Post B4f2u110XP7sMKaWLA by Infoseepage@mastodon.social
 (DIR) More posts by Infoseepage@mastodon.social
 (DIR) Post #B4f2txoURUKYQdhyue by Infoseepage@mastodon.social
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       I'm pretty much physically exhausted at the moment. Couldn't get up the energy yesterday to even get out of the house beyond a necessary visit to a grocery store located a few blocks away from me. I should have picked up some Ibuprofen as well because after over a year of backpacking and falling down a lot, everything just hurts.
       
 (DIR) Post #B4f2txzplJP8zp12au by Infoseepage@mastodon.social
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       It's a nice if somewhat windy day here in Novi Pazar. Wish I was up for more. There's a mosque I can see from my window which looks interesting. Not sure if it's modern or old. Like to try and walk up to it sometime while I'm here, but not today. I think I might try and find a taxi to take me to an old monastery in the area that is dedicated to St. George. It's about a 90-minute walk each way and uphill on the way there. Don't think I could manage that right now. Maybe just walk back?
       
 (DIR) Post #B4f2tyEirxJXjzyvnk by Infoseepage@mastodon.social
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       Spent the afternoon visiting the 12th century Đurđevi stupovi monastery. Took a taxi there, as it is ~6km outside of Novi Pazar and it is pretty much steeply uphill the whole way. The name means something like "The Pillars of St George," an obvious reference to the twin bell towers. St George's church, at the center of the monastery, is fairly heavily reconstructed. It was in pretty ruinous state after the first world war.
       
 (DIR) Post #B4f2tySu1EemRycFu4 by Infoseepage@mastodon.social
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       The St George's church, at the center of the walled monastic compound, looks like this today, after partial reconstruction. It's the origination church of what is called the Raska style of architecture, which predominated for about a century and a half.
       
 (DIR) Post #B4f2tydBP0scxrQSvY by Infoseepage@mastodon.social
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       If they were to fully reconstruct the church to its original form, it would look something like this artist's depiction:
       
 (DIR) Post #B4f2tykyw17PM34h5E by Infoseepage@mastodon.social
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       Here is what it looks like inside:
       
 (DIR) Post #B4f2tys4Ven1i2OM8O by Infoseepage@mastodon.social
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       The walls are fairly barren, with some surviving patches of fresco here and there, mostly on the under sides of arches and windows, where they were more protected from the weather when the church was in a ruinous state. Not much that is figurative left.
       
 (DIR) Post #B4f2tyzs2f1o6E2aI4 by Infoseepage@mastodon.social
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       You do get some sense of the patterned decorations which covered the walls, though.
       
 (DIR) Post #B4f2tz8NX1pkWc1NYG by Infoseepage@mastodon.social
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       Probably the largest surviving section is this horse and rider, though it is a bit indistinct.
       
 (DIR) Post #B4f2tzIIw7m11OfJ1U by Infoseepage@mastodon.social
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       They've got a few saintly relics in a case.
       
 (DIR) Post #B4f2tzRsMXQhV58wwS by piggo@piggo.space
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       @Infoseepage this is a church that dares call anyone else heretics or pagansa human bone on a gilded casejfc
       
 (DIR) Post #B4f2tzZJurNtsActXs by Infoseepage@mastodon.social
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       The one on the right is under an icon of St George. St George, is that a bit of you in there?The other one is a bit of this guy, presumably. Not sure who he is. Anyone know?
       
 (DIR) Post #B4f2tztAj3GQrjukUK by Infoseepage@mastodon.social
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       The neat bit of the monastery isn't to be found in the church, but in a building that was once the gateway tower into the monastery. As at Zica, the gateway tower was highly decorated with Frescos, and that building survived more or less intact.
       
 (DIR) Post #B4f2u083phApbusdhA by Infoseepage@mastodon.social
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       Here there be treasures. The panel on the far wall across from the main door is a depiction of the holy trinity, I think.
       
 (DIR) Post #B4f2u0Q8kTdSVzL4sK by Infoseepage@mastodon.social
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       This guy is holding what seems to be a copy of the building the fresco is in. Maybe Stefan Nemanja, founder of the Nemanjic dynasty? He was the Grand Prince of the Grand Principality of Raska. His son, Stefan the First Crowned, would be...well...the first to be crowned king of what would become the Serbian medieval kingdom and (for a time) empire. Stefan Nemanja was the benefactor who helped create the monastery, and the figure is wearing a crow, so maybe him?
       
 (DIR) Post #B4f2u0hVhtWvNrSwwy by Infoseepage@mastodon.social
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       There are other figures to be seen in the gateway tower.
       
 (DIR) Post #B4f2u110XP7sMKaWLA by Infoseepage@mastodon.social
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       The most impressive are above and behind you as you walk in, so make sure to turn around and crane your neck. This appears to be showing a Serbian medieval king being enthroned.