Page 649 - Kosovo Metohija Heritage

zation in accordance with their wishes after the war. Having received this official guarantee, Patriarch arsenije, together with 36,000 Serbian families, migrated to Srem, Slavonia and the area of Buda and Szentendre (Saint andrew’s town). From the notes in Sima Todorović’s booklet, a Zemun teacher, who started recording events in his notebook in 1808: Ni iii, 123 (5488)
THe OTTOMaNS aRe aTTeMPTiNG TO ReMOVe THe LeaD FROM THe ROOF OF THe PeĆ PaTRiaRCHaTe
Let it be known when chaushs [officers or heralds in the Ot- toman army] came to remove the lead from the church roof but the attempt was of no avail; this happened in 1706.
The inscription on the eastern wall in Danilo’s Narthex, the Patri- archate of Peć
THe STaTe OF THe CHURCHeS iN THe ReGiON OF PRiZReN, 1731
in 1731, in the time of the most blessed and the most enlight- ened men, Kyrr Patriarch Mojsej, came to Prizren on No- vember 10 and appointed isaija Dimitrijević as Metropoli- tan. and in that time, it so happened that, by the will of God, a lightning bolt struck a mosque and demolished it to the ground. i went to the village of Mushutishte and they did not receive me. i found a church devastated, the Holy Trinity Church. Then, again i came to the region of Koriša, to the Church of the Holy apostle Mark the evangelist and as there was no head [of the parish] and i appointed Kyrr Serapho (!) as abbot and administrator and entrusted the Holy Trinity Church to him as his skete to be his sign in the entire West and Serbian illyricum forever and ever. Penned by the Met- ropolitan of Prizren isaija Tucak, with his own hand.
The note in the MS of St. Mark’s Monastery in Prizren: Ni ii, 87 (2583)
THe FLeeiNG OF [PaTRiaRCH] aRSeNije iV aND THe SUFFeRiNG OF KOSOVO, 1737
Oh, in the year 1732 aD [definitely in 1737!] there was a great turmoil when the Germans occupied Nish and progressed as far as the vicinity of Sophia, to the so-called Halkalj; for it was followed by Pasha Cuprili Oglu’s attack on Sophia; he mustered up to six thousand soldiers in a mighty army that reoccupied Nish. in the same year, the archbishop of Samo- kov Simeon was slandered to the above-mentioned Pasha through false allegations that he had encouraged the Ger- mans to attack the Turks, hence having tortured him a lot, the Pasha had him hanged. in that time Serbian Patriarch Kyrr arsenije the Fourth was forced to evacuate himself. Oh, the countless ways of suffering of the Christian people who could not escape a single form of torture and persecution! These days it is impossible to write about it for fear of the Turks. Kosovo is also being seized. What else should i say: it was not hard like this in the days of Diocletian for the Lord allowed this due to our transgressions. i, Petar andre- jić penned this.
The note in a printed book from the Patriarchate of Peć: Ni V, 70 (7734–7737)
The Church of the Holy Mother of God Ljeviša converted into a Mosque, photo dated the end of the 19th century
MaHMUT-PaSHa RaVaGeS VaSOjeViĆi TRiBe eXPeLLiNG iTS iNHaBiTaNTS TO MeTOHija, 1737
(...) and in that year, Mahmut-Pasha marauded [the area of ] Vasojevići having its people either enslaved or expelled to Metochia, in the year 7246 (1737).
The note in the MS of the old National Library of Serbia, Belgrade: Ni ii, 114 (2725)
TaTaRS DeSTROY SeRBiaN ReLiCS, 1737
The relics of St. jevstatije were taken to rest to another place, i think to Crna Reka. The relics of St. arsenije were shat- tered and cut to pieces by infidel Sketes, barely had anything left of his head! O, Lord, ferocious peoples have come to our fatherland! 1737, March 21.
The note in the MS from St. Georges’ Church in Prizren: Ni i, 374 (1501)
THe ReFUGee CaMP iN RUGOVa aND THe ReTReaT OF THe PeOPLe TOWaRD BeLGRaDe, 1737
1737, on july 27, on this day, the Metropolitan of Belgrade Mojsej Petrović of the blessed memory reposed in the Lord in Belgrade. and today we have fled into the Rugova Moun- tains for fear of the Hagarenes for they, being expelled from their settlements and towns by German and South-Slavic armies, wrought their anger and brutality at Orthodox Chris- tians. They sought to commit some evil deeds against His Holiness Patriarch of Peć arsenije the Fourth but he was de- livered from their snare through the intercession of the Holy Mother of God. Together we walked from Peć all night and came to Rugova where we stayed for the night in the homes of some arbanasi [ethnic albanians] who received us with hospitality. From Rugova, however, the elder (i.e. the Patri- arch) departed on the journey to Vasojevići while i, after three days, went to Shekularci and was dwelling in a cave there for two days (...)
The note of the Sindjel Partenije Pavlović in the Karlovac Manu- script: Ni ii, 112–113 (2720)
Sources and Testimonies
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