Violence Continues to Destroy Sacred Places in Kosovo & Serbia:
Can the Cycle Be Broken?

Violence Continues to Destroy Sacred Places in Kosovo & Serbia:
Can the Cycle Be Broken?

By Nancy and Leonard Becker
  with contributions by András Riedlmeyer

Belgrade book burning

In the winter of 2001, Site Saver Newsletter, reported on the preservation of sacred sites in Kosovo, Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries as well as Muslim mosques, after the armed conflict had ended. Major work had begun on cataloguing the damaged sacred places and architects were beginning to repair and restore structures that had been burned, bombed, and looted. The United Nations had installed peacekeeping forces and rebuilding had begun in a region torn apart by extreme violence in 1998-1999.  It seemed as if a period of peace was beginning and we were hopeful that sacred places might be treated respectfully. Unfortunately, in March of this year, violent outbreaks have damaged numerous Orthodox churches in Kosovo and several mosques in Serbia.

In an attempt to contribute to international understanding, we write about the continuation of troubling violence that destroys not only historic sacred places but also the lives of the people who inhabit the region.

We would like to thank András Riedlmayer of Harvard University for providing additional background and documentation and for his review of our article. He recently worked with the Kosovo field office of Cultural Heritage without Borders, a Swedish NGO, to assess the damage to heritage from the March riots.

Short Historic Overview

Kosovo has great symbolic importance to both ethnic Serbs and Albanians, resulting in their strong mutual claims to that territory. The conflicts in Kosovo have resulted from fighting between two ethnic groups competing for the same territory. The Serbs, a Slavic ethnic group, see their identity as a nation tied strongly with their traditional Orthodox Chrisitian faith, despite the fact that most Serbs are not practicing their religion. Kosovo’s majority, Albanians, have followed several religious traditions – Sunni and Sufi branches of Islam and Roman Catholicism - and have their own ancient language and culture that is key to their nationalism and identity. Again, religious observance is low among Kosovo’s Albanians. The political status of Kosovo has been a result of shifting outcomes of recurrent conflict and competition throughout history.

Today’s Balkan Peninsula has historic roots in the Ottoman Empire that arose in the late 13th century in Asia Minor, an area that had been a cushion between the Muslim and Christian worlds. Ottoman’s expanded their domains, advancing into southeastern Europe against a collapsing Byzantine Empire conquering most of the Balkan Peninsula in the process. Kosovo, seat of an independent Serbian kingdom in the Middle Ages, became a hallmark of Orthodox Serb identity and symbolized their resistance to outside domination. Following a famous battle in 1389, in which both the Serbian ruler and the Ottoman Sultan were killed, control of the region passed to the Ottomans, who retained it until the eve of the First World War in 1912.

Although Islam was the state religion, the Ottomans were primarily interested in collecting taxes from the new territories. They were not intent on bringing in settlers or imposing their religious views on the residents. Over time, however, a large part of the local population, including many Albanians as well as some Slavs, converted to Islam and developed their own native European Muslim culture, architecture and literature. Orthodox Christian, Roman Catholic, Muslim, and Jewish leaders were allowed to manage the affairs of their own congregations without fear. On the popular level, there was considerable acculturation and syncretism, as members of different religious groups often shared the same sacred sites, such as saints’ shrines or springs known for healing, and seasonal festivals. An era stretching over half a millennium characterized both by coexistence and periodic contestation, came to an end in the 19th century when the Ottoman Empire began to break apart.

The Serbs revolted in 1804 and by 1867 achieved independence from the Ottoman Empire. They conquered Kosovo during the first Balkan War. At this time, Muslims, Orthodox and Catholic Albanians in Kosovo, Albania and surrounding regions began to agitate for independence for what they considered to be their historic homeland. Although the territory of present-day Albania received statehood in 1912, large regions of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and surrounding areas remained outside of Albania’s borders.

In 1918, at the end of World War I, the state of Yugoslavia was officially formed and Kosovo was formally incorporated into Yugoslavia. Kosovo, in the 20th century, has been under Belgrade’s authority and did not achieve status as a political and administrative entity until after World War II. It was during 1945, that the anti-Nazi communist leader, Marshal Tito, came to power. What followed was a thirty-four year strained but generally peaceful coexistence between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo. Kosovo was also granted a measure of self-rule and Belgrade relaxed its control over the region.

Tito’s death in 1980 signaled the beginning of destabilization. Kosovo Albanians began large-scale demonstrations against Serbian authority. By 1987, Slobodan Milosevic came to power by appealing to Serbian nationalist sentiments. This only contributed to greater animosity between ethnic Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo. Milosevic ordered increasingly severe measures taken against Albanians. Albanians were forced from jobs, schools and political life as Kosovo’s autonomy was abolished. After a decade of non-violent resistence, Albanians rose in rebellion in 1998. Belgrade’s forces responded with severe repression, as thousands of Albanians were burned out of their villages and their mosques destroyed. A cycle of retaliation against Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries occurred when the Albanians returned to their homes in 1999 after the involvement of the international community and the installation of NATO peacekeeping forces and a UN civil adminsitration.

Recent Destruction of Sacred Places

Left: Destroyed Orthodox monastery; Right: Robbed tomb (click to enlarge)

In March 2004, ethnic riots erupted in several parts of Kosovo as Albanian mobs damaged or destroyed thirty-five Serbian Orthodox churches and monastery buildings in Kosovo.  Although no mosques were attacked in Kosovo, separate violence erupted on the same day in Serbia where two historic mosques were torched in Belgrade and in the countries second largest city, Nis.

The violence began in Mitrovica, Kosovo after the drowning of two Albanian children. Another child claimed that Serbs with an aggressive dog had chased him and the other two children into the Ibar River. In an effort to seek revenge, Albanians attacked the Serbian section of the town of Mitrovica. Violent riots then spread as Albanian mobs attacked Serb enclaves in several areas in Kosovo. Although a news release states1 that International peacekeeping forces tried to restore law and order, eyewitnesses and their photographic documentation show the forces watching while angry mobs attacked religious structures, homes of religious leaders and those of neighboring families.2

By March 22, the rampages had left nineteen dead, six hundred injured and nearly 4,000 people homeless. According to a news release from Forum 18, a the pastor of an ethnic Albanian Protestant Church, in Pristina, Kosovo said, “The [Serbian] Orthodox Church is the only institution that has kept the Serbian community alive here. The Orthodox Church has played a political role, so it has always paid the price.” Currently, Kosovo’s population is comprised of 90% ethnic Albanians who are traditionally Muslims or Roman Catholics.3

It should be noted that the root of recurring violence might be attributed to nationalism fueled by politicians and by fear among Albanians that the protection of Serb enclaves and churches could serve as a pretext for the return of Belgrade’s forces to Kosovo. The vandalism could then be viewed not purely as an act of ethnic or religious hatred, but more as an act of hostility toward highly visible Serb cultural sites with sacred places the choice targets. This can be partially blamed on the spread of Western youth culture that does nothing to instill connections to cultural or religious heritage.

Observers, including a report by the respected International Crisis Group (www.crisisweb.org/home/index.cfm?id=2627&1+1), noted that the rioters were predominantly young people in their teens and twenties, 70 percent of them unemployed in Kosovo’s uncertain post-war economy. Many have flocked to Kosovo’s cities from villages burned out during the recent war, and unlike long-time urban residents, they neither know nor value the historical diversity and monumental heritage of these towns. Not religiously observant themselves, they have not learned to respect the sacred traditions of others.

The Deputy in charge of the Serbian government’s Coordinating Center for Kosovo-Metohija, Branislav Krstic, has placed responsibility for the devastation with the lack of protection given by the United Nations forces. Krstic called the March destruction a “crime against culture.” He has called on the Serbia-Montenegrin Mininstry of Foreign Affairs to urge the UN to help implement the Hague Convention. Krstic is asking for an overhaul of current policy relating to the protection of cultural heritage in Kosovo. He would then like this presented to the ambassadors of EU countries, Russia and the United States. In addition, he asks for their participation in providing preservation experts to help with the reconstruction of the demolished cultural monuments and churches.

Specific Damage – A few Examples

Devic Monastery

The Devic Monastery is only one of thirty-five sacred sites that were ruined in March, however, it will be highlighted as only one example of what was lost. The Devic Monastery near the town of Skenderaj (Serbian: Srbica) was originally built in the first half of the 15th century with a dedication to Joannicus of Devic (also known as Saint Ioannikios). There is a sacred well known for miraculous healings outside the monastery and the saint’s grave is in the church. The church has been known through history for its wall-paintings and was an important transcription school in the 16th and 17th centuries. Fragments of the frescoes still remain.

The monastery has had a long history of being a target for vandalism. It was first plundered in 1455 when the Muslim Turks expelled all the monks and took control of the site. It was later devastated in the early 19th century when it was looted and monks killed or forced out.

A new brotherhood of monks rebuilt the monastery in 1889 and it was a thriving school and pilgrimage center until World War II brought destruction at the hand of the Nazis.
It was burned by Albanian extremists in 1941. Reconstruction began in 1947 and the tomb of Saint Joannicus was still intact. Active monastic life returned in mid-1950 under the direction of Abbess Parasceva and a group of nuns.

Devic Monastery was threatened during the Kosovo War of the 1990s, and it was looted and vandalized after the war. The nuns feared violent attacks and the priest, Father Seraphim was beaten inside the church. The arrival of French peace-keeping troops, saved the nuns and the priest from being abducted and killed. The frescos survived unharmed, although a votive painting had UCK (Kosovo Liberation Army) scratched into its surface. The monastery buildings were also unharmed, but vandals smashed the marble cover of the tomb of the patron saint.

In March 2004, the monastery was again burned with only the walls left standing. The saint’s tomb was plundered and the tombstones in the graveyard were all toppled and broken. The United Nations troops arrived too late to save the structures, although the nuns survived.

Serbian Mosques

In Serbia proper, mobs of Serb nationalist youths and torched two historic mosques, located in Belgrade and in the country’s second largest city of Nis. Several other mosques and Islamic sites in the towns of Novi Sad and Mali Zvornik and in Serbia’s Sandzak region were targets of vandalism, but suffered no serious damage.

The 18th-century Islam Aga Mosque in Nis was completely burned out, as cheering Serb rioters lay down in the street to prevent fire engines from approaching the site; the Serbian police stood by without interfering.

In Belgrade, rioters set on fire, the historic Bajrakli Mosque built between 1660-1688 and smashed up the Islamic center. The rioters also burned the religious library of the Bajrakli Mosque, with 40,000 volumes of scriptures, religious books and manuscripts. They also burned the Archives of the Islamic Community of Serbia. It should be noted that bigotry operates independently of logic and the attacks in Belgrade and Nis made no sense even as acts of ‘revenge.’ The mosques that were attacked in Serbia served primarily Serbian Muslim congregations and had no connection with Albanians; and the anti-Serb ethnic Albanian rioters in Kosovo were not religiously motivated.

Subsequent to these incidents, Serbian government officials apologized to the Islamic Community of Serbia, the police chief of Nis was sacked and the Belgrade police chief was demoted for failing to prevent the attacks, and – as was the case in Kosovo – the local government authorities have allocated funds to repair the religious buildings damaged in the March riots.

In April of 2004, there was another disturbing incident in Belgrade, when monumental Islamic tombstones dating from the 15th and 16th centuries in Belgrade’s historic Kalemegdan Citadel were toppled and smashed with sledgehammers at the orders of Col. Dragan Nikolic, the curator of the Military Museum, who according to the Begrade daily Danas (April 13, 2004), considered this act to be a ‘patriotic duty’ due to recent events in Kosovo. Perhaps as disturbing as the attack itself, is the fact that the colonel has not been reprimanded or reassigned as a consequence.

Can the Cycle of Destruction Be Broken?

The mother of one of the young boys killed on March 17, 2004, appealed for an end to the violence. She said, “ Though I lost my son, I wouldn’t want more problems here. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy.” At the funeral, friends of the youngsters held up signs saying, “Stop the Violence” and “We want peace.”4

Having younger people express such sentiments is a hopeful sign. Church leaders are beginning to realize that understanding among young people is critical for the future of peace. Serbian Prime Minister Kostunica and the Minister of Religion, Milan Radulovic met with Catholic and Protestant church dignitaries on July 15, 2004 in Belgrade to discuss ways that the state and religious communities might work together to cultivate tolerance and understanding. Those present said they have good relationships with the Serbian Orthodox Church and agreed that the introduction of comparative religion studies in schools would be helpful.

Another topic of discussion was the need to encourage young people to remain in their communities rather than emigrating.5 This may be a key to the future of the Balkans in general. An ethnic Serb who is a legislator in the Croatian parliament is working to develop programs to attract younger generations with economic opportunities. The Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is concentrating on youth in the region that were not involved in or even born before the Balkan Wars of the 1990s.6

Through education, cultural exchanges, economic opportunities and the backing of the United Nations, UNESCO, and ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), we are hopeful that the cycle of destruction to Kosovo’s sacred places can be stopped. The help of professional preservationists in the International Council on Monuments and Sites working with the United Nations will be needed to begin rebuilding what has been destroyed.

How You Can Help

Please write polite letters expressing your dismay at the continuing destruction of cultural heritage in Kosovo. Please ask for more attention from UNESCO in monitoring sites, protecting them after vandalism has occurred and providing assistance in the restoration and rebuilding of sacred sites in Kosovo and Serbia. Send your letters to Mounir Bouchenaki, Assistant Director-General for Culture at UNESCO (m.bouchenaki@unesco.org) and to Koichiro Matsuura,Secretary General for Culture at UNESCO, 7 place de Fontenoy, Paris, 75352 France. Copy your letters to Gustavo Araoz, US/ICOMOS, 401 F St. NY, Rm 331,Washington, D.C. 20001 (garaoz@usicomos.org) and to Gaia Jungeblodt, ICOMOS Secretariat, 49-51 rue de la Federation, Paris, 75015, France (gaia.jungeblodt@icomos.org).

Contributions to assist the conservation and rebuilding of churches, mosques and other heritage sites can be sent to the NGO Cultural Heritage Without Borders (CHWB), www.chwb.org, which has been working in Kosovo and Bosnia since the 1990s to help restore the endangered heritage of the people of the region.

© Copyright 2004. Nancy Becker. All Rights Reserved

Nancy Becker co-founded, Sacred Sites International Foundation with her husband Leonard Becker, in 1990. They live and work in Berkeley, California.

András Riedlmayer directs the Documentation Center for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University. Together with Andrew Herscher, he carried out a postwar survey of cultural and religious heritage in Kosovo damaged in the 1998-1999 war.

ssif / preservation / Kosovo