Gracanica Monastery

Gracanica Monastery is one of Kosovo’s most important medieval monuments. The present church, built in the early 14th century, stands on the foundations of an Early Christian basilica dating to the 6th century, showing that the religious history of this site reaches several centuries further back than the monument visible today.

The church is distinguished by its five-domed Byzantine architecture and its rich cycle of frescoes. The painters Michael and Eutychios of Thessaloniki completed the principal frescoes by 1321, while the exonarthex also preserves valuable post-Byzantine paintings from the 16th century and icons from later periods.

Today Gracanica remains an active Serbian Orthodox monastery as well as a protected monument of Kosovo’s cultural heritage. Since 2006 it has formed part of UNESCO’s serial World Heritage property “Medieval Monuments in Kosovo”.