Velika Hoča

St Jovan Monastery (overview)

Velika Hoča (Serbian Cyrillic: Велика Хоча, Albanian: Hoçë e Madhe) is a village in the municipality of Orahovac, in Kosovo.[lower-alpha 1] It is one of the Serb enclaves in Kosovo, and houses some 13 Orthodox church buildings, most of which date to the Serbian Middle Ages.

Velika Hoča is situated in the historical region of Metohija and is one of the oldest settlements in Metohija. It was given as metochion by Stefan Nemanja to Hilandar in 1198–99 (Charter of Hilandar).[1]

In the Middle Ages, Velika Hoča was a strong economical and spiritual centre with 24 churches and three monasteries. 8 monasteries and five ruins have been preserved from that period. The Dečani wine is made from vineyards in Velika Hoča since at least the reign of Emperor Stefan Dušan (r. 1331-1355).

Demographics

Up until the Kosovo War, there were no Albanian inhabitants in the village or its surroundings. Since then, the surrounding areas have been inhabited by ethnic Albanians. As of January 2009 the village has around 700 Serb residents. Before the Kosovo War the village had around 2000 residents.

Agriculture

The main economic activity of Velika Hoča is viniculture.

Culture

Velika Hoča is a significant cultural centre of Serbs in Kosovo. The village is noted for its 13 churches, some dating from the 12th century and reign of Serbian Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja, others from the 14th to 16th centuries. There are also several tower houses, one that belonged to Lazar Kujundžić.

List of churches
  • Church of St. Nicholas, Velika Hoča
  • Church of St. John, Velika Hoča
  • Church of St. Stephen, Velika Hoča
  • Church of the Holy Sunday, Velika Hoča
  • Church of Parascheva, Velika Hoča
  • Church of St. Luke, Velika Hoča
  • Church of St. Anne, Velika Hoča
  • Church of St. Basil, Velika Hoča
  • Church of the Holy Apostle Peter, Velika Hoča
  • Church of the Virgin Mary, Velika Hoča
  • Church of the Prophet Elijah, Velika Hoča
  • Church of the Holy Archangel Gabriel, Velika Hoča
  • Church on Rid

Annotations

  1. ↑ 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. ↑ Branislav Krstić (2002). Spasavanje kulturne baštine Srbije i Evrope na Kosovu i Metohiji. Koordinacioni centar Savezne vlade i Vlade Republike Srbije za Kosovo i Metohiju. Велика Хоча је једно од најстаријих насеља у Метохији. Помиње се у даровном писму које је Стефан Немања (1198-1199) дао манастиру Хиландару.

Further reading

  • Zarković Božidar V. (2013). "Velika Hoča i začeci crkvenog poseda u Metohiji". Zbornik radova Filozofskog fakulteta u Prištini. 43 (2): 131–48.
  • "Velika Hoča (Unofficial site)".
  • "Velika Hoča". Yuheritage.com. (in Serbian)
  • "Филм о Великој Хочи у продукцији Министарства за дијаспору Републике Србије". (in Serbian)
  • "film o Velikoj Hoči". (in Serbian)
  • "Velika Hoča 1991. godine". (in Serbian)

Coordinates: 42°23′03″N 20°40′36″E / 42.3842°N 20.6767°E / 42.3842; 20.6767

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