Brnjača ( sr-cyr, Брњача; 1253– 1264) was a Serbian princess, the daughter of King

Stefan Uroš I Stefan Uroš I ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Урош I; 1223 – 1 May 1277), known as Uroš the Great () was the King of Serbia from 1243 to 1276, succeeding his brother Stefan Vladislav. He was one of the most important rulers in Serbian history ...

(r. 1243–76) and

Queen Helen of Anjou Saint Helen of Serbia (; – 8 February 1314) was the queen consort of the Kingdom of Serbia (medieval), Serbian Kingdom, as the spouse of King Stefan Uroš I, who ruled from 1243 to 1276. Their sons were later Serbian kings Stefan Dragutin (12 ...

. Her brothers were

Stefan Dragutin Stefan Dragutin ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Драгутин, ; died 12 March 1316), was List of Serbian monarchs, King of Serbia from 1276 to 1282. From 1282, he ruled a Realm of Stefan Dragutin, separate kingdom which included northern Serbia, and ...

(r. 1276–82) and

Stefan Milutin Stefan Uroš II Milutin ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Урош II Милутин, Stefan Uroš II Milutin; 1253 – 29 October 1321), known as Saint King, was the King of Serbia between 1282–1321, a member of the Nemanjić dynasty. He was one ...

(r. 1282–1321). By birth, she was member of the

Nemanjić dynasty The House of Nemanjić ( sr-Cyrl, Немањић, Немањићи; Nemanjić, Nemanjići, ) was the most prominent Serbian dynasty of Serbia in the Middle Ages. This princely, royal and imperial house produced List of Serbian monarchs, twelv ...

, ruling family of the

Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Principality was ruled by the Obrenović dynast ...

Biography

The oldest depiction of her, when she was ca. 12 years old is in the 1264

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

of the burial of Queen Anna Dandolo (d. 1258) at the monastery of

Sopoćani The Sopoćani Monastery (, ), an endowment of King Stefan Uroš I of Serbia, was built from 1259 to 1270, near the source of the Raška River in the region of Ras, the centre of the Serbian medieval state. It is a designated World Heritage Si ...

(the endowment of her father), shown with a low

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, parti ...

, and clothing closed up to the throat, similar to the male clothing, decorated with pearls on

piping Within industry, piping is a system of pipes used to convey fluids (liquids and gases) from one location to another. The engineering discipline of piping design studies the efficient transport of fluid. Industrial process piping (and accomp ...

, although her appearance is anachronistic. She is depicted in the

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of Early Christian art and architecture, early Christian and Byzantine architecture, Byzantine basilicas and Church architecture, churches consisting of the entrance or Vestibule (architecture), ve ...

Visoki Dečani The Visoki Dečani Monastery is a medieval Serbian Orthodox Christian monastery located near Deçan, Kosovo. It was founded in the first half of the 14th century by Stefan Dečanski, List of Serbian monarchs, King of Serbia. Dečani is by far t ...

, dating to ca. which dates to ca. to 1350, alongside later Nemanjić members

Simeon Uroš Simeon Uroš ( sr-Cyrl, Симеон Урош, ; 1326–1370), nicknamed Siniša (), was a self-proclaimed Emperor of Serbs and Greeks, from 1356 to 1370. He was son of Serbian King Stephen Uroš III and Byzantine Princess Maria Palaiologina. ...

and Teodora-Evdokija. and is one of the most notable examples of the

Nemanjić family tree Following is the family tree of the Nemanjić dynasty, which was a cadet branch of the Vukanović dynasty that ruled Serbia in the Middle Ages. Monarchs Full list * Vukan / Uroš I ** Zavida, Prince of Zachumlia before 1145 ...

. She was a nun, and did not marry. She was buried at the

Gradac Monastery The Gradac Monastery (, ) is a Serbian Orthodox Monastery. It lies on the elevated plateau above the river Gradačka, at the edge of the forested slopes Golija. It is an endowment of queen Helen which was built from 1277 to 1282 during the reig ...

(the endowment of her mother), in a tomb below her mother's

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

. The Old Serbian spelling of her name, as found on the Visoki Dečani family tree fresco, was . Her name is variously rendered Brnjača (Брњача), Brnča (Брнча), Brnjča (Брњча), Bereniče (Берениче), Prnjača (Прњача), and Prnča (Прнча). Her name is unusual. D. Kostić wrote on the reading of her name, etymological similarities and possible combinations. He noted similarity with the placename Brnjak, and Slavic male name Prnjak, but was also inclined that it was derived from Veronica. M. Purković said that it perhaps was a diminutive of Bernarde or Bernardine. It was earlier believed that ''Brnjača'' was the nickname of her mother (named so due to the main estate of her feudal state, Brnjak).

References

Sources

;Books * * * * * * * ;Journals * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brnjaca 13th-century Serbian royalty Medieval Serbian princesses 1250s births Year of death unknown Date of death unknown 13th-century Serbian nuns Nemanjić dynasty

Biography

See also

References

Sources