Church of Christ the Saviour, Pristina

Church of Christ the Saviour
The building in February 2013
General information
Address Agim Ramadani, Vreshtat
Town or city Pristina
Country Kosovo[lower-alpha 1]
Coordinates 42°39′31″N 21°09′49″E / 42.6585°N 21.1636°E / 42.6585; 21.1636Coordinates: 42°39′31″N 21°09′49″E / 42.6585°N 21.1636°E / 42.6585; 21.1636
Groundbreaking 1995 (1995)
Owner Serbian Orthodox Church[1]
The unfinished interior in October 2012

The Cathedral church of Christ the Saviour (Serbian: Саборни храм Христа Спаса у Приштини/Saborni hram Hrista Spasa u Prištini; Albanian: Kisha serbe në oborrin e UP-së / Kisha e Millosheviqit) in Pristina, Kosovo[lower-alpha 1] is an unfinished Serbian Orthodox Christian church whose construction began in 1995.[2] Due to have been completed in 1999, its construction, on the campus of the pre-war University of Pristina, was interrupted by the Kosovo War.[2]

History

Built in the vicinity of the University of Pristina and the National Library of Kosovo in 1992, at a time when Albanian students and professors were expelled from the university buildings and there was an extensive campaign of serbization going on in Kosovo.[3] Its construction was not welcomed by the predominantly Muslim population of Kosovo,[4] and its future remains uncertain.[4] Ownership of the building and the land on which it is located is disputed between the current University of Pristina and the Serbian Orthodox Church.[4]

Seen as a symbol of the rule of Slobodan Milošević,[5] various Kosovo Albanian intellectuals have called for its demolition.[6] In response for calls for its demolition, the church has been heavily desecrated and vandalised. Throughout 2016 the church was set on fire[7] and turned into a public toilet and dumpsite.[8] In 2016 the University of Pristina failed in a four year bid to take ownership of the land on which the church was built on through judicial proceedings.[9] The Kosovo Appeals Court granted land ownership rights of the church grounds to the Serbian Orthodox Church, however the University of Pristina continues to block attempts to refurbish the church.[10]

Notes and references

Notes:

  1. 1 2 Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the Brussels Agreement. Kosovo has received formal recognition as an independent state from 113 out of 193 United Nations member states.

References:

  1. ↑ "Kosovo Court Upholds Serbian Church's Right to Land". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  2. 1 2 "Christ the Saviour Cathedral - Sightseeing in Pristina". Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  3. ↑ Vinca, Agim (22 September 2016). "Kisha djallëzore në Universitetin e Prishtinës dhe debati rreth saj". Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 Demolli, Donjeta (2012-10-31). "Kosovo Mulls Fate of Milosevic-era Cathedral". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  5. ↑ Godwin, Martin (23 September 2012). "Bad religion: A Place Beyond Belief reaches Kosovo - in pictures". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "Albanian Intellectual: Demolish 'bad religion' Serbian Orthodox Temple". eBritić. 21 October 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2013.
  7. ↑ "Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Pristina set on fire". Orthodox Church Info. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  8. ↑ "Pristina: Orthodox chapel turned into public restroom". Serbian Orthodox Church. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  9. ↑ "Kosovo Court Upholds Serbian Church's Right to Land". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
  10. ↑ "Kosovo Court Upholds Serbian Church's Right to Land". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 2018-09-27.
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