.....OLD RAS WITH SOPOCANI

The historical and artistic monuments in the region of Old Ras, originating during the period from the 9th to the 12th century, are closely related to the emergence of the old Serb state. This exceptional monumental region encompasses several important localities on a relatively small area.

The Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul belongs to the oldest medieval sacral monuments on the territory of Serbia. Historical sources do not mention its time of origin, but it is mentioned as the episcopal seat of the Ras district during the 10th century. The basic pre-Romanic concept of this building, based on a circular base with a cupola, dominates to the present day, but supplemented with new elements during the succeeding centuries. The Great Zupan Stefan Nemanja, founder of the Serb Nemanjic dynasty, was baptized here in an Orthodox ritual. In 1171, after his victory in a dispute over the throne, Nemanja erected the monumental monastery of Djurdjevi Stupovi in the vicinity, with the Church of St. George as an example of early Ras architecture, with a single-nave base, three-part altar space, and narthex with towers, while in outward appearance it reveals a spirit of Western, Romanic architecture.

During the reign of Stefan Nemanja and his first successors, the Ras fortress became the capital of Serbia. The first Serb coins, modeled after Byzantine coinage of the period, were made here in 1230 by Nemanja's grandson King Radoslav.

A few kilometers upstream along the Ras river, Radoslav's brother King Uros erected a royal mausoleum - the Sopocani Monastery. The monumental wall paintings in the Church of the Holy Trinity represent one of the most impressive fresco entirety of the Byzantine tradition. The work of exceptionally gifted painters, inspired by a heritage of antiquity, they still amaze with their magnificent color and perfect drawing. Originating during the second half of the 13th century, the Sopocani fresco paintings are a masterpiece and high point of a classic style whose basic categories were beauty and harmony. The burial church of King Uros I was modeled after the endowments of this patron's ancestors and belongs to the later period of the Ras school of architecture.

King Dragutin, son of Uros, renovated the monastery of Djurdjevi Stupovi. The chapel in the entry tower is connected to his name, with frescoes extolling the Assembly of Dezeva, where he surrendered the throne to his brother Milutin.

During the 12th century, a strong merchant settlement was formed at the foot of the Ras hillfort. It survived until the period of Turkish conquest of these parts. The center of commerce was then moved to Novi Pazar, where valuable monuments of Moslem and town architecture of the 12th - 19th century are still preserved.

The region of Old Ras with Sopocani was inscribed in the World Heritage List in 1979.