History of the Monastery
Holy King Stefan founded the Dečani Monastery of Christ the Saviour, the most glorious endowment of the rich spiritual and architectural heritage of the Nemanjić dynasty. Situated beside the Bistrica River, under the steep cliffs of the Prokletije Mountains, the Monastery is located in a picturesque setting abundant with forests and flowing waters. An integral part of the historical memory and spiritual identity of the Serbian people is deeply embedded and forever preserved in its marble walls, magnificent frescoes, and intricate sculptures.
The life of the Holy King, the Monastery’s estate, and its construction and organization are well-documented in numerous medieval written records. Additionally, many documents and accounts in Serbian, Turkish, and other languages shed light on the later history of the Monastery. These records reveal that the Monastery was repeatedly attacked and looted, only to be restored and endowed with gifts. Despite enduring numerous difficult trials, it remains a living witness to the tumultuous and often bloody history of the Balkans.
The founder of the Monastery was St. Stefan Uroš III of Dečani (1285–1331), the son of Holy King Milutin and the father of Emperor Dušan. The Church venerates him as a great-martyr, commemorating his feast day on November 11/24 (according to the Julian and Gregorian calendars, respectively). At the age of ten, he was given as a hostage to the Tatar Noghai Khan. As a youth, he was falsely accused of plotting to overthrow his father and was blinded and imprisoned in the Monastery of Christ the Pantocrator in Constantinople.
Pious, gentle, and compassionate by nature, he won the favour of monks, noblemen, and even the Byzantine Emperor Andronicus II. Seven years later, following the mediation of Serbian and Greek bishops, his father reconciled with him and granted him the rule of the region of Budimlje (in present-day Montenegro). In 1321, after the death of King Milutin, Stefan was crowned in Prizren as Uroš III. Before his coronation, he removed the bandages from his eyes, revealing his miraculous healing through the intercession of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Worker.
