Site visited July 2016. Stari Ras and Sopoćani is generally least known and visited among the six Yugoslavian sites which were inscribed in 1979. Although the name makes you think that there are two sites the inscription consists of four separate sites around the town of Novi Pazar. This group of medieval monuments of the first capital of Serbia gives you an interesting insight to the history of the country.

I travelled to Novi Pazar by bus from Belgrad and visited the Studenica Monastery during the trip. I spent the whole next day exploring these four sites. Novi Pazar is predominantly a muslim city which is noteworthy in Eastern Orthodox Serbia. You can immediately notice that on the streets. The border of Kosovo is just a few kilometers away. I hired a taxi to take me to the sites. This is very cheap like everything is in Serbia. Three of the sites are outside of Novi Pazar: Stari Ras 8 kilometers, Sopoćani 13 km and Djurdjevi Stupovi 5 km from the city center. Only the Saint Peters Church is within a walking distance from the center of Novi Pazar.

This site is the only one of Yugoslavian legendary 'six of 1979' (the others are Dubrovnik, Kotor, Ohrid, Plitvice and Split) which is not a target of international mass tourism. It would be interesting to know why Stari Ras and Sopoćani has been selected to the same group among the huge potential of former Yugoslavia. I guess the reason is that this is the only site that represented Serbia and the history of Slavic culture of the country.

Archaeological site of the Medieval Town of Ras or Stari Ras is located on a valley west of Novi Pazar. The site consists of the hilltop fortress of Gradina and the lower town of Trgovište. The lower town is just few building foundations beside the parking place of Stari Ras. The fortress of Gradina is on top of a steep cliff which rises 170 meters above the valley floor. Stari Ras became the first capital of the Serbian independent state in 1159 so it is of big historical importance for Serbians.

Climbing to the fortress of Gradina was a strenuous job in the midday heat in the beginning of August. But it was worth the effort. From the top of the hill are wonderful views to surrounding valley all the way to Novi Pazar. The low stone walls encircles the top of the hill. The length of the fortress is about 200 meters. Apart from the wall and nice views there is little to see.

Sopoćani Monastery is a short drive away from Stari Ras. The monastery, built in 1260, is very important to the Serbian Orthodox church. It is third in hierarchy after Studenica and Žiča monasteries. It suffered bad damages in 1689 when Ottoman Turks set it to fire and destroyed the roof. The monastery was restored and partly reconstructed in 1926. Before that the church was without roof and dome for over 200 years. The frescoes inside the church were also exposed to the elements for a long time. The frescoes were restored in 1920’s and 1950’s. The surrounding outer stone wall and all the other buildings are still in ruins and you can see only the base of them.

My visit to the Sopoćani Monastery was nice. The church indeed looks solemn standing lonely surrounded by beautiful countryside. After I had walked around the monastery courtyard, a monk who spoke very good English invited me inside. He showed me different places in the monastery and told me about its history. The frescoes are actually quite good and impressive considering the history of the building. ”It is a miracle of God” commented the monk about the frescoes. You can notice only that the roof is reconstructed, otherwise the interior looks quite original.

Monastery of Djurdjevi Stupovi is attractively located on top of a hill. The monastery was completed 1171 and abandoned in 1689 when Ottoman Turks occupied the area. Ottomans destroyed the monastery in 1722 used the stones from the original church to the construction of their fortress in the center of Novi Pazar. After that the monastery was in ruins for 300 years. Architecturally the monastery represents the synthesis of two medieval styles – the interior is Byzantine style from the East and the facade is Romanesque style from the West. The monastery was named after the church dedicated to St. George which used to have two monumental bell towers, or ”St. George’s pillars”. Today only the foundations of the bell towers are left.

Although the location is appealing the monastery itself is heavily reconstructed. The reconstructions started at the end of 20th century and are still in process. It makes you wonder what actually is original and what is new, although it is very easy to spot new stones from the walls. Also big part of the interior is reconstructed. Luckily there are at least some fragments of old frescoes. But overall the monastery didn’t impress that much because in many places it looked like new building.

Saint Peter’s Church, officially Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, was the last site of my tour. Built in the 9th century on the foundations from 6th century it is the oldest intact church in Serbia, and one of the oldest surviving Christian churches in the Balkans. The church served as the seat of the Serbian church, and as the baptismal church and state council site of the Nemanjić dynasty.

I found the church and the surrounding cemetery with robust crosses very photogenic. It is the most memorable thing of this site. I took lot lot of photos of the graveyard with the church on the background. The interior of the church looks very old indeed, and there are some fragments of the old frescoes. After my visit to Saint Peter’s Church I walked back to Novi Pazar.

So, what I think about this WHS and the four separate sites. Saint Peter’s Church was the most impressive site and after that comes Sopoćani, even though it is too much the same than Studenica Monastery. Stari Ras was nice change to religious places, and Djurdjevi Stupovi was a bit of disappointment. Although not World class, like other Yugoslavian sites of 1979, this WHS is a nice place to visit. Visiting it gives you some understanding of the history of Serbia and also life and culture of that part of the country.