Georgije Mitrofanović ( sr-cyr, Георгије Митрофановић; 1550–c. 1630) was a

Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches. The majori ...

monk and painter, remembered best for his work on the

Morača monastery The Morača ( sr-cyrl, Морача, ) is a major river in Montenegro that originates in the Statistical regions of Montenegro, northern region in Kolašin Municipality under Mount Rzača. It meanders southwards for before emptying into Lake S ...

church and the

frescoes 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 plaster ...

(wall paintings) inside the

Krupa monastery The Krupa Monastery ( sr, Манастир Крупа, Manastir Krupa) is a Serbian Orthodox monastery on the Krupa River in Croatia. It is the oldest Orthodox monastery in Croatia. Location It is located on the southern slopes of the Velebit m ...

church. Mitrofanović, a monk, had trained at the

Hilandar The Hilandar Monastery ( sr-cyr, Манастир Хиландар, Manastir Hilandar, , el, Μονή Χιλανδαρίου) is one of the twenty Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Mount Athos in Greece and the only Serbian monastery there. It wa ...

monastery workshop, situated on Mount Athos, before coming to Montenegro where he worked on frescoes in the Morača monastery. He had many pupils and associates, but his most famous follower was Zograf Jovan. His contemporary was Zograf Longin. Serbian Patriarch

Pajsije Pajsije of Janjevo ( sr, Пајсије Јањевац / Pajsije Janjevac; Janjevo, 1542? – Peć, 2 November 1647) was the Archbishop of Peć and Serbian Patriarch from 1614 to 1647, seated at the Patriarchal Monastery of Peć. He was also a w ...

initiated the restoration of the old 13th- and 14th-century churches of the

Patriarchal Monastery of Peć Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of dominance and privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical anthropological term for families or clans controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males a ...

in 1620. Its restoration marked the symbolic beginning of the

renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

of true artistic activity in the territories subordinate to

prikaz A prikaz (russian: прика́з, ''prikaz''; , plural: ) was an administrative, judicial, territorial, or executive office functioning on behalf of palace, civil, military, or church authorities in Muscovy and in Russia from the 15th to the 1 ...

es of the

Serbian Patriarchate of Peć The Serbian Patriarchate of Peć ( sr, Српска патријаршија у Пећи, ''Srpska patrijaršija u Peći'') or just Patriarchate of Peć ( sr, Пећка патријаршија, ''Pećka patrijaršija''), was an autocephalous ...

. All the domes of the churches were covered with lead, the Church of St. Demetrius was practically rebuilt, and almost half of the frescoes were restored by Mitrofanović, giving them a new layer. The major part of the early 17th-century frescoes in the church is found in the

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

and in the space between the

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, fro ...

. Retaining the old subjects and respecting the preceding compositional solutions, Mitrofanović tended to approach the artistic attitude of master painter John's from the 14th century retaining at the same time his own warmer coloring.

Work

* The icon of Saints Demetrius, George, Artemius and Procopius, at

Monastery, Mount Athos,

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...

, 1618 * The fresco of Patriarch Jovan, 1619-1620 * The icon of Annunciation. Centre door of an iconostasis of Saint Tryphon Church in Hilandar Monastery, Mount Athos, Greece, 1

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* 16th-century Serbian people 17th-century Serbian people 17th-century painters Serbian Orthodox clergy Serbian monks Serbian painters 1550s births 1630s deaths Place of birth unknown Members of the Serbian Orthodox Church History of the Serbian Orthodox Church 17th-century people from the Ottoman Empire 17th-century artists from the Ottoman Empire People associated with Hilandar Monastery {{Serbia-painter-stub