Exhibition on Serbian monasteries in Kosovo to open tomorrow at UNESCO

An exhibition dedicated to Serbian cultural heritage listed as World Heritage in Danger—including the monasteries of Decani, Gracanica, and the Patriarchate of Pec, as well as the Church of the Virgin of Ljevis in Prizren—will open tomorrow at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

Organized by the Serbian Ministry of Culture, the exhibition marks the 20th anniversary of the inscription of the Decani Monastery on UNESCO’s World Heritage List as a site of exceptional importance to humanity.

Two years after Decani’s inscription, in 2006, the listing was expanded to include three additional cultural monuments in Kosovo and Metohija: the Patriarchate of Pec, the Church of the Virgin of Ljevis in Prizren, and the Gracanica Monastery. These were simultaneously added to UNESCO’s World Heritage in Danger List, where they remain to this day.

These monuments are masterpieces of Serbian medieval art, built by Serbian secular and ecclesiastical rulers, according to the Ministry of Culture.

They are described as first-class cultural monuments, carefully selected to represent the achievements of Serbian artistic creativity in medieval Kosovo.

The exhibition combines visual arts, interactive media, and cultural history, aiming to convey the profound significance of these sacred sites. It focuses on immersing visitors in the delicate balance between their spiritual and cultural richness and their current state of endangerment, showcasing both the interiors and exteriors of the four cultural monuments, the details of their rich wall paintings, and their importance to Serbian history and the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Initiated by the Ministry of Culture, the exhibition is being realized in cooperation with Serbia's Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, the Office for Cultural and Public Diplomacy, and the Serbian Orthodox Church’s Diocese of Raska-Prizren.

The exhibition will be opened by Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, in the presence of the Minister of Culture, Nikola Selakovic.