Page 39 - Kosovo Metohija Heritage

The Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
Commonly known as Church of St. Peter or simply Peter’s Church is a Serbian Orthodox church, the oldest intact church in Serbia and one of the oldest ones in the region, situated on a hill of Ras, the medieval capi- tal of the Serbian Grand Principality (Rascia), near Novi Pazar, Serbia. it is part of the Stari Ras complex, an UNeSCO World Heritage Site. it was founded in the 4th century during Roman rule, while additions were made in the 7th and 9th centuries, after which it served as the ecclessiastical seat of the Serbian church, and as the baptismal church and state council site of the Nemanjić dynasty, until the last years of the 12th cen- tury. The first Serbian bishopric (Diocese of Ras) was founded at the political center at Ras, near modern Novi Pazar on the ibar river. Ras itself originates from ancient arsa, and it is mentioned as a Serbian town in Constantine Vii’s De Administrando Imperio (r. 913–959). The church served as seat of the Serbian epar- chy, as the rotunda plan is characteristic of first court chapels. The bishopric was established shortly after 871, during the rule of Prince Mutimir (850–891), and was part of the general plan of establishing bishoprics in the Slav lands of the empire, confirmed by the Council of Constantinople in 879–880.
Studenica Monastery, Church of the Mother of God, 12th century
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