The monastery in the village of Gračanica, a short drive south of Pristina, is one of Kosovo's best religious monuments. Completed in 1321 and built by the legendary king of Serbia, Milutin Nemanjic, the Serbian Orthodox monastery church represents the height of Serbian Byzantine tradition and the so-called Paleologan Renaissance style. In "Black Lamb and Grey Falcon”, the ultimate Balkan travel book, Rebecca West can't get enough of the church, comparing it to the best of French cathedrals and using it as proof of the civilised status of Serb culture that fell with the Turkish invasion.
Dedicated to the Dormition of the Holy Virgin, the monastery's present form has slowly taken shape over the centuries. It is built with alternating layers of brick and stone and takes the form of a double inscribed cross, one inside the other. Its real beauty is hidden within, where several distinct periods of painting are visible, starting with the earliest in the nave, whose frescoes date from the time of the monastery's completion. Extremely well preserved, these paintings depict the early life of Jesus as well as the representations of the ecclesiastical calendar. Painting continued over for the next few hundred years, with additions including some wonderful frescoes added inside the recently remodelled narthex sometime around 1570.
Look for the wall featuring the fresco of the Day of Judgement, with terrifying examples of sinners (recognisable as Turks) going to Hell in a vast river of fire; elsewhere you can see portraits of the church architect and his queen. The frescoes
rank among the highest achievements of Milutin's Nemanjic rule, though some parts are darkened by soot or disfigured with scratched names. Several books about the frescoes, postcards and religious items are available for sale at the entrance.
This is the only place where you can pick up a copy of Crucified Kosovo, a book documenting all the Orthodox churches and monasteries that have been damaged or destroyed in Kosovo since the crisis, many while under the watch of UNMIK soldiers – though in the foreword, the highest Orthodox religious official in Kosovo blames the greed of Belgrade politicians for the whole situation.
Having suffered the worst effects of the numerous wars in the region, the monastery escaped the fate of so many others in 1999 and is now permanently guarded by Swedish KFOR troops. A Serbian enclave, the town itself is a depressing affair, with little to see beyond a lot of depressed-looking locals and Roma.
To get there from Pristina, take the bus to Gjilan, which passes through the town after 15 minutes. When driving, take the main road out of the city towards Skopje and just over hill as you leave the city turn right (signposted Gjilan; you'll see the large Gorenje building on your left, and this is where you have to go). The monastery entrance is easily spotted – it's under permanent surveillance of UNMIK soldiers; bring ID. Note that Gračanica is a Serb enclave that sometimes is the focus of unrest, and some embassies warn against visiting.