Dečani

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This article is about the city in Kosovo. For the architectural term, see Decani.

Dečani / Дечани

Government
- Mayor	Nazmi Selmanaj
Population (2000)
- Total	50,500
- Density	280.5/km² (726.5/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
Postal code	51000
Area code(s)	0381 390
Website: Municipality of Dečani

Dečani or Deçan (Serbian: Дечани, Dečani;Albanian: Deçan or Deçani ) is a town in western Kosovo. It is widely known for the Visoki Dečani monastery of the Serb Orthodox Church.

1 Demographics
2 Culture
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Demographics

In 1991, the population of the municipality numbered 49,000, including 97.28% Albanians, 1.61% Serbs and Montenegrins, etc.

[edit] Culture

The monastery of Dečani is situated near the town. It was built between 1327 and 1335 by the Serbian medieval king, St. Stephen of Decani, and was dedicated to the Ascension of the Lord. The monastery is situated in the valley of the Dečanska Bistrica river surrounded by the mountains and forests of the Prokletije mountain range. It is regarded as the largest and best preserved medieval monastery in Kosovo. During its turbulent history the monastery was an important spiritual center renowned for its artistic and intellectual activities. Although the monastery buildings suffered damage during the Ottoman period, the church has been completely preserved complete with its 14th century fresco paintings. Today a young brotherhood of 30 brethren lives in the monastery maintaining the traditions of the past: religious services, icon painting, wood carving, book publishing and is also active in the missionary work. The beautiful monastic services are served according to the typicon of Mount Athos.

In 2004, UNESCO listed the monastery on the World Heritage List, citing its frescoes as "one of the most valued examples of the so-called Palaeologan renaissance in Byzantine painting" and "a valuable record of the life in the 14th century".