Holy Trinity Monastery, Mušutište

The Monastery of the Holy Trinity (Serbian: Манастир Свете Тројице), also known as Rusinica (Русиница) was a medieval Serbian Orthodox monastery and a designated cultural monument[1] located near Mušutište, Kosovo. It was completely demolished in July 1999 by Kosovo-Albanian militants.[2]

Holy Trinity Monastery
Holy Trinity Monastery, Mušutište is located in Kosovo
Holy Trinity Monastery, Mušutište
Location within Kosovo
Monastery information
Other namesRusinica
OrderSerbian Orthodox
Established14th century
Disestablisheddemolished in July 1999
DioceseRaška and Prizren
Architecture
Heritage designationCultural monument
Designated date26 October 1966
Site
Locationnear Mušutište, Kosovo
Coordinates42°16′46″N 20°52′27″E / 42.27944°N 20.87417°E / 42.27944; 20.87417

History

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It was founded in the 14th century on the Rusinica hill above Mušutište, in the District of Branković, part of Medieval Serbia. The monastery’s existence in written records was first dated to 1465. It was well known for its valuable collection of manuscripts dating from the 14th to the 18th century. Particularly noted were a 'Book of Commemoration' from 1465 and a hand-written Gospel from the 14th century. The monastery also treasured a collection of wooden icons from the 1800s.[3][4]

In June 1999, the Monastery of Holy Trinity in Mušutište was looted by Albanian militants and in July of the same year it was completely blown up. The fire after the explosion destroyed all the buildings in the church courtyard, along with the nearby Church of the Holy Theotokos Hodigetria and the ancient manuscripts.[5][6]

References

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  1. ^ "Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences - Monuments of Culture in Serbia".
  2. ^ Popović, Danica (2000). "Манастир Св. Тројице Русинице - Успони и разарања". Историјски часопис. XLV–XLVI: 31–48 – via academia.
  3. ^ "Kosovo.net (THE HOLY TRINITY MONASTERY, Musutiste, near Suva Reka)".
  4. ^ "orthochristian.com (Serbian language version)".
  5. ^ "Protection of the cultural heritage in Kosovo". Council of Europe - Parliamentary Assembly - Doc. 10127. 5 April 2004.
  6. ^ "Serbian Orthodox Church - New attacks on Serbs in Kosovo and Metohia". Archived from the original on 2021-09-04. Retrieved 2021-09-04.