Upon entering the Church of the Ascension at Dečani Monastery, visitors encounter a masterpiece of ecclesiastical art that combines architectural brilliance with intricate sculptures, vibrant frescoes, and reverent icons. By merging Romanesque, Gothic, and Byzantine architectural traditions, which was not uncommon in Nemanjić royal churches, the master craftsmen from Kotor created a structure of unparalleled beauty and originality in design, construction, and ornamentation. The catholicon of Dečani Monastery is distinguished by its rich stone-carved decorations, the most elaborate in Serbian medieval art, and its vast gallery of frescoes, the largest of its kind from the period.

The majestic height and strength of the church, alongside the elegance of its façades and carvings, have earned it the epithet Visoki – High – by which Dečani is widely known. Central to its architectural marvel is the design of the interior, a five-nave domed basilica. The outer aisles on either end are shorter, terminating in apses of varying sizes on the eastern side. The structure’s grandeur is further enhanced by the exceptional quality of its building materials: polished, two-tone marble. The alternating rows of pale-yellow onyx from Peć and reddish-purple breccia from Dečani create a strikingly elegant façade.

The church measures over 36 meters in length, 24 meters in width, and its dome rises to an impressive 29 meters. Liturgically, the church is divided into the altar section – sanctuary – the naos – main nave – and the narthex The naos encompasses the nave and two aisles, forming the principal liturgical space.. Stone parapets separate the two chapels dedicated to St. Nicholas (south) and St. Demetrius (north) from the central naos.