Destruction of Serbian heritage in Kosovo

The Banjska Monastery founded by Serbian King Stefan Milutin was burnt down following the Ottoman invasion and the monastery was looted during the Ottoman occupation of Medieval Serbia. It was damaged again during the 16th century, after which it was abandoned until a mosque was built on the ruins in the 17th century. At the beginning of the 17th century, a systematic demolition was conducted on the monastery churches and it is widely considered that construction material was used to build the Sinan Pasha Mosque in the same city, but such claims have not been proven. At the close of the 17th century, the Ottoman Turks plundered the Visoki Dečani monastery, but made no serious damage. In the first half of the 18th century the Our Lady of Ljeviš in Prizren had been converted into a mosque and adjusted to the needs of services characteristic of Islam. The 16th century Church of St. Nicholas in the municipality of Lipjan was pulled down in the 19th century and construction material was sold to build the Kosovo railway. The medieval Novo Brdo Fortress and the town were heavily damaged by disintegration in 1892 when the cornerstone referred to the construction of barracks in Pristina. ==World War I and II==

During World War I, the Visoki Dečani monastery's treasures were plundered by the Austro-Hungarian Army, which occupied Serbia between 1915 and 1918. Following the invasion of Yugoslavia (6–18 April 1941) in World War II, the largest part of Kosovo was attached to Italian occupied Albania in an enlarged "Greater Albania". During the occupation, part of the Serb population was subject to expulsion, torture, destruction of private property, destruction and damaging of monasteries, churches, cultural-historical monuments and graveyards. Third monuments dedicated to the Battle of Kosovo were totally destroyed in 1941. ==SFR Yugoslavia==

in Korisha village The Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Gjakova was destroyed by the communists in 1949. Prior to 1968, the Yugoslav state carried out the destruction of churches, the listing of church properties as state cultural heritage, the seizure of church and monastery artifacts to be displayed in state museums, as well as, the appropriation of property for state functions. During 1968 and 1981 protests, Serbian Orthodox religious sites were the target of vandalism, while vandalism continued during the 1980s. There were attempts to devastate Devič, damage Visoki Dečani and desecrate Gračanica and the Hermitage of St. Peter of Koriša. In March 1981, the Patriarchal Monastery of Peć was set on fire, which destroyed a 2,000-square meter residential section along with valuable furniture, rare liturgical books and some of the monastery's treasury. ==Kosovo War and aftermath==

NATO bombing in March–June 1999 resulted in the damaging of the Gračanica Monastery, Patriarchal Monastery of Peć complex of four churches, as well as the Visoki Dečani and wall paintings of the Hermitage of St. Peter of Koriša, among the more notable churches. Between the arrival of the Kosovo Force (KFOR) in June 1999 and the 2004 unrest in Kosovo, more than 140 holy sites were destroyed, about half of the historical ones from the 14th and 15th centuries and about half of the recently made ones. Serbenco Eduard explained that the destruction of the opponent's cultural property and cultural genocides took place in the Yugoslav wars, and that religious buildings were targeted due to the nature of the conflict. These discourses of viewing Serbian historical architecture as a surrogates of violence within Kosovo Albanian society had the effect of justifying destruction as an endless process, instead of working toward a politics of justice. Due to vandalization, the need arose for the armed force of the UN to protect locations containing Serbian religious heritage in Kosovo. On the other hand, foreign correspondent Robert Fisk criticized describing the destruction as revenge attacks. He explained that the destruction actions were planned and described them as "vandalism with a mission". • The monument of Stefan Dušan, Serbian Emperor in Prizren, pulled down and destroyed • The monument of Lazar of Serbia in Gjilan, pulled down and destroyed List of religious buildings damaged or destroyed in 1999 in Samodreža in Prizren • Holy Trinity Monastery in Mušutište - Rusinica, (14th century), dynamited and burned down in July 1999; only the bell tower remains • Church of the Virgin Hodegetria, Mušutište (14th century), burned down and dynamited in July 1999 The KFOR troops said KLA rebels vandalized centuries-old murals and paintings in the chapel. • Church of St. Nicholas, Prizren (14th century, reconstructed in 1857), mined on 3 September and severely damaged, • Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Belo Polje (16th century), looted and set on fire in June 1999 • Church of Saint Elijah, Vučitrn (built in 1834), vandalized and looted in June 1999 • Parish church St. Eliah in Zhegër (built in 1931), vandalized and set on fire, local graveyard is also desecrated • Parish church in Grmovo, near Viti, first it was set on fire and then completely destroyed by explosive. • Monastery of the Holy Archangels in Prizren (14th century), looted and devastated in June–July 1999, the 14th century Pine of Tsar Dušan was cut down and burned • Church of the Virgin, Naklo (built in 1985), burnt and destroyed in June 1999 • Church of St. John the Baptist, Pećka Banja (built in 1998), demolished and the interiors burnt in June 1999 • Church of St. Nicholas, Đurakovac (built in the 14th century, renovated in 1592), dynamited in July 1999, large centuries old oak tree was cut into peaces and burned • Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas in Çabiqi near Klina (built in 1435/36) was mined and completely demolished by the Albanians in 1999. • Saint George Church in Reçan (built in the 1370s) was demolished by the Albanians in summer of 1999. ==2004 unrest==

near Podujevo in Prizren Postwar, Albanian Kosovan media, supportive of and controlled by Albanian resistance groups, induced a climate of fear among local journalists toward preventing balanced coverage of violence perpetrated by both sides. In an urgent appeal, issued on 18 March by the extraordinary session of the Expanded Convocation of the Holy Synod of Serbian Orthodox Church (), it was reported that a number of Serbian churches and shrines in Kosovo had been damaged or destroyed by rioters. At least 30 sites were completely destroyed, more or less destroyed, or further destroyed (sites that had been previously destroyed). Apart from the churches and monasteries, tens of support buildings (such as parish buildings, economical buildings and residences), bringing the number close to 100 buildings of the SPC destroyed. All churches and objects of the SPC in Prizren were destroyed. The list includes several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The violence quickly spread to other parts of Kosovo, with Kosovo Serb communities and religious and cultural symbols attacked by crowds of Albanians. Some of these locations were ostensibly under the protection of KFOR at the time. During the riots and violence, eight Kosovo Serbians were killed. Among damaged property was the targeted cultural and architectural heritage of the Serb people, and as a result 35 churches, including 18 monuments of culture, were demolished, burnt or severely damaged. List of religious buildings damaged or destroyed in 2004 ==Reconstruction==

reconstructionThe Reconstruction Implementation Commission (RIC) for Serbian Orthodox religious sites in Kosovo is an EU-funded project to promote the reconstruction of cultural heritage. It has 35 sites under its responsibility. The project of the revitalization of the Novo Brdo fortress was financed by the European Union and implemented by UNESCO and UNMIK. ==See also==