Just west of the city centre, Prizren's oldest and most spectacular Byzantine church - a UNESCO World Heritage Site - dates back to the 9th-11th centuries. The Byzantine cathedral built on this spot, first mentioned in a charter by Emperor Basil II in 1018, was remodelled and expanded in 1307 by King Milutin of Serbia, but this location has an even more complex history, as this predecessor was also built on the remains of an early Christian basilica. With a unique architectural design of alternating layers of brink and limestone, the present-day structure is one of the best surviving examples of late Byzantine architecture anywhere in Europe. Inside, the wall frescoes are of high quality and depict scenes such as the Wedding at Canaa, the Healing of the Blind, and the Most Holy Mother of God with Christ the Guardian. The church was converted into a mosque by the Ottomans, who placed a minaret on top of the tower, but when the Ottomans departed in 1912 this was reversed, with the minaret being removed in 1923.
Interestingly, Turkish-speaking Prizrenites still refer to the building as Cuma Camii, or 'Friday Mosque'. Research and restoration works were carried out as late as the 1950s. The church was closed after 1999, and after fire damaged the interior in 2004, Italian experts have confirmed that the majority of the famed frescoes can be restored, though work yet has to start. The graceful brick exterior and the location opposite the Archaeological museum make it well worth a visit for the exterior alone.