Christ Carrying the Cross. Fresco from Dečani.

Visoki Dečani Monastery is a major Serbian Orthodox monastery, situated in Metohija, 12 km south from the town of Pec. Its cathedral is the biggest medieval church in the Balkans which contains the largest preserved monument of Byzantine fresco-painting. ... Metohija, also spelled Metohia (Serbian: Метохија; Albanian: Rrafshi i Dukagjinit (Dukagjin plateau)) is a large basin at the west of the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija, which is named after it. ... Peć (Пећ; Albanian Pejë or Peja) is a city located inKosovo at 42. ... The Balkans is the historic and geographic name used to describe southeastern Europe (see the Definitions and boundaries section below). ... The Byzantine Empire is the term conventionally used to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire during the Middle Ages, centred at its capital in Constantinople. ... A XIV Century fresco featuring Saint Sebastian Note: Fresco is the NATO reporting name of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17. ...

The monastery was established in a chestnut grove by king Stefan Dečanski in 1327. Its original founding charter is dated to 1330, however. Next year the king died and was buried at the monastery, which henceforth became his popular shrine. The construction activities were continued by his son Stefan Dusan until 1335, but the wall-painting was not completed until 1350. Stefan Dečanski (ca 1285 - 1331) reigned as king of Serbia from 1321 to 1331. ... Events January 25 - Edward III becomes King of England. ... Events The Bulgars under Michael III are beaten by the Serbs at Velbuzhd, and large parts of Bulgaria fall to Serbia. ... Tsar Stefan Uroš IV Dušan Silni (the mighty) (Цар Стефан Душан Силни) (around 1308-December 20, 1355) was a Serb king (September 8, 1331-1346) and tsar (1346-December 5, 1355). ... Events Abu Said dies and the Ilkhan khanate ends Slavery abolished in Sweden Charles I of Hungary allies with Poland against the Hapsburgs and Bohemians Carinthia and Carniola come under Habsburg rule. ... Events Hayam Wuruk becomes ruler of the Majapahit Empire The Black Death ravages Europe (1347-1351) Births Manuel II Palaeologus, future Byzantine Emperor John Montacute, 3rd Earl of Salisbury (approximate date). ...

The cathedral, dedicated to Christ Pantocrator and built from blocks of red-purple, light-yellow and onyx marble, was constructed by master-builders under the Franciscan monk Vitus of Kotor. It is distinguished from other contemporary Serbian churches by its imposing dimensions and obvious Romanesque features. Its celebrated frescoes comprise some 1000 portraits and cover all major themes of the New Testament. The cathedral contains original 14th-century wooden iconostasis, hegumen's throne and carved sarcophagus of king Stefan. Christ Pantocrator in a mosaic at Dafni, Greece The iconic image of Christ Pantocrator (Christ, Ruler of All) was a major image of Christ that eventually developed in the Early Christian Church, and remains a central icon of the Eastern Orthodox Church. ... Marble This page is about the metamorphic rock. ... Kotor and its bay Alley in Kotor Kotor Cathedral Kotor is a town in southwestern Montenegro, population 19,000, Kotor municipality 23,481 (2003). ... Romanesque St. ... The New Testament, sometimes called the Greek Testament or Greek Scriptures is the name given to the part of the Christian Bible that was written after the birth of Jesus. ... Iconostasis of Elias prophet church, Yaroslavl In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis (the plural is iconostases, whose last syllable rhymes with ease) is a wall of icons, religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. ... Hegumen, hegumenos, or ihumen (Greek: ἡγούμενος , Russian: игумен) is the title for the head of a monastery of the Eastern Orthodox Church, similar to the one of abbot. ... Stone sarcophagus of Pharaoh Merenptah A sarcophagus is a stone container for a coffin or body. ...

In 2004, UNESCO listed the monastery on the World Heritage List, citing its frescoes as "one of the most valued examples of the so-called Palaeologan renaissance in Byzantine painting" and "a valuable record of the life in the 14th century". 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... UNESCO logo The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, commonly known as UNESCO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations system established in 1946. ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ...

External links

• Evaluation by the World Heritage Committee
• Decani Monastery on www.kosovo.org