Deçan
Kosovo · Peja · 550 m
Description
Visoki Dečani is a monastery church of 1335 standing in a chestnut grove below the Accursed Mountains, and it is the largest medieval church in the Balkans. Bands of pink and grey marble run around the outside, carved by masons from the Adriatic coast working in a Romanesque idiom on a Byzantine plan. Inside are roughly a thousand painted figures, the most complete cycle of Byzantine fresco anywhere. It is UNESCO listed and on the danger list, and Italian KFOR soldiers have guarded the gate for more than two decades.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 day
Travel season
Best time to visit: May – June or September – October
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Visoki Dečani monastery (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Thousand figure fresco cycle
- Pink and grey marble banding outside
- Chestnut grove and the monastery grounds
- Monastery wine and cheese made by the monks
- Bjeshkët e Nemuna foothills behind
- Dečan gorge and the mountain road