number of holy warriors testifyof the status of to patrons, and membership to the military nobility. Except with thehelp of the holy warriors endowed by the allusion to the high military statusexpressed by setting above its founder's composition Miracle scene udo na jezerusa sevastijskim muenicima stratilatima. The saturation of the sacred and theprofane is fully realized in Bela Crkva was established as an ideal mausoleummemory. Great narration and the number of historical figures is almost beyond thedefinition of the Orthodox Byzantine frescoes.

Painters knew well cults and iconographic solutions that are a tradition in thesouth of the Serbian state and that spread under the influence of the Serbian courtand church. Paintings were performed two or three assistant masters. One was

48

painting the altar and altar area with barrier and, probably, the fresco-icon of theVirgin with Christ before the patron. Another master of the painted middle zone,cycle the Virgin holidays, the story of Abraham, Forty Martyrs all standing figures inthe first zone. The painters of Karan churches are most likely from the area MoravaBishopric based in Arilje. The figures are drawn bold and safe, with flexible, broadand powerful strokes. There is often easy, even a virtuoso drawing. The booty of pure,delicate, rich shaded and fresh colored. Tendency to the genre scenes and intimateinteriors are in the context of expressed narratives.

Later historical records engraved on the surface of the frescoes in the apse of thealtar area, especially the eastern brick wall iconostasis, in the aisles and in the lowerpart of the first zone of frescoes of the nave. The most important records are locatedaround the lower parts of vestments of St. Euplos. There are signs Diako Petko andDiako John, presumably John the monk, from the time of count Nikola Altomanovic(1363 to 1374) who was situated in Uzice. Below this text is the record of the monkSava, probably from the late fourteenth century. The record with the name of Pavo, isfound in the Turkish census from 1476. Ptriarchs Scribe Zun in Emperor JovanNenads time, mentioning of the monastery Paramun and dedication to Subota Vrli,the treasurer and palatine of the self-proclaimed Serbian Emperor, is extremelyimportant. The writings of Karan priest Vuk testify of the times of patriarch Jovan(1502-1615) priest Vuk, son of the head priest Raleta from Karan, had historically beenconfirmed in the inscription which was made at the famous Karan four gospels, inthe 1608. In Bela Crkva you can find and a large number of names engraved linesnear vertical lines or horizontal lines of stitches. This is one of the oldest ways ofwriting the primitive tally - a score, and is related to recording service for the reposeof the souls of relatives or the health of donors whose names are written.

The Duke of Moravia Petar Brajan as founder with his wife Struja and fourdaughters is drawn on the north wall and the northern part of the Western Wall.Youthful Struja was a second wife of Brajan and the youngest daughter is their child.The other three daughters are from his previous marriage. From his first marriagewere most likely the two priests painted in the altar apse socle as well. The founderfamily also included an unknown monk Jovan and an older nun in deep proskynesiswho are somehow involved in the building of the church, either as a contributor or asa founder who is a contributor to painting Trojerucica expressing her gratitude for amiraculous help.

On the south wall and the southern part of the west wall a painting of founder'ssuzerain was painted: the king Dusan with his son, his wife Jelena and holyancestors: St. Simeon Nemanja, St. Sava and St. King Milutin. Marital crisis thatbroke out between King Dusan and Jelena, 1335-1336 has its traces in the content ofthe ruler ensemble at Bela Crkva in Karan. The striking separation of Dusan and boy

49

and his wife Jelena Asen suggests that in this way, metaphorically indicated that itwas a son of Dusan but it's not the Uros from his marriage with Jelena Asen. Someformer "sin" of Jelenas, it seems to be, was metaphorically presented through thepresence of the Holy. Marina who kills the devilwith a hammer.

A generally accepted anticipation that Bela Crkva in Karan was painted around1341-1342 is rejected. We can not accept any claim that the boy painted next to kingDusan was a courtier, or that this could be Duke Brajans son, but we can claim thatBela Crkva in Karan was built 1338. Dense symbolic and menologium structure canbe observed in the scenes of the Western transept of the nave: Mladenci (March 9),Annunciation (March 25), Vrbica - Lazarus Saturday, Palm Sunday - Entry of Christinto Jerusalem, Maundy Thursday - The Crucifixion and Resurrection. This symbolic,allusive and conceptual structure of scenes, menologium organization of immovableand movable holidays reliable "reading" dismiss the overall idea of the founder thatarose from specific events in a particular time and that clearly indicate a fixedcalendar date.

Such calendar concentration and "overlapping" happened 1339th when theAnnunciation (the 25th 03), church dedication, and the Celebration of its Saint, "fell"on Holy Thursday (25 03), preceding them by Mladenci (9 03), Vrbica -LazarusSaturday (20 03) Palm Sunday- Entry of Christ into Jerusalem (21 03) and Easter (2803), all in connection with the wedding of a couple: a young, barely of age, thedaughter of Brajan and the son of the Serbian King Dusan from his first marriage.The event had evidently happened here, at the time resurrect week (20th -28thMarch) 1339th (6847.), and then perpetuated in the artwork of BogorodicinaCrkva in Karan. So, painting of Church in Karan was created by the end of summer1339. Based on the above, we can say that this church was built and painted in 1338-1339.

King Dusan was first married was married to the daughter of the great despotIvania and in this marriage had a son Lazarus, later Grand Duke and Serbian ruler.Lazar was born about 1325 and, therefore, it indicates that during the painting of BelaCrkva in Karan Lazar was about 14 years old and that he was painted here next to hisfather Dusan in ornate and carries a scepter that usually as uncrowned ruler's sonshave. When there had been significant changes after the ouster of Stefan of Decaniand upheaval in Bulgaria, in 1331, Dusan banished his first wife, Mary, who had thetitle name Jelena, to marry a Bulgarian princess who also the same title name. StefanNemanja Uros V, son form the current marriage of the ruler, became the first father'sheir through whom was still legally established Serbian vertical ruling line.

From Lazars first marriage was son Dobrovoj who is regularly mentioned in thesources. When, for some reason, unknown to us, Dusan had Lazar married for asecond time, to distant cousin, Milica, the first wife after divorce became a nun she

50

returned to Karan, in the area of Count Vladislav, her cousin and had the southernentrance of iconostasis of Bela Crkva built and had the Virgin with Three Handspainted and at her feet, her own portrait in proskynesis.

The founder of Bela Crkva in Karan, Duke Petar Brajan is the oldest of threebrothers from a prominent and powerful family Rastislalic. Brajan's two youngerbrothers were Radoslav and Branko. Branko had a son Radic, whose brother, or sonwas Vuk Brankovic (Rastislalic). Radoslavs son was, by all accounts, Prince Vladislavof Uzice and ruler of the country Moravica.

Linking the grave of the Duke Vladislav through luxury gold ring found at thechurch in Karan with Petar Brajan and the graves in his memorial church, direct usthat these are two Rastislalic: Brajan and his nephew Vladislav. After the death ofBrajans father in law and Vladislav Rastislalia, PrinceLazar had the rights to theirarea. These rights he finally claimed when he defeated Nikola Altomanovic and tookthe city Uice and region Moravice and "scattered" Radic Brankovic Rastislalic whoruled Kucevo and Branicevo. It can be assumed that their ancestors certain Rastislav,whose son, Junak, a sevast toKings Dragutin and Vladislav II. This Rastislav could bethe first Galician Prince Rostislav - Rostislav Mikhailovich, son of Hungarian KingBela IV, who ruled Macva, Belgrade, Kucevo and Branicevo. Serbianized descendantsof Prince Rastislav, got the lands from the hinterland Uzice to the Danube where theyhave admitted the authority Stefan of Decani at the time of Emperor Dusan and theybecame a part of his most powerful nobles.

: , Translated into English by: Mirjana Marusic, professor

52

1338-1339.

56

:

1. (?)2. 3. 4. 5. . 6. 7. . 8. . 9. . 10. .

:

1. - 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

58

- ,

59

:

1. 2. 3. . 4. . 5. . 6. . 7. 8. 9. . 10. . 11. 12.

64

:

1. 2. 3. . 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

:

1. : 2. 3. . 4. 5. 6. . 7. . 8. . 9. . 10. . 11. 12. . 13. . 14. . 15. . 16. 17. 18.

68

:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. . 10. 40 11. 12. 13. . 14. . 15. . 16. . 17. . 18. . 19. 20. 21. , 22. 23.

74

. -

:

1. 2. (?)3. . 4. . 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. . 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. . 15. . 16. . 17. 18. . 19. . 20. . 21. . 22. . - 23. 24.

77

() .

78 : , 1363-1374. : :

79

, , XIV-XVI

: 1532. (?) : (?)

80

, 1526-1530.

-

, 1772-1838.

-

, 1592-1614.

81

. - ,

XV- XVII . -

, XV- XVII

.

.

82

, XVII

83

, --, , . , , - - .

, 1380-381. , . , , , 1395. 1400. . - 1536-1576. . 1833-1836. . - . , - .

, 1370. 1370-1371. , , -. : ( 1350.), ( 1355.), , - ( 1360.), ( 1370.).

-. . . , V: , -, , , - . - .

84

. , , . , , . , - . - . .

, , - . . - . . . 43 -. 1854. .

, , . 1370. - . . , - . - .

, - - . . . - - .

85

-- - . , , , , , . . -- .

XIV : , - ; - 1371. ; , , , , - ; . ; - , , ; , . ; ; . , ; , .

- . - : ,1209. ; ( ), 1222-1228.; ( ), 1251-1252. . ( I ), 1260. ; , 1307-1313. , 1320. ( ), ( ), 1342-1346. ; - . , 1365. , 1364-1365. .

- .

86

. .

- , . . XIII I. , . . -- : . , 13. ; . , 15. ; . , 17. .

, , , -, , -- , 13. , , 15. , 17. - .

- XIV . e , .

:- . , . , , III-IV, 1952-1953, 1953, 45-74.- . , , - 1996.- . , , (), 2002.- . , , , , , II, 2011, 113-147.- . , , VI, 2012.- . , , .

87

The church of the Purification of

the Virgin Mary in the Velue

The monastery with the church of the Vavedenje Bogorodice (Purification of theVirgin Mary) in the village Velue is located besides the little river Srebrnica whichflows down the slopes of the mountain Go toward the right riverbank of the riverZapadna Morava, on the right side of the road Kraljevo-Trstenik-Kruevac. It islocated in the region which belonged to the tribal states Rasina and Joanica in theMiddle Ages near the silver and copper mines. This region is rich in ore, farming,vineyard and farming land and land with lots of forests was a compact economicaland administrative unit in the possession of the powerful Serbian Czar Despot Ivani.

The church is mentioned for the first time in the authentic Charter which wasissued to the monastery of St. Panteleimon on the Holy Mount Athos by the PrinceLazar in 1380-1381 and in the Charter of this widow, nun Jevgenija and her sons from1395 and 1400. The church is also mentioned in the Turkish census from 1536-1576and it was restored in 1833-1836 during the rule of the Duke Milo Obrenovi whenthe name Velue also appears for the first time. On that occasion the upper faade ofthe church was painted in a nave and not high quality way with the subjects thatwere in the function of defense against demonic forces. Despite that, the decorationon the faade of Velua represents uniqueness.

Bogorodiina Church in Velua was built by the Czar Despot Dejan and his wifeTeodora before 1370 and they had it painted form 1370 to 1371, as a family memoryand the mausoleum in the inheritance territory of his parent, Despot Ivani. In thisway the whole chronology of Moravia architecture had been changed as well asduration of its forming in the time of Serbian Medieval State: Naupar (cca. 1350),Drena (cca. 1355), Lepenac, Melentija (cca. 1360) Velue (Before 1370).

Tsar Despot Ivani was a father in law to Duan, and grandfather to Prince Lazar,on his mothers side. In the first zone of frescoes in the nave and the narthex ahorizontal genealogic picture of the founders is presented and it is in the direct linewith the portraits of St. Simeon Nemanja and St. Sava and missing the currentSerbian ruler, Czar Stefan Nemanja Uro V: Despot Ivani with his wife, DespotDejan and his wife Teodora, Despot Jovan Dejan Draga, Duke Dimitrije, MisterKonstantin Draga with his wife Tamara Asen and their son Oliver, who died young.The archeological researches have confirmed the existence of tombs in the nave andthe narthex belonging to the members of the founding family.

88

The idea of a family tomb of Nemanji character has been thoroughly andthoughtfully conducted in Velua. The position of the tomb was also clearlyconducted by their hierarchical comprehension of the church space. The founder ofthe temple used to be buried in the western part of nave, primarily on the south orwest side.

In the first case, the honorary spot in the northern part belonged to one of theclosest members of the family. The other members of the rulers family were buriedin the narthex. The tomb of the founder in the west part of the nave represents animportant quality of the ruling funeral that had been conducted with Serbs withoutexception.

With the bell tower that was there over the narthex, trefoil base, with alternatebuilding of cut stone and bricks and the specific rich stone plastic, the church has allthe typical building characteristic of Morava architecture. The narrowed trefoil witha dome over the nave and the narthex the church is of the mausoleum type of churchof the rulers or high nobles. The time of construction and the exceptional similaritywith the church St Stefan in Kruevac marks the Bogorodiina Church in Velua themodel for construction. A specific uniqueness of the church of St Bogorodica (Virgin)is its orientation with a 43 degrees deviation off the direction west-east. The oldiconostas had not been kept, and the present one has been built around 1854 and hasno significant artistic value.

In the beginning of the painting works, while painting the dome space, therenowned founders found a very good painter, but he, for some reason ended hiswork never finishing the job. Around 1370 the founders did not have an opportunityto find a good painter, so they hired a group of painters from the Seacoast that had noqualities. Their drawings were much more simplified and painting procedure quitepoor. The flat portraits and bodies without volume with thin arms are weightless.And in combination with poor colouring they clearly stand aside compared to thetotal medieval Serbian painting. By style, but spatially very far away, the similaritiescan only be found in the paintings of Georgia.

On the other hand, the total ideological and theological creation of the paintingprogram is on a very high level and undoubtedly expresses the spirituality of thefounder and the local episcope. The symbolical connection had been set and betweencycles where all the saints of the church year were presented together with thecomposition of the The Doom. The organic connection has been established with thewhole content of Christian dogma and the earthly history of the founder and hisfamily. The program narration has strong messages on multiple family and legalbelonging to the ruling house of Nemanji.

The orderer of the Velua paintings had their own ideal vision that was connectedto the rulers program and being well informed and with the theological

89

eschatological understanding of their own religion and church of the Second Comingof Christ and the just judgment of the whole humanity. Therefore The Doom, done indetail and presented in the narthex, is organically connected to the whole contents ofChristian dogma in the nave of Velua, from the incarnation of Christ, Passion andResurrection to the return and direct connection to St Simeon Nemanja and St Savathrough painting narration he told the believers of the basic ideological idea of thefounders family of the multiple connection to the ruling house of Nemanji.

It is quite visible that great percentage of the painted scenes of Velua frescoes aredirectly connected to the monuments of narrative styles of Serbia in the first half ofthe 14th century and not Moravska Serbia: the emphasis of Nemanji cult in fullfigure in a very prominent place, the Passion of Christ under The Assumption ofVirgin in the west wall of the nave; the Doom in the narthex painted in Nemanjiendowments until 1371; the founders family included in the fresco of the Doom, suchas the ones in Studenica, Mileeva, Sopoani, Graanica, Bogorodica Ljevika andDeani; the day of Prepolovljenje (May, 5th) in the sub dome part as in St Archangelin Kuevite; common usage of clothes decorated with letters as in Old Nagoriin,Anderas, Markos monastery and Matej, the placing of Deisis in the northern part ofthe of the nave as in Markos monastery, St Atanasije in Kostur and Zaum; ThePresentation of Virgin analog to the Markos monastery; St Peter and Paul next to theentrance to the nave with the direct analogy in Deani, Kueviste and Lesnovo; angelPahiel that can be seen in Old Nagoriin, Bogorodica Perivlepta in Ohrid andBogorodica Ljeviska.

If we talk about Serbian areas, The Doom was painted in the narthexes of the greatendowments of Nemanjas descendants. Such is the case exclusively with thechurches of the monumental and narrative styles: Bogorodiina Church in Studenica,in 1209; Vaznesenje Hristovo in Mileeva (King Vladislav) 1222 to 1228; BogorodiinaChurch in Moraa (Prince Stefan Nemanja-Vukans) 1251-1252 and Sveta Trojica inSopoani (King Uros I Nemanja) 1260; Bogorodica Ljeviska in Prizren 1307-1313 andBogorodicina Church in Graanica, 1320 (King Milutin), and Vaznesenje Hristovo inDeani (king Stefan Nemanja Deanski and King Duan), 1342-1346; in GrigoriesGallery of St Sophia, 1365 and in the southern narthex of Virgin Privlepta (1364-1365)

Thus, the striking presentation of The Doom in Velua should be interpreted asrulers and tsars iconography and setting of the divine rights of earthly rule of thefounders, their parents as suzerains and their descendants. The allegorical languageof The Doom is the most suitable for making the rulers ideas and the rights that comefrom the blood and the Lineage popular. It could also be the allegory of the divineprovidence and wisdom in connection with a specific horizontal dynasty image thisfamily.

90

The Doom is in symbolical function with the rulers iconography and setting of thedivine rights of the earthly rule of the founders their parents as suzerains and theirdescendants. The symbolism of The Doom in Velua is not only symbolical but itcontains some historical reality. As a mausoleum building Velua has an overallpainting program of funerary character that fits into all traditions that were set in thebeginning of the 13th century by the archiepiscope Sava I. that is why the Phaseconcept of in the narthex of the family memory is connected to the death of theyoungest and early deceased Oliver, the grandson of the founder and the descendantof this lineage of rulers. The way of virtue was allusively presented, that he wastreading accompanied by saints in order to reach Heaven. The point of Olivers deathhad been ideally, symbolically and artistically well presented through phases by thechoice of the saints who clearly mark the calendar of the destiny of death and burialof young Oliver: St Archangel Gabriel, Jully 13th, St Kilik and Julita, Jully 15th, StMarina, July 17th.

The painting of the Veluas narthex, for the first time in the Serbian narrative artof its age has a painting program where the deceased, young gentleman Oliver, thenhis uncle Jovan Draga and Father Konstantin, allusively presented through phasesconnected with saints who represented the dates declaration, July 13th, their deathJuly 15th and funeral, July 17th where over their graves their portrait would bepainted, that associates on incurable grief of the whole family.

The exquisite narrative of the frescoes in Velua has a direct analogy in themonuments of Serbia in the first half of 14th century and the age of the Empire andthus it threads forcefully together with the chronology of its founders. In accordancewith that, it can naturally be stated that the frescoes of Velua stand out from theMoravski style by style and iconography and joins the narrative style, and thearchitectural features mark this church as a predecessor of building style in the age ofPrince Lazar.

: , Translated into English: by Mirjana Marusic, professor

93

-

( . )

94

:

1. 2. . 3. . 4. 5. . 6. . 7. 8. 9. 10.

97

()

( )

:

1. 2. - (?)3. 4. (?)5. . (?)6. ()7. ( )8. 9.

100

:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. : . , . , . . 7. 8. 9. : . , , . 10. . 11. . 12. . 13. 14. 15. (?)16. . 17. . 18. . 19. . 20. . 21. . 22. 23. . 24. . (?)

102

:

1. 2. 3. (??)4. (?)5. (?)6. (?)7. 8. 9. . 10. (?)11. (?)12. (?)13. 14. 15. 16. 17. (?)18. (?)19. (?)20. (?)21. (?)22. . 23. (?)24. . 25. (?)

104

:

1. (?)2. (?)3. (?)4. 5. (?)6. 7. 8. (?)9. (?)10. 11. 12. . 13. . 14. . 15. 16. 17. . 18. . (?)19. (?)

106

:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. . 8.

108

:

1. - 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. . 8.

110

,

-

:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. . 6. . 7. . 8. .

112

:

1. 2. . 3. 4. . 5. . J6. 7. 8. . (?)

1836.

114

1836.

115

. - , , . . 1198. . - .

, , , . . . , 1400. , . - , 1426. . . , 1459. , .

. 1521. -, , 1718. , . XIX . , XVIII . . , .

, IX XIII . , - , , . . , . , , -

116

. , XV , 1805. . , , ., , , , , , .

, , 1830. , , . : . , , , . , .

. , -, 19751977. . , - . , . - . . , XIV , 1439. , 1444..

. . . . - . - . . . . . .

117

. XV - 4,5 . - - XI . - . 2 : 1. .

- . 1 : 1,5, 1 : 1. 1 : 2. . 1 : 3 . , , 18 .

. - , , .

, XIV , - , 1 : 1, . , , . , - .

, - , . . , - , ,

118

, . - . , , - , 1830. , . .

1830. , . - . .

. . . - .

. - . . - . . - . , , .

. , . , , , . , -, , . . - . . , 13371339. . ,

119

- .

-. - . . XV . - . - . , , - , , - , .

- , . . . . - , , .

- (11). . . , . . - . XI . . -- . - XVII .

. . - . ,

120

, - . , , , .

, - , , . , , , - . , . - , 1430. 1480. . - . , , , - XIV XV ( ).

: , , , . , 1430. , - 14271436. . - , , , 1720. 1818. .

. - . - - , . , , , . . , , XIV .

121

- . 1458. , - . . . . - . - . , , , , , 1444. . - : , , . , 1459. . -, 14761525. . . 15591560. , 1525. 1559. .

, , , , 1476. , , , , - . - , . . , . 1444. . , 1459. . , - -.

:- . , - , I, 1956, 147-155.- . , , 4, 1968, 121-166.- . , , 1992.- . , . , 2, 2005, 42-56.- . , , (), 2010.

122

The church of Saint Nicholas in

Ramaa

The village Ramaca and the Church of Saint Nicholas are situated on the easternslopes of the mountain Rudnik, at the foot of the Big and Little Peak, known as thePeaks of Ramaca. It is a question of the region which all along belongs to the broaderregion of Lepenica, being named after the river of the same name. Lepenica ismentioned for the first time in the year 1198 when the Grand Zupan StefanNemanja, after having liberated it, integrates it in his state as a border Zupa towardsHungary. The mineral resources and the important medieval road directions madethe Upper Lepenica a strategically important stronghold of the medieval SerbianState.

The region of Ramaca borders to the west on the former rich, but not so large, areaabundant in ore deposits in the confluence of the river Srebrnica which flows into theriver Jasenica. On its mouth the dispersed town of the same name of Srebrnica withthe square was developed. This was the town where the Court of Duke Nikola Zojicwas situated and his Court Church as well. When he was dislodged, around 1400,Despot Stefan Lazarevic took over his Court and the Church belonging to it andSrebrnica became one of his capitals. The Serbian State-Church Council was held init where Despot Stefan Lazarevic declared his nephew Djuradj Brankovic hissuccessor in the year 1426. According to the fact that the village Zlovsnica, as apossession of the Grand Logotet Stefan Ratkovic, was under the authority ofLepenica, it follows that Srebrnica belonged to Lepenica. First under the Turks, afterthe year 1459, Srebrnica was separated from Lepenica and subordinated to Ostrovicaand Rudnik.

The church is not mentioned in the medieval sources. For the first time the villageRamaca is mentioned with this name in the diary of a Turkish military leader fromthe year 1521, and afterwards, not until the year 1718, in the Austrian census. Right tothe middle of the 19th century there was in the vicinity also the village Kumaniwhich became the integral part of Ramaca. The church in Ramaca is not mentionedin the medieval sources; it is mentioned for the first time in the first half of the 18thcentury. The Church of Saint Nicholas is often called Ramaca, but from ancient timesit is known as Kumanica by the people.

The Turanian pagan peoples, Pachenegs and Cumans migrated to the Balkan ingreater waves from the end of the 9th to the end of the 13th century. After the

123

naturalization, adopting of the Orthodox Christianity and language Cumans wereassimilated by the Serbs, Bulgarians, wallachians and Greeks. Even two Serbianempresses were of the Cumanic descent. The Hungarian Cumanic princess Katalenawas the spouse of King Dragutin and the Bulgarian princess Ana Terter, a member ofRoyal House, was the second spouse of King Milutin. The numerous place names thathave been preserved until today on the whole Serbian ethnic space, from Lika inCroatia to Kumanovo in Macedonia witness that the Cumans were a numerous andsignificant population. Although being Christians, the Serbs adopted the Cumaniccustom of wearing their hair long and gathered up in a queue, and stopped wearingit from the year 1805. To this Serbian-Cumanic corpus, to all appearances, belong alsothe churches retained in the peoples mind under the names of Kumanica nearBrodarevo, and especially in Ramaca where the Founders of the church, a priest andhis brother, or his older son were represented with the queues and characteristicbeards and moustaches.

The first major reconstruction of at that time monastery church with the narthexwas made in the year 1830 by Sima Milutinovic Pastrmac from Ramaca, Duke ofPrince Milos Obrenovic, who was also buried on the south side of the church. Theformer monastery complex has been preserved quite well until today: the church ofSaint Nicholas with the narthex, nearly rectangular yard enclosed with the low stonewall, monk necropolis, shelter, and tower belfry. Besides the Church and its painting,all other objects do not have any architectural values.

Concerning the period of the building of Saint Nicholas Church in Ramaca, we gotto know it on the basis of the exploration of its architectural condition during thereconstruction in the years 1975-1977. The contemporary, reconstructed appearanceof the church is different from the appearance of the church on the model in thehands of the Founders. First of all, it can be seen on the model that the Church andthe cupola were covered with ceramics and that the church had a gable roof. On thebasis of the found lead fragments and rivets, the covering of the roof and cupola wasreconstructed of lead. It came to light that there were more architectural phases withthe considerable chronology. In accordance with it, it was presented the thesis on itsbuilding in the 14th century and demolishment and partly destruction up to abovethe arches and vaults in the year 1439 and the reconstruction and painting after theyear 1444 as well.

The Saint Nicholas Church in Ramaca belongs to the temple churches with thebasis of the condensed inscribed cross with one cupola which is supported bypilasters and arches. The pilasters divide the nave into three areas - called traves. Thespace of the traves is related to the funerary practice. Since the west trave of Ramacais narrow, the burial space with the founders` composition is placed in the south partof the middle trave. The tambour of the cupola is semicircular from inside and eight-

124

sided from outside with alternately glazed and exceptionally narrow windows. Thewindows and their portals are simple and without any profiling and plasticdecoration what is unimaginable in the Moravian architecture so that this churchgets a distinguishing feature by it. It was built of the stone and then plastered with athin layer of lime mortar without using bricks and ceramic and plastic elements. Asimple entrance portal and only three windows is a characteristic of small churchesof the ascetic maximalism which as revived at the time before the end of theperiod of Moravian Serbia. So, the church of Saint Nicholas in Ramaca is classified tothe group of the Moravian Serbia monuments which distinguish the style of themuch older school of Rascia. The analysis of the church architecture shows a highlevel of the mathematic and theological knowledge and building skills. The observedprojecting principles which were applied in the renovation of the church in the 15thcentury show that the.

Builder managed by his knowledge to put into effect the building principles of histime and to build on the discovered fundament the church of the exceptionalslenderness taking the third Heaven to the height of 4.5 modular diameters. Theprotomaster used the already established model of the single nave and single cupolachurch with the compact base of the inscribed Cross defined and canonicallyprescribed back in the 11th century by which it was applied the module of the circlederived from the circle which defines the total sacral length of the temple. This oldmodel of churches of this type understands the minimal sacral circle drawn from thecenter of the projected cupola circle on which all outer vertexes and apse edges mustbe placed. It was adopted the module which represents the diameter of the cupolaand by which it is defined in advance the inner nave length to the nave width inproportion of 2:1.

The churches of this type had a certain limited practice and in order to be used forthe celebrating of the General Liturgy, a number of building parts were broadened forthat purpose.

The substructure which supports the cupola of the church in Ramaca is squarereflecting the projecting rule based on the theological understanding of the Christianmodel of the Universe. The proportion of the width to the length of the church inRamaca is 1 : 1.5, and the church height to its total sacral length is approximatelymore than 1 : 1. The diameter of the vaulted cupola to the width of the nave is in theproportion of 2 : 1. The same proportion is established between the width and thelength, and such a proportion is also between the total width and the height of thetemple. The inner diameter of the cupola to the inner nave length is in proportion of1:3. The centre of the sub-cupola arches, or to be precise vaults is located at the heightof the module, or to be precise at 18 feet. The geometrical centre of the church inRamaca is situated in the point which is projected on the floor, representing the

125

centre of the cupola circle. From this point can be drawn the circle whichencompasses almost ideally the dimensions of the church, or rather all externalangles and the apse.

By the analysis of the base and the segments of an older architecture, from the 14thcentury and by the application of the church proportions of the older periods as well that is to say the proportion of the internal nave length to the height of the greatcircle of the cupola 1 : 1 the theoretical reconstruction of the appearance of thechurch was accomplished. In regard to the younger church, the older one was,probably, about one third lower. That church looked, therefore, more elongated androbust approaching the appearance which it had on the painted model.

On the basis of the preserved segment of the upper zone of the former builticonostasis in the church in Ramaca and according to the model of the onlycompletely preserved low built iconostasis in Bela Crkva in Karan, it wasaccomplished the reconstruction of its entire architectural structure and of theimplemented painting program as well. The northeast pilaster of the church isdiscovered to be cut in the shape of an arch and it was so conserved by the architectwho explored and reconstructed the design and the style of the building.Disregarding the existence of the former built iconostasis, the architect had thesoutheast pilaster, which was also cut in the shape of an arch, walled up, thinkingthat it was partly destroyed on that segment. Actually, here was the south passagethrough the iconostasis which is unjustifiably closed by the act of the walling up. Themiddle entrance to the altar, the Beautiful Gates were formed by two pillars whichere destroyed long ago, most probably during the reconstruction in the year 1830when the new wooden iconostasis was placed, preserved in part. On the west sides ofthe disappeared pillars of the built iconostasis were the precedent fresco-icons ofChrist and Virgin Mary holding little Christ.

The iconostasis from the year 1830 was painted by Janja Stergijevic the Painter,professionally a beautiful work, but without artistic qualities. The better work of artrepresents the Holy Rood and the wood-carved Royal Gates with the medallions. Thepresent day wooden iconostasis after the reconstruction has no southern entrance inthe altar, which is not the reflection of the former condition.

The scene Devotion of the Angels to the Blessed Virgin Mary makes ananachronistic feature of the painting in Ramaca. Also the depiction The dead liveChrist in the niche of the Proscomidy is also a distinctiveness. A large number ofdeacons were painted in the apse so that Ramaca belongs to the group of theMoravian churches with the greatest number of them. On the southern side of thealtar space the big busts and figures of the Holy Hierarchs are noticeable, as well asthe figures of a monk on whose pictures one insisted especially.

126

As in the other churches of the Moravian style, also in Ramaca striking to the eyeis a horizontal tier of bust portraits that consisted of 26 medallions at that time. Thechosen personalities belong to the circle of the great Egyptian and Sinai DesertFathers who were related with the same ideas and life principles. Their attendanceand powerful messages relating to their extraordinary acts of asceticism and life ofsolitude are in use of the act of salvation and future intention of the Founder apriest who wants to enter into a monk order. St. Macarius the Great, as a theologicalmodel and monastic primordial form of the Founder is especially elevated. The lightblue and light red bases of the medallions are in function of showing the light thatemanates from inside. The light yellow wall surfaces of the apse and the light fieldsof the medallions in harmony with the intensive color richness emanate the powerfullight and in this sense Ramaca stands between all other Moravian churches, on oneside, and solitary Kalenic on the other.

The Founders of Saint Nicholas Church in Ramaca are a nameless priest and hisbrother, or maybe his older son. The boy in front of him is, certainly, his son, or to beprecise his older son. The priest has a large, quite long beard, specific, long andstraight moustaches, and very long hair which he gathered up in a pigtail - queue.The identical appearance and hairstyle has also his older son. Such an analogousappearance and hairstyle cannot be found in the whole Byzantine painting. Thehairstyle was characteristic for the Cumans, indicating that the Founder was of theCumanic descent. In the Serbian medieval painting we record the appearance of thewhite priest only in Bela Crkva in Karan, from 1337-1340. However, parish priestswere often successors or privileged holders of the church manors and founders ofsmaller churches in the system of the Serbian medieval State.

The intertwining of the sacred and profane that is emphasized by the programof the ruler and the State is closely connected with the local bishop and rulers family.The hope of the proper salvation in the prayer of the Founder is founded on thetemple as a pledge that is offered to God by mediation of Saint Nicholas as a patron.The uniqueness of the depiction of the saint patron lies in his appearing from theLunette on Heaven, and such a depiction appears more often from the second half ofthe 15th century by the Serbs. To the Founders` composition and tier of medallions isrelated a composition of the numerous Holy warriors who metaphorically expresstheir essence of the arms of God. The Holy warriors of Ramaca are even finer andsubtler in relation to the other Holy warriors of the Moravian churches. With thegraceful and soft movements, elegant agility, refined and dynamic combat attitudes,but transcendentally absent and contemplatively calm, with white bands and pearlwreathes in hair they bring to light the idea of the painters and Founders to drawthem near the archangels and angels, the warriors of the Heaven army.

127

It is conspicuous the absence of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, as wellas the Holy Founders of the Nemanjic dynasty, St. Simon and St. Sava, whichindicates that the Founders were distant from the lineage of Nemanja`s family. Thedepiction of the Archdeacon and First Christian Martyr Stefan, which is repeatedseveral times, points out that the suzerain of the Founder had a personal reason forsuch a depiction, which indicates certain identifications, first of all, his name or themeanings of his name.

The cycle of Saint Nicholas in Ramaca excels in its interesting subject matter andnumerous scenes (11). There are four miracles for each that Saint Nicolas performedduring his lifetime and after death. It is conspicuous the absence of a greater numberof scenes from the Life Cycle, and especially absence of the Miracle of Returning theSight to King Stefan Decanski that was obligatory in the Serbian painting because ofits popularity. Also the scene The Saint Nicolas saves Vasilije from the Saracencaptivity in two pictures represents a distinctiveness, the Saint being represented onthe horse, and the text written in the Turkish (Cumanic) language in the Serbiantranscription. This scene, which came into existence in the first half of the century, isconnected with the interpretation of the Byzantine conflict with the Arabs. The onlyanalogy to such a representation of Saint Nicholas and to the text in the Turkishlanguage can be found in the painting of Saint Nicholas in Brezovo near Ivanjicafrom the first half of the 17th century.

The painting of Ramaca does not represent the integrated stylistic whole. There aretwo understandings that are established, the coloristic one and the toning one. Thecoloristic technique is applied to the less numerous figures of the low temple zone inthe Founders` and suzerains composition, implemented by a very competent painterand prior of this not so large taifa. The saints, hermits and monks in the medallions,as well as some Holy warriors with the schematized and reduced faces, were paintedby a less competent painter, the faces being schematized and reduced. To thispainting taifa of the rulers` surroundings in Smederevo belonged the painters ofdifferent competence in painting, those who were competent to paint excellent worksof art, and those with less competence, being able to do only mediocre and poor ones.

Therefore, although the painting of Ramaca belongs to the routinely accomplishedtask on the local level, it is directly related to the Smederevo style which ischaracterized by the hoops of the medallions, decorated with the simple, black, toothornament, standing on the opposite side of the decoration of the Resava medallions ofthe rainbow net. The black and white tooth and rectangular wavy ornaments of themedallion bands in Ramaca are, one can say, the uniqueness in the whole medieval,Christian-Orthodox painting. This simple ornamentation exists in the westernRomanesque and Gothic painting, but on the Byzantine culture region it is used onlyin the external decoration of the facades with the ceramic and plastic elements. The

128

stylistic and chronological analogy of such a simple ornamentation of the Ramacamedallions is present only on the towers of the town Smederevo from the years 1430and 1480. Such ornamentation on the buildings has theprotective, apotropeicfunctionandpower. The picturesque, branched and flowered vine scroll, which framesthe medallions, are created on the model of the miniature painting of the fourteenth,and especially fifteenth century or on the prototype of the Monastery of Christ ofHora, in Istanbul, called also Karije mosque.

The painting of Ramaca is under the influences of the different regions as Kosovoand Metohija, Macedonia and Morava river basin, the models of which it reflects;however, it follows, first of all, the achievements of the Moravian-Resavian paintingwhich inherits the true theology in colours.

The analysis of the narrowed and pointed Serbo-Slavic letters in the inscriptions inRamaca shows the resemblance to the inscriptions in Koporin and Josanica, 1430, andespecially to the letters of the tombstones in the period of 1427-1436. In the followingtimes the monks of the monastery made several interesting records written downwith the Serbo-Slavonic cursive writing, dark brown ink, goose feather or byengraving with a sharp object around 1720 and 1818.

The absence of the inscriptions in the Founders and rulers composition and thelack of any historical sources about the church of St. Nicholas caused theidentification of the historical personalities in the former period to be completelyhypothetical. Many authors connected the Founder and Ruler from Ramaca withDuke Nikola Zojic, basing their anticipations on failing to see the clear facts of thevalid sources that he did not have male children and that he entered into the monkorder with his wife and four daughters, or rather that he could not become a priest.Therefore, Duke or monk Nikola Zojic is not portrayed in Ramaca at all and thechurch in Ramaca, thereupon, cannot be equated with his church St. Nicholas inSrebrnica at the foot of Rudnik and last but not least, the painting of the church inRamaca did not come into existence at the end of the fourteenth century if we alsoconsider its style characteristics.

We have been proving that the Suzerain of the Founder of Ramaca is the Logotheteand Grand Logotet of the Serbian Despotate, Stefan Ratkovic with his spouse. Werelied on the Charter of the Bosnian King Stefan Tomas that he issued to LogotetStefan, by which he was entitled to the villages of Lepenica-region Zlovsnica, Kutlesiand Draginovci in which his Court was situated. All these villages are in the closevicinity of Ramaca. By the same Charter Stefan was also entitled to the villageVrbova, together with the church of St. Nicholas of priest Vrlo. We have determined,by bringing forward the evidence, that the former village Vrbova is the present dayvillage Mala Vrbica which borders on Ramaca. For that reason it was made therecognition of the former village Draginovac in the region of Ramaca, the

129

neighboring village Dobraca and St. Nicholas church, as the Court Church of StefanRatkovic, which he renovated after the liberation of Serbia in 1444. In accordancewith the so established chronology the personalities of the suzerain and ruler on thewest nave wall were identified: Metropolitan of Smederevo Atanasije, DespotDjurdje, Great Logotet Stefan Ratkovic and his spouse of the unknown name. Itresults that the successors of Stefan Ratkovic did not leave Serbia after the Fall to theTurks, in the year 1459. Bearing in mind the contents of the census of Zlovsnica,Srebrnica and Rudnik from the years 1476-1525, we see that Stefan Ratkovic is only apriest Stefan, and his son Stefan, a goldsmith, and his grandson, also a goldsmith, arevery wealthy Turkish feudal lords in Rudnik and Zlovsnica. As they are notmentioned in the census of 1556-1560 any more, they moved to Hungary between1525 and 1559.

By discovery of Novak Vrlo, most probably the son of Priest Vrlo, who was a priestin the Court Church in Srebrnica, in the year 1476, and his sons Oliver and Kuzma aswell, and then numerous descendants among who there were also priests, one lightedupon the final solution which is based on the sources and chronology. It becameevident who the priests and his two sons are, that is who the Founders of St. Nicholaschurch in Ramaca are. It is a question of the priest Novak Vrlo and his two sons, olderOliver and younger Kuzma. Novak renovated the church of St. Nicholas in Ramaca,after 1444, and after 1459 he was given the Court Church of Duke Nikola Zojic andDespot Stefan in Srebrnica.

: , Translated into English by: Bratislav Sreckovic, professor

130

. , XIV-XV

131

, XIV-XV , XIV-XV

XV

132

:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. . 8. 9. 10. . 11. . 12. . 13. . 14. - (?)15. - (?)16. , 17. 18.

XIV-XV

134

-

135

:

1. . 2. . 3. . (?)4. 5. . 6. . 7. . (?)8. 9. 10. . 11. 12. 13. . 14. 15. 16. (??)17. . - 18. . 19. . 20. .

21. . 22. . 23. . 24. . 25. . 26. . 27. . 28. . 29. . 30. . 31. . 32. . 33. . 34. . 35. 36. - 37. 38. . (?)39. . (?)40. . 41. .

138

. :

139

:

1. 2. . (?)3. . (?)4. . (?)5. 6. 7. 8. . 9. . 10. . 11. . 12. . 13. . (?)14. 15. .

16. . 17. . 18. . - 19. . 20. . 21. - 22. 23. . 24. . 25. . (?)26. . 27. . 28. .

142

.

.

.

.

. .

143

:

1. - 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. . 7. . 8. . 9. . 10. . 11. 12. 13. 14. . 15. . 16. . 17. . 18. . 19. . 20. . 21. . 22. . 23. . 24. - 25. . (?)26. . (?)27. . 28. . 29. . 30. . (?)31. . 32. .

146

.

147

, 1720-1728.

1818.

,

148

-