Shirgj Monastery
Encyclopedia
The Shirgj Monastery is an abandoned Benedictine
monastery in the village of Shirgj on the Bojana River
in northern Albania
. The monastery was dedicated to Saints Sergius and Bacchus
and was built by Helen of Anjou
in 1290, seemingly on top of a pre-6th century basilica
.
, queen consort
of Rascia
, Duklja
, Albania, Chilmiae, and Dalmatia
, wife of Serbian king Stefan Uroš I
, and mother of kings Dragutin
and Milutin
. Apparently the monastery was constructed on top of an existing structure: according to apocryphal documents, the original monastery is mentioned as erected by Justinian, whereas in other sources its existence is mentioned as an abbey
starting from 1100. The presence of a pillar of black granite, a material which originates from Syria
and was often used in 6th-century basilicas in Albania, demonstrates that the construction of the original building may indeed lie in the 6th century.
A document dated 22 October 1330 mentions the monastery as the rendezvous point of the king of Rascia with ambassadors of Ragusa
. In another document dated 1333, the monastery is mentioned as the customs' place of the kingdom of Rascia.
Marin Bici
, Archbishop
of Antivari
at the time, wrote in a 1611 report to the Vatican that heavy damages were inflicted to the church as a result of the Ottoman
presence in Albania. In 1684, Pjetër Bogdani
reported that the church's bell had been put underground. Daniele Farlati
also mentioned the church in his Illyricum Sacrum. In 1790 archbishop Frang Borci informed Coletti, Farlati's assistant, who was about to republish Illyricum Sacrum, that the church was the most beautiful of Albania.
The French consul in Iskodra noted that the monastery's frescoes could still be seen in the church in 1905. At that time only three of the four perimeter walls were still standing. Ippen, then Austrian consul of Iskodra, observed that in the late 1800s and early 1900s the gravediggers of Shirgj would find old mosaics. At present, only a single wall remains and the mosaics can no longer be seen.
The monastery has been under the Vatican's jurisdiction during all of its active life. It was listed as a Monument of Culture by the Albanian government in 1970.
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monastery in the village of Shirgj on the Bojana River
Bojana River
The Bojana or Buna , is a 41 km long river in Albania and Montenegro which flows into the Adriatic Sea. An outflow of Lake Skadar, measured from the source of the lake's longest tributary, the Morača, the Morača-Lake Skadar- Bojana system is 183 km long.- The river in Albania :The river...
in northern Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
. The monastery was dedicated to Saints Sergius and Bacchus
Saints Sergius and Bacchus
Saints Sergius and Bacchus , were third century Roman soldiers who are commemorated as martyrs by the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches...
and was built by Helen of Anjou
Helen of Anjou
Helen of Anjou or Hélène d'Anjou was the queen consort of the Serbian Kingdom, wife of Stephen Uroš I and mother of kings Dragutin and Milutin.-Life:Helen was a Catholic and was born in ca 1236. Her origins are not known for certain...
in 1290, seemingly on top of a pre-6th century basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
.
History
The monastery was built in 1290 by Helen of AnjouHelen of Anjou
Helen of Anjou or Hélène d'Anjou was the queen consort of the Serbian Kingdom, wife of Stephen Uroš I and mother of kings Dragutin and Milutin.-Life:Helen was a Catholic and was born in ca 1236. Her origins are not known for certain...
, queen consort
Queen consort
A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...
of Rascia
Rascia
Rascia was a medieval region that served as the principal province of the Serbian realm. It was an administrative division under the direct rule of the monarch and sometimes as an appanage. The term has been used to refer to various Serbian states throughout the Middle Ages...
, Duklja
Duklja
Doclea or Duklja was a medieval state with hereditary lands roughly encompassing the territories of present-day southeastern Montenegro, from Kotor on the west to the river Bojana on the east and to the sources of Zeta and Morača rivers on the north....
, Albania, Chilmiae, and Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
, wife of Serbian king Stefan Uroš I
Stefan Uroš I of Serbia
Stefan Uroš I was the King of Serbia from 1243 to 1276, succeeding his brother Stefan Vladislav.-Life:Stephen Uroš was the youngest son of Stefan the First-Crowned and Anna, the granddaughter of Enrico Dandolo, Doge of Venice....
, and mother of kings Dragutin
Stefan Dragutin of Serbia
Stephen Dragutin was a 13th and 14th-century Serb monarch, the King of Serbia from 1276 to 1282 and King of Syrmia from 1282 to 1316.He ruled Serbia until his abdication in 1282, when he became ill...
and Milutin
Stefan Uroš II Milutin of Serbia
Stefan Uroš II Milutin was a king of Serbia , and member of the House of Nemanjić.-Early:...
. Apparently the monastery was constructed on top of an existing structure: according to apocryphal documents, the original monastery is mentioned as erected by Justinian, whereas in other sources its existence is mentioned as an abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
starting from 1100. The presence of a pillar of black granite, a material which originates from Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and was often used in 6th-century basilicas in Albania, demonstrates that the construction of the original building may indeed lie in the 6th century.
A document dated 22 October 1330 mentions the monastery as the rendezvous point of the king of Rascia with ambassadors of Ragusa
Republic of Ragusa
The Republic of Ragusa or Republic of Dubrovnik was a maritime republic centered on the city of Dubrovnik in Dalmatia , that existed from 1358 to 1808...
. In another document dated 1333, the monastery is mentioned as the customs' place of the kingdom of Rascia.
Marin Bici
Marin Bici
Marino Bizzi was a Dalmatian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Bizzi was Archbishop of Antivari.-Life:...
, Archbishop
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bar
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Bar is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Montenegro. It is centred in the city of Bar . It was erected as a diocese in the 9th century and elevated to an archdiocese in 1089...
of Antivari
Bar, Montenegro
Bar is a coastal town in Montenegro. It has a population of 17,727...
at the time, wrote in a 1611 report to the Vatican that heavy damages were inflicted to the church as a result of the Ottoman
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...
presence in Albania. In 1684, Pjetër Bogdani
Pjetër Bogdani
Pjetër Bogdani , known in Italian as Pietro Bogdano, is the most original writer of early literature in Albania. He is author of the Cuneus Prophetarum , 1685, the first prose work of substance written originally in Albanian Pjetër Bogdani (ca. 1630 - 1689), known in Italian as Pietro Bogdano, is...
reported that the church's bell had been put underground. Daniele Farlati
Daniele Farlati
Daniele Farlati was an ecclesiastical historian.Farlati was born in San Daniele del Friuli in the present Italian province of Udine. After having studied in Gorizia he entered, in 1707, the Society of Jesus in Bologna...
also mentioned the church in his Illyricum Sacrum. In 1790 archbishop Frang Borci informed Coletti, Farlati's assistant, who was about to republish Illyricum Sacrum, that the church was the most beautiful of Albania.
The French consul in Iskodra noted that the monastery's frescoes could still be seen in the church in 1905. At that time only three of the four perimeter walls were still standing. Ippen, then Austrian consul of Iskodra, observed that in the late 1800s and early 1900s the gravediggers of Shirgj would find old mosaics. At present, only a single wall remains and the mosaics can no longer be seen.
The monastery has been under the Vatican's jurisdiction during all of its active life. It was listed as a Monument of Culture by the Albanian government in 1970.