Church of the Holy Mother of God, Donja Kamenica
Encyclopedia
The Church of the Holy Mother of God is a medieval Eastern Orthodox
church in the village of Donja Kamenica
in Knjaževac
municipality, Zaječar District
, eastern Serbia
. The church is generally considered to have been built in the 14th century, when this area was part of the Second Bulgarian Empire
's Vidin
appanage
, though alternative datings have been proposed.
While small, the Church of the Holy Mother of God is notable for its unusual architectural style, in particular for its high narthex
flanked by two sharp-pointed towers. These features, which hint at Hungarian
or Transylvania
n influences, are highly atypical for medieval Bulgarian church architecture. The church is richly decorated on the inside, with as many as eleven frescoes of historical figures. One of these portraits, captioned as a despot, is variously identified as an eponymous son of Bulgarian tsar Michael Shishman
or as an undocumented son of co-tsar Michael Asen IV; earlier speculation that the image depicted Serbian noble Mihailo Anđelović
or Michael Shishman himself have since fallen out of favor with art historians. In addition to these early portraits, the interior walls of the church were painted with canonical murals, which can stylistically be assigned to the 14th–15th century. The church was reconstructed in 1958 and has been under Serbian state protection since 1982.
n village of Donja Kamenica, some 10 to 15 km (6.2 to 9.3 mi) southeast of Knjaževac
, northeast of Niš
and not far from the Bulgaria
n border. The church is located at the square in the centre of the village, by the left bank of the Trgoviški Timok river and along an old military road from Pirot
to Vidin
. The church acquired its name due to its abundance of frescoes featuring Mary
, the mother of Jesus
.
The prevalent opinion is that the church was constructed and painted in the early 14th century, which coincides with the lifetimes of the individuals most widely accepted as represented by the figures depicted in the church's frescoes. At the time, the village of Donja Kamenica, along with much of the Timočka Krajina
region, belonged to the Vidin appanage
of the Second Bulgarian Empire
. However, alternative theories place the construction of the church in the mid-14th century, the mid-15th century or even the 16th century. The church and its frescoes were restored in 1958. The church was declared a Monument of Culture of Great Importance in 1982, and it is protected by the Republic of Serbia.
In terms of architecture, the church features a round dome
and a single apse
. The naos or cella
has the shape of a cross, in line with the popular Byzantine
cross-in-square
design. Of particular interest is the formerly two-storey narthex
, which is notable for its unusual verticality and the towers on either side of the entrance. Judging by the models depicted in the donor's portraits inside the church, it is clear that the towers were originally further apart and the west facade with the narthex included much woodwork. The towers are topped off by sharp-pointed pyramidal elements, with additional sharp-pointed details in each of the pyramids' four corners. The towers and their design are entirely unusual and unprecedented in medieval Bulgarian church architecture. Art historian Nikola Mavrodinov believes these resemble Gothic architecture
, though a more modern researcher, Bistra Nikolova, dismisses his assessment and considers these an influence from Hungary
or Transylvania
.
Despite its monumental appearance, the church is rather small in size. It measures 7.8 by 6.5 m (25.6 by 21.3 ft) (according to Nikolova) or 7.7 by 6.2 m (25.3 by 20.3 ft) (per Mavrodinova). The materials employed in the church's construction were chiefly chiseled stones welded together using mortar
masonry. Several rows of bricks were added in order to even out the structure and to serve as decoration, particularly in the dome, which features more elaborate brickwork.
. In terms of style, the murals have much in common with churches from the southwestern Bulgarian lands.
Biblical scenes and figures depicted in the Church of the Holy Mother of God include the worshiping of the Christ child as the eucharistic victim (the Melismos) in the lower part of the apse, the raising of Lazarus
, the Annunciation
, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem
, Judas Iscariot
's betrayal of Jesus, the Passion of the Christ in the upper part of the cella, the Descent from the Cross
, the mourning of Jesus, and the Dormition of the Theotokos
on the west wall. The north and south walls of the cella, as well as the wall piers, bear frescoes of saints, including rare images of military saint
s on horseback. Murals of Saint Petka and Saint Nicholas
were painted in the upper reaches of the narthex, in the south and the north tower respectively.
Besides religious imagery, the frescoes of the Donja Kamenica church also include eleven portraits of contemporary historical figures, separated into four compositions. Three of the compositions are uncaptioned, making the identification of the people practically impossible. The first composition is located in the cella and depicts two men preserved from the waist up, of which one holds a model of the church, and a child, of which only the head is visible today. The second composition was painted on the upper west wall of the narthex and portrays a man, a woman, a boy and a girl, with the man also holding a model of the church, a common symbol of donorship. Art historian Dragana Frfulanović believes that the images of men holding models in both compositions depict the same person, the main donor. The third composition is in the cella and depicts two men: a monk and a priest.
s, and he wears an archaic-looking despot's crown on his head. In his right hand, the man holds a sceptre
with a cross. He extends his hand to a woman, clad in a despotissa's attire and wearing a fitting crown.
The inscription next to the figure of the man has been deciphered either as “Michael despot, in Christ [our] God... faithful” or “Michael despot, in Christ [our] God faithful, son of Tsar Michael”. Either reading presents significant challenges as to the proper identification of the portrayed person, who was clearly a despot, bore the name Michael, and, if the latter reading is correct, was the son of an eponymous tsar
. As a result, various theories have been proposed by Bulgarian and Serbian researchers alike.
Early Bulgarian historian Petar Nikov suggested that despot Michael of the Donja Kamenica church is identical with Bulgarian tsar Michael Shishman
(r. 1323–1330) who, before his accession to the throne, was despot of Vidin. However, Michael Shishman's father was named Shishman
, not Michael, and was usually titled despot rather than tsar. In turn, Mavrodinov proposed the theory that despot Michael is an otherwise unknown son of Michael Shishman, who was installed as despot of Vidin by his father after his coronation in 1323. In any case, this unknown son of Michael Shishman was probably dead by 1331 because Belaur
is mentioned as the ruler of Vidin shortly thereafter. The latter theory is the most established identification of despot Michael in Bulgarian historiography.
A third theory, supported by both Serbian and Bulgarian researchers, is that despot Michael is an unknown son of Michael Asen IV, the first-born son of Bulgarian tsar Ivan Alexander
(r. 1331–1371), who was proclaimed co-tsar shortly after his father's accession and died in a battle against the Ottomans
before 1354–1355. Against this identification is the account of Nikephoros Gregoras
, who mentions that Michael Asen's widow returned childless to Constantinople
after his death. Another issue with this theory is that no source mentions Michael Asen as a despot.
Another theory, which was put forward by early Serbian historians and has subsequently lost support in Serbian scholarship, is that despot Michael is to be identified with mid-15th-century Serbian noble Mihailo Anđelović
, a brother of Ottoman statesman Mahmud Pasha Angelović. However, in-depth research of the frecoes has concluded that they cannot be ascribed to the 1450s, as the artistic style, the clothing and hairstyles in the portraits are uncommon for this period. Furthermore, the church seems to bear little architectural similarity to churches of the Morava school
, which dominated 15th-century Serbian architecture. It has also been revealed that in 1454–1455, Donja Kamenica was controlled by the Ottomans and in possession of a certain Yusuf, rather than part of the Serbian Despotate
, and Mihailo Anđelović was never titled despot.
The identity of the woman has also been a matter of debate. The inscription which accompanies her image clearly includes her title, despotissa, as well as the word “daughter”. Based on a possible reading of her name as Anna, she has been identified as Anna Neda
, the Serbian wife of Michael Shishman, which is in line with the first identification of the despot. Nikolova believes that it is possible that the woman is Anna Neda even if the despot is her son rather than her husband. She theorises that Anna Neda settled in Vidin after Michael Shishman's second marriage and owned a personal domain which included Donja Kamenica. Another reading of the inscription deciphers the name of the despotissa as Elena.
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
church in the village of Donja Kamenica
Donja Kamenica
Donja Kamenica is a village in the municipality of Knjaževac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 360 people.-References:...
in Knjaževac
Knjaževac
Knjaževac is a town and municipality situated in the eastern part of Serbia bordering the Republic of Bulgaria and is part of Timočka Krajina region. It is found between the latitudes of 43°20' and 43°45' north and between the longitudes 22°11' and 22°41' east. The town is situated between three...
municipality, Zaječar District
Zajecar District
Zaječar District is a district of Serbia. It expands in the eastern part of Serbia. It has a population of 118,295 . The Seat of the District is in the city of Zaječar.-Municipalities:It encompasses the municipalities of:*Boljevac...
, eastern Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. The church is generally considered to have been built in the 14th century, when this area was part of the Second Bulgarian Empire
Second Bulgarian Empire
The Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 . A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually being conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th century...
's Vidin
Vidin
Vidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...
appanage
Appanage
An apanage or appanage or is the grant of an estate, titles, offices, or other things of value to the younger male children of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture...
, though alternative datings have been proposed.
While small, the Church of the Holy Mother of God is notable for its unusual architectural style, in particular for its high narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
flanked by two sharp-pointed towers. These features, which hint at Hungarian
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
or Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
n influences, are highly atypical for medieval Bulgarian church architecture. The church is richly decorated on the inside, with as many as eleven frescoes of historical figures. One of these portraits, captioned as a despot, is variously identified as an eponymous son of Bulgarian tsar Michael Shishman
Michael Shishman of Bulgaria
Michael Asen III ), ruled as emperor of Bulgaria from 1323 to 1330. The exact year of his birth is unknown but it was between 1280 and 1292. He was the founder of the last ruling dynasty of the Second Bulgarian Empire, the Shishman dynasty...
or as an undocumented son of co-tsar Michael Asen IV; earlier speculation that the image depicted Serbian noble Mihailo Anđelović
Mihailo Anđelović
Mihailo Anđelović was a 15th century Serbian governor of Serbia briefly in 1458.After the Ottoman conquest of Thessaly in 1394, the ruling Angeloi Philanthropenoi family took refuge in Serbia...
or Michael Shishman himself have since fallen out of favor with art historians. In addition to these early portraits, the interior walls of the church were painted with canonical murals, which can stylistically be assigned to the 14th–15th century. The church was reconstructed in 1958 and has been under Serbian state protection since 1982.
History and architecture
The Church of the Holy Mother of God lies in the eastern SerbiaSerbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n village of Donja Kamenica, some 10 to 15 km (6.2 to 9.3 mi) southeast of Knjaževac
Knjaževac
Knjaževac is a town and municipality situated in the eastern part of Serbia bordering the Republic of Bulgaria and is part of Timočka Krajina region. It is found between the latitudes of 43°20' and 43°45' north and between the longitudes 22°11' and 22°41' east. The town is situated between three...
, northeast of Niš
Niš
Niš is the largest city of southern Serbia and third-largest city in Serbia . According to the data from 2011, the city of Niš has a population of 177,972 inhabitants, while the city municipality has a population of 257,867. The city covers an area of about 597 km2, including the urban area,...
and not far from the Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n border. The church is located at the square in the centre of the village, by the left bank of the Trgoviški Timok river and along an old military road from Pirot
Pirot
Pirot is a town and municipality located in south-eastern Serbia. According to 2011 census, the town has a total population of 38,432, while the population of the municipality is 57,911...
to Vidin
Vidin
Vidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...
. The church acquired its name due to its abundance of frescoes featuring Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
, the mother of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
.
The prevalent opinion is that the church was constructed and painted in the early 14th century, which coincides with the lifetimes of the individuals most widely accepted as represented by the figures depicted in the church's frescoes. At the time, the village of Donja Kamenica, along with much of the Timočka Krajina
Timočka Krajina
Timočka Krajina is a geographical region located in Serbia. It is situated in eastern Serbia around the Timok River. The population of Timočka Krajina is 284,112 .-Name:...
region, belonged to the Vidin appanage
Appanage
An apanage or appanage or is the grant of an estate, titles, offices, or other things of value to the younger male children of a sovereign, who would otherwise have no inheritance under the system of primogeniture...
of the Second Bulgarian Empire
Second Bulgarian Empire
The Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 . A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually being conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th century...
. However, alternative theories place the construction of the church in the mid-14th century, the mid-15th century or even the 16th century. The church and its frescoes were restored in 1958. The church was declared a Monument of Culture of Great Importance in 1982, and it is protected by the Republic of Serbia.
In terms of architecture, the church features a round dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
and a single apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
. The naos or cella
Cella
A cella or naos , is the inner chamber of a temple in classical architecture, or a shop facing the street in domestic Roman architecture...
has the shape of a cross, in line with the popular Byzantine
Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. The empire gradually emerged as a distinct artistic and cultural entity from what is today referred to as the Roman Empire after AD 330, when the Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire east from Rome to...
cross-in-square
Cross-in-square
The term cross-in-square or crossed-dome denotes the dominant architectural form of middle- and late-period Byzantine churches. The first cross-in-square churches were probably built in the late 8th century, and the form has remained in use throughout the Orthodox world until the present day...
design. Of particular interest is the formerly two-storey narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
, which is notable for its unusual verticality and the towers on either side of the entrance. Judging by the models depicted in the donor's portraits inside the church, it is clear that the towers were originally further apart and the west facade with the narthex included much woodwork. The towers are topped off by sharp-pointed pyramidal elements, with additional sharp-pointed details in each of the pyramids' four corners. The towers and their design are entirely unusual and unprecedented in medieval Bulgarian church architecture. Art historian Nikola Mavrodinov believes these resemble Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
, though a more modern researcher, Bistra Nikolova, dismisses his assessment and considers these an influence from Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
or Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
.
Despite its monumental appearance, the church is rather small in size. It measures 7.8 by 6.5 m (25.6 by 21.3 ft) (according to Nikolova) or 7.7 by 6.2 m (25.3 by 20.3 ft) (per Mavrodinova). The materials employed in the church's construction were chiefly chiseled stones welded together using mortar
Mortar (masonry)
Mortar is a workable paste used to bind construction blocks together and fill the gaps between them. The blocks may be stone, brick, cinder blocks, etc. Mortar becomes hard when it sets, resulting in a rigid aggregate structure. Modern mortars are typically made from a mixture of sand, a binder...
masonry. Several rows of bricks were added in order to even out the structure and to serve as decoration, particularly in the dome, which features more elaborate brickwork.
Decoration
The frescoes inside the church are commonly dated to the 14th–15th century, though they follow a standard compositional model which had been established in Bulgarian church decoration since the 13th century. Unusually, most of the captions which accompany the images are in Byzantine Greek, though a few are in Old Church SlavonicOld Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic or Old Church Slavic was the first literary Slavic language, first developed by the 9th century Byzantine Greek missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius who were credited with standardizing the language and using it for translating the Bible and other Ancient Greek...
. In terms of style, the murals have much in common with churches from the southwestern Bulgarian lands.
Biblical scenes and figures depicted in the Church of the Holy Mother of God include the worshiping of the Christ child as the eucharistic victim (the Melismos) in the lower part of the apse, the raising of Lazarus
Lazarus of Bethany
Lazarus of Bethany, also known as Saint Lazarus or Lazarus of the Four Days, is the subject of a prominent miracle attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus restores him to life four days after his death...
, the Annunciation
Annunciation
The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem
Triumphal entry into Jerusalem
In the accounts of the four canonical Gospels, Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem takes place in the days before the Last Supper, marking the beginning of his Passion....
, Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:...
's betrayal of Jesus, the Passion of the Christ in the upper part of the cella, the Descent from the Cross
Descent from the Cross
The Descent from the Cross , or Deposition of Christ, is the scene, as depicted in art, from the Gospels' accounts of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus taking Christ down from the cross after his crucifixion . In Byzantine art the topic became popular in the 9th century, and in the West from the...
, the mourning of Jesus, and the Dormition of the Theotokos
Dormition of the Theotokos
The Dormition of the Theotokos is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches which commemorates the "falling asleep" or death of the Theotokos , and her bodily resurrection before being taken up into heaven. It is celebrated on August 15 The Dormition...
on the west wall. The north and south walls of the cella, as well as the wall piers, bear frescoes of saints, including rare images of military saint
Military saint
The military saints or warrior saints of the Early Christian Church are prominent in the history of Christianity...
s on horseback. Murals of Saint Petka and Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
were painted in the upper reaches of the narthex, in the south and the north tower respectively.
Besides religious imagery, the frescoes of the Donja Kamenica church also include eleven portraits of contemporary historical figures, separated into four compositions. Three of the compositions are uncaptioned, making the identification of the people practically impossible. The first composition is located in the cella and depicts two men preserved from the waist up, of which one holds a model of the church, and a child, of which only the head is visible today. The second composition was painted on the upper west wall of the narthex and portrays a man, a woman, a boy and a girl, with the man also holding a model of the church, a common symbol of donorship. Art historian Dragana Frfulanović believes that the images of men holding models in both compositions depict the same person, the main donor. The third composition is in the cella and depicts two men: a monk and a priest.
Despot and despotissa's portraits
Of greatest interest is the fourth composition of historical figures, a young man and a woman, which was painted on the lowest west wall of the narthex and includes inscriptions in Old Church Slavonic. The figures are painted facing the viewer. The man's red clothing is covered in pearls and double-headed eagleDouble-headed eagle
The double-headed eagle is a common symbol in heraldry and vexillology. It is most commonly associated with the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Empire. In Byzantine heraldry, the heads represent the dual sovereignty of the Emperor and/or dominance of the Byzantine Emperors over both East and...
s, and he wears an archaic-looking despot's crown on his head. In his right hand, the man holds a sceptre
Sceptre
A sceptre is a symbolic ornamental rod or wand borne in the hand by a ruling monarch as an item of royal or imperial insignia.-Antiquity:...
with a cross. He extends his hand to a woman, clad in a despotissa's attire and wearing a fitting crown.
The inscription next to the figure of the man has been deciphered either as “Michael despot, in Christ [our] God... faithful” or “Michael despot, in Christ [our] God faithful, son of Tsar Michael”. Either reading presents significant challenges as to the proper identification of the portrayed person, who was clearly a despot, bore the name Michael, and, if the latter reading is correct, was the son of an eponymous tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
. As a result, various theories have been proposed by Bulgarian and Serbian researchers alike.
Early Bulgarian historian Petar Nikov suggested that despot Michael of the Donja Kamenica church is identical with Bulgarian tsar Michael Shishman
Michael Shishman of Bulgaria
Michael Asen III ), ruled as emperor of Bulgaria from 1323 to 1330. The exact year of his birth is unknown but it was between 1280 and 1292. He was the founder of the last ruling dynasty of the Second Bulgarian Empire, the Shishman dynasty...
(r. 1323–1330) who, before his accession to the throne, was despot of Vidin. However, Michael Shishman's father was named Shishman
Shishman of Vidin
Shishman, Despot of Vidin was a Bulgarian noble who ruled a semi-independent realm based out of the Danubian fortress of Vidin in the late 13th and early 14th century...
, not Michael, and was usually titled despot rather than tsar. In turn, Mavrodinov proposed the theory that despot Michael is an otherwise unknown son of Michael Shishman, who was installed as despot of Vidin by his father after his coronation in 1323. In any case, this unknown son of Michael Shishman was probably dead by 1331 because Belaur
Belaur
Belaur was a Bulgarian noble and despot of Vidin and brother of the Bulgarian Emperor Michael Shishman . The son of Shishman of Vidin, he was among the most elaborate Balkan diplomats of his time...
is mentioned as the ruler of Vidin shortly thereafter. The latter theory is the most established identification of despot Michael in Bulgarian historiography.
A third theory, supported by both Serbian and Bulgarian researchers, is that despot Michael is an unknown son of Michael Asen IV, the first-born son of Bulgarian tsar Ivan Alexander
Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria
Ivan Alexander , also known as John Alexander, ruled as Emperor of Bulgaria from 1331 to 1371, during the Second Bulgarian Empire. The date of his birth is unknown. He died on February 17, 1371. The long reign of Ivan Alexander is considered a transitional period in Bulgarian medieval history...
(r. 1331–1371), who was proclaimed co-tsar shortly after his father's accession and died in a battle against the Ottomans
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
before 1354–1355. Against this identification is the account of Nikephoros Gregoras
Nicephorus Gregoras
Nikephoros Gregoras, latinized as Nicephorus Gregoras , Byzantine astronomer, historian, man of learning and religious controversialist, was born at Heraclea Pontica....
, who mentions that Michael Asen's widow returned childless to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
after his death. Another issue with this theory is that no source mentions Michael Asen as a despot.
Another theory, which was put forward by early Serbian historians and has subsequently lost support in Serbian scholarship, is that despot Michael is to be identified with mid-15th-century Serbian noble Mihailo Anđelović
Mihailo Anđelović
Mihailo Anđelović was a 15th century Serbian governor of Serbia briefly in 1458.After the Ottoman conquest of Thessaly in 1394, the ruling Angeloi Philanthropenoi family took refuge in Serbia...
, a brother of Ottoman statesman Mahmud Pasha Angelović. However, in-depth research of the frecoes has concluded that they cannot be ascribed to the 1450s, as the artistic style, the clothing and hairstyles in the portraits are uncommon for this period. Furthermore, the church seems to bear little architectural similarity to churches of the Morava school
Morava school
The Morava School or Moravska School entails the establishments of architectural style in Serbia from 1370-1459. The churches and monasteries were built by the rulers Lazar Hrebeljanović , Stefan Lazarević and Đurađ Branković and their nobleman. The first endowment was the royal tomb of Ravanica...
, which dominated 15th-century Serbian architecture. It has also been revealed that in 1454–1455, Donja Kamenica was controlled by the Ottomans and in possession of a certain Yusuf, rather than part of the Serbian Despotate
Serbian Despotate
The Serbian Despotate was a Serbian state, the last to be conquered by the Ottoman Empire. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is generally considered the end of the medieval Serbian state, the Despotate, a successor of the Serbian Empire and Moravian Serbia survived for 70 more years,...
, and Mihailo Anđelović was never titled despot.
The identity of the woman has also been a matter of debate. The inscription which accompanies her image clearly includes her title, despotissa, as well as the word “daughter”. Based on a possible reading of her name as Anna, she has been identified as Anna Neda
Anna Neda of Serbia
Anna Neda was a 14th-century Serb Empress consort of Bulgaria. She was the daughter of Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin and Princess Anna Terter, daughter of George I of Bulgaria...
, the Serbian wife of Michael Shishman, which is in line with the first identification of the despot. Nikolova believes that it is possible that the woman is Anna Neda even if the despot is her son rather than her husband. She theorises that Anna Neda settled in Vidin after Michael Shishman's second marriage and owned a personal domain which included Donja Kamenica. Another reading of the inscription deciphers the name of the despotissa as Elena.
See also
- Monuments of Culture of Great Importance
- Tourism in SerbiaTourism in SerbiaSerbia stretches across two geographic and cultural regions of Europe: Central Europe and Southeast Europe. This boundary splits Serbia roughly in a ratio of 1:2 alongside the Danube and Sava rivers. The northern parts of the country are Central-European lowlands while the southern and central...