Ancient Kosovo

This past Saturday, the PHS crew went on a field trip in our new mini bus.








We head over to an archaeological site that is not open to the public yet, but we were able to get a private tour.

Ulpiana is the remains of an ancient Roman city.

The archaeological dig began in 1954 and because the property is private, it has not been the easiest to continue. On many occasions areas discovered had to be re-covered.

Ulpiana is the foremost Roman  Period  and  Early  Byzantine  settlement  in  Kosovo  and  in  the  wider  region (I-VII  centuries).  Belonging  to  ancient  Dardania  and  placed  near  the  important  via Lissus  –  Naissus,  it became  one  of  the main  cities  of  the Roman  province Moesia Superior  (Roman  province  of  Dardania).

The  city  flourished  during  the  Roman  and Early Byzantine Period, being an important political, economical and cultural centre.

During the Early Christian period Ulpiana became a significant religious centre. Florus and  Laurus,  the  two Early  Christian martyrs,  were martyred  in  Ulpiana  (II  century).

As we walked around the site, someone spotted poppy flowers beside the tombs. Apparently this flower commonly pops up when ground is disturbed. These poppy seeds could be many many years old and now sprouting for the first time since digging up the tombs.

Tomb of the rich (left) vs. tombs of the poor

a memorial found in the stone tomb

 

Grachanitsa Monastery

After Ulpiana, we drove over to a 700 year old monastery located in a Serbian village in Kosova.

Photography was not permitted once inside- I will try my best to communicate what was inside the gates. We followed a nun as she gave us a tour inside the church that centers the monastery. The king of Serbia built 1 church for every year he was in reign- 40 total churches! This church was his last. He summoned 2 monk brothers from Thessalonia who spent 3 years painting in the sides of the church. The church walls hold 4000 frescos. The color blue was purchased with 1 kilo of gold. Absolutely amazing art work. It is unbelievable to me that the paintings remain so intact. And to think 700 years ago what they looked like.

It is sad however, to see the curtain hanging separating the "holy of holies" (priest) from the common worshipper. In many ways this is a picture of how hypocritical Christianity can be. A fellow teacher, Darryl, and I discussed this on the bus ride back. It cannot the best example to display such rules and exclusion while at the same time profess Christianity is different from [communist] religions. I imagine those questioning their Muslim upbringing must be a bit confused- Why is praying 5 times and bowing down to Mecca viewed as so wrong? Christians worship a church filled of idols (paintings, crosses, figurines) and that seems okay... well, idolatry is idolatry no matter what religion it is practiced under. Thank God (literally) for Jesus- there is no longer a boundary up, anyone can come to God. The curtain is no longer!

And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. Matthew 27:51