Pavlicic Saric: Serbian heritage in Kosovo threatened both physically and through attempts to falsify history

Professor at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Pristina with a temporary seat in Kosovska Mitrovica, Jelena Pavlicic Saric, stated that Serbian religious sites in Kosovo are threatened not only physically, but also through attempts to appropriate and falsify their history, Euronews Serbia reports.

She emphasized that attacks on churches have become frequent, and that this very frequency creates a dangerous indifference.

“Attacks on churches no longer surprise us, unfortunately. They have become a series that is almost taken for granted. Perhaps the most dangerous aspect is the indifference that develops when something happens too often,” Pavlicic Saric said.

According to her, Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo faces a dual pressure – physical destruction, which was particularly intense in 1999 and during the 2004 pogrom, as well as a long-term process of attempts to appropriate and falsify the heritage.

“For most of these churches there are clear historical documents, inscriptions, founder’s charters, and archival materials. Yet, despite this, we witness persistent attempts to present their origin and identity differently. What seems almost unbelievable is that such interpretations are being pushed even within academic circles,” the professor stated.

She added that it is particularly concerning that some Serbian religious sites are labeled in Albanian on digital platforms, which affects perception and collective memory. Part of the Serbian medieval heritage in Kosovo is also included on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger, confirming its sensitive status and internationally recognized vulnerability.

Speaking about cultural heritage more broadly, Pavlicic Saric stressed that it includes not only religious buildings, but also rich secular heritage – public buildings, monuments, and works of modern and contemporary art, some of which have disappeared or been relocated after 1999.

“In addition to religious heritage, there is a rich secular heritage – public buildings, monuments, works of modern and contemporary art. For many of these works today, we do not know their whereabouts. They were damaged, disappeared, or relocated during and after 1999,” she said.

As a symbol of a broader problem, she cited the example of the former secondary art school in Pec, known as the Pec School, whose identity was altered through institutional and educational reforms.

“Changing the name and identity of institutions also affects collective memory. It is a subtle but powerful way of erasing memory,” Pavlicic Saric noted.

She also expressed concern about possible pressures on the University of Pristina with a temporary seat in Kosovska Mitrovica, emphasizing that any takeover of control would have far-reaching consequences for the education system and the preservation of Serbian identity in Kosovo.

“If such a scenario were to occur, the consequences would be far-reaching – not only for the education system, but also for the preservation of identity and cultural continuity of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija,” Pavlicic Saric said.

She stressed that Serbian medieval heritage in Kosovo is simultaneously internationally recognized and contested, and that it stands on the front line of the struggle to preserve identity, between physical threats and attempts to falsify history.