Virtual Exhibition / Church of Saint Panteleimon
Thursday-Thursday / AUGUST 24 – SEPTEMBER 7, 2023 / Cultural Center of Nish / Officers’ Club
The renowned travel writer, Felix Kanitz, described Serbia, its landmarks, and customs, as he traversed it from top to bottom. In his notes, he described a church in Nish that had a distinctive porch with columns. This porch was demolished sometime after Felix’s visit to Jagodin Mala (1889). The wood from the porch was used to construct the first bell tower, and the bell was taken from the Turkish clocktower in Nish Fortress. This marked the new Church of Saint Panteleimon, built near the foundations of a much older structure dating back to the Nemanjic era.
As ancient as it seems from today’s point of view, the monastery church of Saint Panteleimon was so old that it had to be restored in the 12th century by Stefan Nemanja. Its foundations were far more ancient than that. During the time of the Grand Prince, the church’s appearance was much more similar to other endowments from that period. Stefan the First-Crowned claimed it was among the most beautiful and grandest of monastic and endowment buildings, comparing it even to the much more famous Studenica.
In the distant year of 1189, a historical encounter occurred in the courtyard of the Church of Saint Panteleimon. The Grand Prince of Rascia, Stefan Nemanja, met with the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa, who was embarking on the Third Crusade to Jerusalem. Prior to this meeting between the pair of mediaeval luminaries, a Serbian delegation was dispatched on the orders of the prince to Nuremberg with a proposition for the eminent German ruler that lead to his meeting with Nemanja in Nish. This was to ensure a safe passage and supply route for the Crusaders on their journey through the Balkans to Asia Minor and Jerusalem, which had fallen into the hands of the infidel Saladin on October 2, 1187.
