Shirgj Church

Shkodër, Albania

The Shirgj Church was built in 1290 by Helen of Anjou, queen consort of the Serbian Kingdom, wife of Serbian king Stefan Uroš I, and mother of kings Dragutin and Milutin. Apparently the monastery was constructed on top of an existing structure: according to apocryphal documents, the original monastery is mentioned as erected by Justinian, whereas in other sources its existence is mentioned as an abbey starting from 1100. The presence of a pillar of black granite, a material which originates from Syria and was often used in 6th-century basilicas in Albania, demonstrates that the construction of the original building may indeed lie in the 6th century.

A document dated 22 October 1330 mentions the monastery as the rendezvous point of the king of Rascia with ambassadors of Ragusa. In another document dated 1333, the monastery is mentioned as the customs' place of the kingdom of Rascia.

In the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, it is alleged that several members of the Vojislavljević dynasty of Duklja were buried here, such as Mihailo I, Constantine Bodin, Dobroslav, Vladimir and Gradinja.

Marino Bizzi, the Archbishop of Antivari at the time, wrote in a 1611 report to the Vatican that heavy damages were inflicted to the church as a result of the Ottoman presence in Albania. In 1684, Pjetër Bogdani reported that the church's bell had been put underground. Daniele Farlati also mentioned the church in his Illyricum sacrum. In 1790 archbishop Frang Borci informed Coletti, Farlati's assistant, who was about to republish Illyricum sacrum, that the church was the most beautiful of Albania.

The French consul in Iskodra noted that the monastery's frescoes could still be seen in the church in 1905. At that time only three of the four perimeter walls were still standing. Ippen, then Austrian consul of Iskodra, observed that in the late 1800s and early 1900s the gravediggers of Shirgj would find old mosaics. At present, only a single wall remains and the mosaics can no longer be seen.

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Shirgj, Shkodër, Albania
See all sites in Shkodër

Details

Founded: 1290
Category: Religious sites in Albania

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

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User Reviews

N Na (12 months ago)
Originally an Orthodox church and monastery in the possession of early Serbian rulers and a votive burial church of pre-Nemanjic rulers. It was built in the 10th century during the expansion of Serbian rule on the coast and on the possessions held by the Roman Empire until then. From one of their bases, the fortress of Skadar in the former Roman province of Prevalis, the Serbian rulers extended their power down the Bojana, Drim and Madja rivers. This area used to be part of the Serbian maritime area. All the old emperors from the time of Vojislavljević to Emperor Bodin were buried there. Later, the penetration of Catholics began in the 12th century, which the rulers of Nemanjić suppressed over time. The area began to fall into disrepair in the second half of the 15th century, but was restored by the imperial beret with the Patriarchate of Peć in the 16th century. With the restoration of the Serbian Church, monastic life in the valleys of Bojana, Drima and Madja is also renewed, and the monastery was the seat of the Diocese of Skenderija. During the 17th century, the Congregation for the Propaganda of Faith began to work, an instrument of the Roman Catholic Church, which began to expand its missionary activity to this and neighboring Serbian dioceses. After two large migrations of Serbs, during the 18th century, monastic life died out, and the church became Catholic. In the 19th century, when the scholars and ethnologists Spiridon Gopčević, Jovan Cvijić, Jovan Erdeljanović and Ivan Jastrebov visited this church, this was a Catholic church and it was in a very bad condition, because the Bojana river constantly undermined the foundations. Due to the natural circumstances of the movement of the river's soil, this church was doomed to final destruction, and it was also mined during the Enver Hoxha dictatorship. In the 21st century, only one of its walls remained. Some records are recognizable and it can be seen that it was renovated by the Serbian Queen Jelena with her sons Kings Dragutin and Milutin.
Spirit Albania (16 months ago)
Sirius Church
Ardys Sheqi (3 years ago)
Shirgji Church an Bizante architecture
Terenc Pepa (3 years ago)
Mike (4 years ago)
The Orthodox Serbian church was built in 1290 by Helen of Anjou, queen consort of the Serbian Kingdom, wife of Serbian king Stefan Uroš I, and mother of kings Dragutin and Milutin.[3] Apparently the monastery was constructed on top of an existing structure: according to apocryphal documents, the original monastery is mentioned as erected by Justinian, whereas in other sources its existence is mentioned as an abbey starting from 1100.[3] The presence of a pillar of black granite, a material which originates from Syria and was often used in 6th-century basilicas in Albania, demonstrates that the construction of the original building may indeed lie in the 6th century.[1] A document dated 22 October 1330 mentions the monastery as the rendezvous point of the king of Rascia with ambassadors of Ragusa.[1] In another document dated 1333, the monastery is mentioned as the customs' place of the kingdom of Rascia.[1] In the Chronicle of the Priest of Duklja, it is alleged that several members of the Vojislavljević dynasty of Duklja were buried here, such as Mihailo I, Constantine Bodin, Dobroslav, Vladimir and Gradinja.[4]
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