Where Is The Decani Monastery And What Makes It Special?

The Visoko Decani Monastery is a Serb Orthodox religious sanctuary located in western Kosovo, near the Bistrica river.  The closest town is called Pec and is located 12 km from the site. Established in 1327 by King Stefan Dečanski, the Decani Monastery is believed to be Serbia's best preserved medieval Orthodox sanctuary and as a result, UNESCO added it to its list of world heritage sites in 2004.

The monastery is best known for its 1000 frescos, many of them dating back to the 14th century and its Romanesque style.

This Serb religious site is currently under the protection of UN soldiers, mainly from Italy. This also means, however, that access to the monastery is very much restricted. Nevertheless, in the past KFOR has allowed for Serb Orthodox pilgrims to visit the site.

The Decani Monastery functions to this very day and serves as home to about 30 Serbian Orthodox monks, who work as missionaries in the region and who also publish religious texts, as well as create works of religious art.