New Gracanica Monastery
Encyclopedia
42°22′46.53"N 88°00′14.38"W
New Gračanica (Serbian
: Манастир Нoва Грачаница, Manastir Nova Gračanica) is a Serbian Orthodox monastery
complex is located in Third Lake, Illinois
, USA, a suburb of Chicago
. The complex houses a scaled up replica of the Gračanica monastery
in Kosovo
. It is a part of the Diocese of New Gracanica - Midwestern America
.
Association purchased in 1977, New Gračanica Church and the main building on its grounds dedicated to the feast of the "Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God" were completed and consecrated in 1984.
in Kosovo
that is found on UNESCO
's World Heritage List, but built in a scale eighteen percent larger than the original. New Gračanica has detail such as hand-carved wooden
entrance doors depicting twenty-three monasteries and churches from various regions of Serbia
.
was commissioned to paint the entire church. Done over the span of three years, Fr. Theodore is held to be one of the most celebrated iconographers in North America
today. Painted in a Byzantine
style it features richly colored designs and religious scenes covering the wall
s, vaults
, pillars
and dome
of the church. The fresco
es painted by Fr. Theodore like other contemporary iconographers are done in acrylics
on dry plaster
.
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=138571244&albumID=2233186&imageID=35351069
, mosaics, woodcraft
s, textiles, photography
and crafts as well as demonstration of icon painting and candlemaking. There are also church music performances featuring choirs using the Byzantine Chant which culminates in the evening with a pan-Orthodox
Vesper
service. Sponsored by Faith Net, it attracts visitors from Wisconsin
and Indiana
in addition to visitors from the Chicago Metropolitan Area.
New Gračanica (Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
: Манастир Нoва Грачаница, Manastir Nova Gračanica) is a Serbian Orthodox monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
complex is located in Third Lake, Illinois
Third Lake, Illinois
Third Lake is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,355 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Third Lake is located at ....
, USA, a suburb of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. The complex houses a scaled up replica of the Gračanica monastery
Gracanica monastery
Gračanica is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located in Kosovo. It was founded by the Serbian king Stefan Milutin in 1321. Gračanica Monastery was declared Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1990, and it is protected by Republic of Serbia, and on 13 July 2006 it was placed on UNESCO's...
in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. It is a part of the Diocese of New Gracanica - Midwestern America
Diocese of New Gracanica - Midwestern America
The Serbian Orthodox Diocese of New Gracanica - Midwestern America is a Serbian Orthodox Church diocese located in the United States. Its headquarters are in Third Lake, Illinois...
.
History
Built on land that the Most Holy Mother of God SerbianSerbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
Association purchased in 1977, New Gračanica Church and the main building on its grounds dedicated to the feast of the "Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God" were completed and consecrated in 1984.
Architecture
It is an architectural replica of the original GračanicaGracanica monastery
Gračanica is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located in Kosovo. It was founded by the Serbian king Stefan Milutin in 1321. Gračanica Monastery was declared Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1990, and it is protected by Republic of Serbia, and on 13 July 2006 it was placed on UNESCO's...
in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
that is found on UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
's World Heritage List, but built in a scale eighteen percent larger than the original. New Gračanica has detail such as hand-carved wooden
Wood carving
Wood carving is a form of working wood by means of a cutting tool in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation of a wooden object...
entrance doors depicting twenty-three monasteries and churches from various regions of 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 Frescoes
In 1995 famed Polish-American artist Fr. Theodore JurewiczTheodore Jurewicz
Fr. Theodore Jurewicz is a Polish-American Orthodox priest and artist specializing in painting Byzantine icons and frescoes. Father Jurewicz is also a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, and serves the parish of the Nativity of the Lord in Erie, Pennsylvania.-Art:Fr...
was commissioned to paint the entire church. Done over the span of three years, Fr. Theodore is held to be one of the most celebrated iconographers in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
today. Painted in a Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
style it features richly colored designs and religious scenes covering the wall
Wall
A wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. Most commonly, a wall delineates a building and supports its superstructure, separates space in buildings into rooms, or protects or delineates a space in the open air...
s, vaults
Vault (architecture)
A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...
, pillars
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
and 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....
of the church. The fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es painted by Fr. Theodore like other contemporary iconographers are done in acrylics
Acrylic paint
Acrylic paint is fast drying paint containing pigment suspension in acrylic polymer emulsion. Acrylic paints can be diluted with water, but become water-resistant when dry...
on dry plaster
Plaster
Plaster is a building material used for coating walls and ceilings. Plaster starts as a dry powder similar to mortar or cement and like those materials it is mixed with water to form a paste which liberates heat and then hardens. Unlike mortar and cement, plaster remains quite soft after setting,...
.
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=138571244&albumID=2233186&imageID=35351069
Sacred Arts Festival
The Sacred Arts Festival is an annual event held on the first Saturday in October since 2003. Most of the festival is centered on the main lawn in front of the Church and Administration building, with other activities taking place in the picnic area, hall, and playground. Featuring Orthodox artists of different ethnic backgrounds, the festival has lectures, booths and exhibits explaining iconographyIconography
Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Greek "image" and "to write". A secondary meaning is the painting of icons in the...
, mosaics, woodcraft
Woodcraft
Woodcraft is a recreational/educational program devised by Ernest Thompson Seton in 1902, for young people based on camping, outdoor skills and woodcrafts. Thompson Seton's Woodcraft ideas were incorporated into the early Scout movement, but also in many other organisations in many countries.In the...
s, textiles, photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
and crafts as well as demonstration of icon painting and candlemaking. There are also church music performances featuring choirs using the Byzantine Chant which culminates in the evening with a pan-Orthodox
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,...
Vesper
Vesper
Vesper means evening in Classical Latin. It can refer to:*Hesperus, Latinized form of Hesperos, a Greek mythological figure Places:*Vesper, Wisconsin, a village*Vesper Peak, a mountain in Washington State...
service. Sponsored by Faith Net, it attracts visitors from Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
in addition to visitors from the Chicago Metropolitan Area.
See also
External links
- http://www.newgracanica.com/