The endowment of King
Crkva sa pet kupola bila je pravi kuriozitet u sakralnoj kulturi 14. veka, rezervisana za najbogatije države Churches with five domes were a genuine marvel in the sacred architecture of the early 14 th century, reserved only for the wealthiest countries
Milutin, one of the most powerful rulers of the Nemanjić dynasty, still lives in glory, but also the peace of the long since bygone period of the early 14 th century, when it was erected (1321). Under a huge, always dramatic sky, this five-domed building is simultaneously a house of prayer and a tourist attraction T hat which is seen by hundreds of thousands of guests who visit the church dedicated to the Mother of God every year is the subtle sig- nature of the builder, whose name history has forgotten. Built in the Byzantino-Ser- bian style, Gračanica is characterised by its contrast of red and yellow bricks. The interior of the temple takes one’s breath away thanks to the works of the period’s greatest masters of fresco painting, Mi- chael Astrapas and Eutychios of Thessa- loniki, who incorporated scenes from the Old and New Testaments into a harmo- nious whole. The rivers of curious visitors rush by the inscription to the founder as if not no- ticing it, because it is not shown frontally, according to the custom of fresco paint- ing, but rather is slightly set to one side, in a humble gift to Christ. - If you examine more closely, you can note that Milutin isn’t wearing his royal ring, that he renounces earthly privileg- es in order to express humility before the Lord while giving him the gift of Gračan- ica – says Boban Todorović, who remains fascinated by the beauty of these frescoes even after 30 years in the position of the curator of one of Serbia’s most magnificent holy sites. According to Todorović, Milutin dreamed up this masterpiece as a meta- phor of five clouds representing domes. Depicted opposite Milutin as the hus- band on the same arch that forms the founder’s composition is his fourth wife, Byzantine princess Simonida, daughter of the famous Andronicus II Paleologus.“The marriage was political in nature and repre- sented a pledge to the friendship between the Serbian kingdom and the Byzantine empire,” explains Todorović. Simonida’s dowry encompassed vast expanses, in- cluding the then Macedonia, which was aimed at stopping the military advances of the Serbian king, which were crowned by military victories.
strance, u skrušenom poklonu Hristu. – Ako pažljivije zagledate, mo- žete da primetite da Milutin ne no- si kraljevski prsten, te da se odriče zemaljskih privilegija ne bi li izra- zio poniznost pred Gospodom dok mu predaje Gračanicu na poklon – priča Boban Todorović, još opčinjen lepotom fresaka i nakon 30 godina
rada na mestu kustosa jedne od naj- veličanstvenijih srpskih bogomolja. Milutin je, kaže Todorović, ovo re- mek-delo sanjao kao metaforu o pet oblaka, što predstavljaju kupole. Nasuprot mužu na istom luku koji čini ktitorsku kompoziciju naslikana je Milutinova četvrta supruga, vizan- tijska princeza Simonida, kći čuve-
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