Cave Church, Rsovci
| Cave Church | |
|---|---|
| Cave Church of Sts. Peter and Paul | |
| Serbian: Црква Св. Петра и Павла | |
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| 43°10′34″N 22°46′27″E / 43.176077°N 22.77429°ECoordinates: 43°10′34″N 22°46′27″E / 43.176077°N 22.77429°E | |
| Country | Serbia |
| Denomination | Orthodox |
| History | |
| Founded | 13th century |
The Cave Church, also known as Cave Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, is situated near the village of Rsovci, Stara Planina, in a cave on Kalik Hill, 22 km from Pirot. Dedicated to Saint Peter and Paul the Apostle, the church was built in the 13th century. It contains a fresco, painted on the wall of the cave, depicting a bald-headed Jesus. The church has been under Serbian state protection as a national cultural heritage site since 1981.
The fresco of a bald-headed Jesus (on its northern interior wall) is also known as the fresco of the young Jesus (Ser. Исус Младенац). The color and style of the painting indicate it is from the middle or second half of the 13th century; it is believed to have been done at a time when large numbers of Sinai anchorites came to Serbia, during the reign of Lazar of Serbia (1373–1389).
In the past, the path to the church was almost impassable, making access extremely difficult, but funding from the World Travel Agency made access possible. Since the whole church was formed of rock, the entrance to the cave became the entrance to the church. The iconostasis was made of ordinary wooden beams. Although the church had a simple design, over the centuries the shrine became a spiritual hermitage for pilgrims from afar who came to the village during the summer.
Serbian journalist and photographer Dragan Bosnić, who discussed the fresco in his Amazing Serbia, explains:
In a small temple which is fifty square meters in size, dedicated to Sts. Peter and Paul, the clergy and the believers are praying below a fresco with an image of a young bald-headed Jesus, depicted by a local painter as having no hair. Bald-headed Jesus was painted in the second half of the 13th century on the north wall of the church. He is shown in Buddhist robes inside the octagonal mandorla, or inside the star, which is the greater miracle.
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