The Serbs were not lucky people. Almost nothing remained of their former great Serbian state. What did remain are monuments. Poor is the people who are left with their monuments only — monuments destroyed and desecrated by enemies, foreign lords and inexorable ravages of time. Each Serbian ruler of the royal Nemanjic dynasty left behind endowments — churches and monasteries — to redeem their souls and display their greatness.

St. Sava and his brother, Grand Zupan Stefan, began erecting the church of Holy Salvation in Zica. Its construction lasted twenty years to be completed in the 1220s.

Church of Our Lady in Studenica, the endowment of Stefan Nemanja, was not completed during the lifetime of its founder. The interior of the church was painted in 1208-1209.

King Vladislav built his endowment, the monastery of Mileseva, around 1225. It was decorated with the most valuable frescoes of Serbia’s rulers of the time. King Radoslav enriched the endowment of his grandfather Stefan Nemanja — the monastery of Studenica. He also expanded the monastery’s Church of Our Lady.

While Sava was still alive, the construction of the shrine of the Holy Apostles in Pec began. It was completed in the mid-13th century only.

The monastery of Moraca, whose patron and founder was Vukan’s son Stefan, is also of an invaluable importance. It was built in 1251-1252.

The endowment of King Uros I was the monastery of Sopocani, with one of the most beautiful shrines in Serbia — the Church of the Holy Trinity, dating back from 1260.

King Dragutin was a founder of St. Achillius church in the town of Arilje that was built around 1290.

However, by far the greatest undertakings were those of King Milutin. Under his rule, several churches and monasteries of tremendous historical and artistic value were built or completed. We will mention only the most important ones. Milutin’s endowment was the church of St. John in Svac, dating back from 1300. In 1303, he built the church in Chilandar that was named after him. His main endowment was the monastery of Gracanica, one of the most beautiful monuments of the Serbian medieval architecture. Also among them are Milutin’s mausoleum and the church of St. Stefan in Banjska, which was completed incredibly quickly (1312-1317). In the last twenty years of his rule, Milutin erected or restored the church of Our Lady in Prizren (1313-1314), the King’s Church in Studenica, the church of St. George in Staro Nagoricino, and the monastery of Gracanica.

However, instead of awkward words and inadequate descriptions, let the pictures speak for themselves…