Our Lady of Ljevis
| Our Lady of Ljeviš, Mother of God | |
|---|---|
| Богородица Љевишка | |
Overview of the church, 1980
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| Coordinates: 42°12′41″N 20°44′09″E / 42.21139°N 20.73583°E | |
| Location | Prizren, Kosovo |
| Denomination | Serbian Orthodox |
| History | |
| Founded | 1306–1307 |
| Founder(s) | Stephen Uroš II Milutin of Serbia |
| Dedication | Theotokos |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation |
Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance  Serbia
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| Designated | 1990 |
| Style | Serbo-Byzantine style |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Stone |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | |
| Official name | Medieval Monuments in Kosovo |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iii, iv |
| Designated | 2004 (28th session) |
| Reference no. | 724 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| State party | Serbia |
| Extensions | 2006 |
| Type | Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance |
| Designated | 1947 |
| Reference no. | СК 1369 |
Our Lady of Ljeviš (Serbian: Богородица Љевишка/Bogorodica Ljeviška, Albanian: Kisha e Shën Premtës) is a 14th-century Serbian Orthodox church in the town of Prizren, located in southern Kosovo. It was converted to a mosque during the Ottoman Empire and then back into a church in the early 20th century.
The construction of the church was commissioned in 1306–9 by Serbian King Stefan Milutin. It was built on the site of the ruins of an earlier Byzantine church, whose original name Metera Eleousa was preserved in Slavic as Bogorodica Ljeviška.
In 1990 Serbia designated it a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance, and on 13 July 2006, it was placed on UNESCO's World Heritage List as an extension of the Visoki Dečani site (named Medieval Monuments in Kosovo), which, as a whole, was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Church was guarded by KFOR after June 1999. However, it was heavily damaged by arson during the 2004 unrest in Kosovo. Around 35 Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries have been destroyed or damaged, usually by arson, including medieval holy sites.
A group of experts sponsored by Serbia has visited the church on several occasions to assess the damage, but no concrete steps have been taken. The church is subject to constant looting -- even construction material, specifically lead, have repeatedly been stolen from the roof.
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