, native_name_lang = , image = , imagesize = , imagelink = , imagealt = , landscape = , caption = , pushpin map = , pushpin label position = , pushpin map alt = , pushpin mapsize = , relief = , map caption = , latd = , latm = , lats = , latNS = , longd = , longm = , longs = , longEW = , coordinates = , osgraw = , osgridref = , location = , country =

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

, denomination =

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

, previous denomination = , churchmanship = , membership = , attendance = , website = , former name = , bull date = , founded date = 13th century , founder = , dedication = , dedicated date = , consecrated date = , cult = , relics = , events = , past bishop = , people = , status = , functional status = , heritage designation = , designated date = , architect = , architectural type = , style = , groundbreaking = , completed date = , construction cost = , closed date = , demolished date = , capacity = , length = , width = , width nave = , height = , diameter = , other dimensions = , floor count = , floor area = , dome quantity = , dome height outer = , dome height inner = , dome dia outer = , dome dia inner = , spire quantity = , spire height = , materials = , bells = , bells hung = , bell weight = , parish = , deanery = , archdeaconry = , episcopalarea = , archdiocese = , metropolis = , diocese = , province = , presbytery = , synod = , circuit = , district = , division = , subdivision = , logo = , logosize = , logolink = , logoalt = , embedded = The Cave Church, also known as Cave Church of Sts. Peter and Paul, is situated near the village of Rsovci,

Stara Planina The Balkan mountain range (, , known locally also as Stara planina) is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. The range is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border betw ...

, in a cave on Kalik Hill, 22 km from

Pirot Pirot ( sr-cyr, Пирот) is a city and the administrative center of the Pirot District in southeastern Serbia. According to 2011 census, the urban area of the city has a population of 38,785, while the population of the city administrative area ...

. Dedicated to

Saint Peter Saint Peter; he, שמעון בר יונה, Šimʿōn bar Yōnāh; ar, سِمعَان بُطرُس, translit=Simʿa̅n Buṭrus; grc-gre, Πέτρος, Petros; cop, Ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ, Petros; lat, Petrus; ar, شمعون الصفـا, Sham'un ...

and

Paul the Apostle Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

, the church was built in the 13th century. It contains a

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' 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 plaste ...

, painted on the wall of the cave, depicting a bald-headed

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

. The church has been under Serbian state protection as a national cultural heritage site since 1981.

Characteristics

The fresco of a bald-headed Jesus (on its northern interior wall) is also known as the fresco of the young Jesus (

Ser. Nicolas Charles Seringe (3 December 1776 – 29 December 1858) was a French physician and botanist born in Longjumeau. He studied medicine in Paris, and subsequently served as a military surgeon. In this role, he was involved in the German campai ...

''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 Sinai commonly refers to: * Sinai Peninsula, Egypt * Mount Sinai, a mountain in the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt * Biblical Mount Sinai, the site in the Bible where Moses received the Law of God Sinai may also refer to: * Sinai, South Dakota, a place ...

anchorite In Christianity, an anchorite or anchoret (female: anchoress) is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society so as to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life. While anchorites are ...

s came to Serbia, during the reign of

Lazar of Serbia Lazar Hrebeljanović ( sr-cyr, Лазар Хребељановић; ca. 1329 – 15 June 1389) was a medieval Serbian ruler who created the largest and most powerful state on the territory of the disintegrated Serbian Empire. Lazar's state, ...

(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 In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand t ...

was made of ordinary wooden beams. Although the church had a simple design, over the centuries the shrine became a spiritual hermitage for

pilgrim A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on Pilgrimage, a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the a ...

s from afar who came to the village during the summer.

Bald-headed Jesus

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.

Bosnić adds:

The fresco of a young bald-headed Jesus is unique in Serbian fresco painting and also in Christian art as a whole. There is no precise information on how this miracle fresco was created but it is assumed that under the rule of knez Lazar, the fresco was painted by ascetics from Sinai who came to Serbia. At that time hermitage sanctuaries were not subject to the episcopal canons. As a result, people believed the image of the bald-headed Jesus was painted by the ascetics from that church. Today, the beauty of the fresco attracts a large number of both worshippers and tourists.

It is suggested that this bald-headed Jesus could have been painted here only because the place did not suffer from "Episcopalian censorship". It is believed by some that the image of the young Jesus was painted by a painter or group of painters influenced by the different directions of Christianity. Only after Bosnić's photograph, could it be seen that he was a very young man, with chubby cheeks, blue eyes and a halo indicating his divinity. It can be clearly seen that Jesus has a naked chest and uncovered arms as a result of the cloak he is wearing. He bears no

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

in his hands but raises three of his fingers in a symbol of

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

References

External links

{{commons category, Cave Church, Rsovci 13th-century Serbian Orthodox church buildings Cave churches Pirot District Serbian Orthodox church buildings in Serbia