Gracanica - my first outing outside Pristina

First of all, it is pronounced GrachaNIcha, not GraCHAnica.  I tell my students all the time that syllable stress impacts understandability more than anything other aspect of pronunciation, and the very nice lady at the bus station couldn't understand anything I said until I showed her the town on Google maps.  She of course gave me a lesson (very politely of course) on how to correctly pronounce GrachaNIcha.

Anyway, I got there for 1 euro, wiith two English Teaching Assistants along for company (the ETA program is a cute little program for recent college graduates who are very young and take themselves WAY too seriously but are basically cute and fun to have along on an outing).  There is a lovely llittle monastery in Gracanica built in the 1300s, and I wanted to go check it out so I can attend services there, seeing as how there isn't an Orthhodox church here in Pristina, or so I thought.  Surprise!  The very nice men at the monastery told me that St. Nicholas church here in Pristina was indeed destroyed but has been rebuilt recently and now actually does have services.  So, I'll check it out this Sunday.

So anyway, here are a few pictures.  They won't allow pictures on the inside, but it is basically a sweet little Byzantine-era church with lovely iconography (everyone calls them frescos, which I guess technically they are).  They celebrate the liturgy every day, so it is totally an active working church.  I was able to light a candle and spend a little time reflecting.   

I should also note that there are towns throughout Kosovo that are predominately populated by ethnic Serbs.  Mitrovica to the north is probably the largest Serbian town in Kosovo.  Gracanica is a Serbian town, and there are Serbian flags flying throughout the town. So it seemed a bit weird having been surrounded by ethnic Albanian symbols (e.g. flags, graffiti, etc.) in Pristina and then coming to Gracanica and being surrounded by ethnic Serbian symbols.  It's almost like a totally different  country.

The sign is first in Serbian, then in Albanian, then in English.
I love the main gate!!
The monastery and grounds.  Very quiet, calm, and peaceful
Closer up
This sweet little chapel was down the street a bit, next to where we picked up the bus back to Pristina.  The flags are Serbian.





  

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