Sopoćani and Gradac

About the Relation of Funerary Programmes of the Two Churches

Branislav, Todić

Zograf

31

59

77

0350-1361

10.2298/ZOG0731059T

http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/Article.aspx?ID=0350-13610731059T

2006-2020/03/10/19:42:52

King Uroš (1243-1276) erected the Church of the Holy Trinity in the Sopoćani monastery in about 1270 and, in it, he prepared tombs for the first hegoumenos of Sopoćani, his mother Queen Ana, for himself and the then archbishop, Joanikije (Fig. 1). Over each tomb there is a marble sarcophagus surrounded by appropriate wall paintings. The tombs of Uroš and Joanikije were located in the western bay of the naos. Thus, the recently announced hypothesis, that the endowed did not intend to be buried in Sopoćani, is unfounded. The intention of King Uroš was only brought into question in 1276 when he was driven from the throne by his older son, Dragutin. The overthrow caused a major drama in the family, the state and the Church. King Uroš retired to the southern part of the state (Hum), where he became a monk and subsequently died (perhaps in 1277). His wife Jelena received vast territories from her son, the new king, which she practically ruled independently, while Archbishop Joanikije, after having denied Dragutin his blessing, retired with the former king and died in the region of Pilot in 1279. King Dragutin (1276-1282) made a great effort to mitigate the negative effects of the overthrow: he continued his father's foreign policy established good relations with neighboring Dubrovnik, took pains to appease his mother, Queen Jelena, by granting her vast territories, and to win the support of the Church by erecting, repairing or presenting gifts to several churches and monasteries. He certainly obtained the Sopoćani monastery through hereditary ktetorial rights.