Svrčin ( sr-cyr, Сврчин; ) was one of the castles of
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 ...
, built around 1321, on an island in the artificially made
Svrčin lake, northeast from present day
Uroševac
Ferizaj or Uroševac,, or Uroševac sr-Cyrl, Урошевац, . Also formerly known as Ferizovići (). is a city and a municipality in Kosovo. It is the third largest city in Kosovo by population and also the seat of Ferizaj Municipality and ...
. The exact location of the medieval Svrčin has not been determined precisely because of a lack archaeological research in the areas in which it is localized, but based on the remains discovered so far, Svrčin was situated between Svrčin hill and present day village
Svrčina. It is registered cultural monument under protection of
Republic of Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
from 1967.
[Rešenje Pokrajinskog zavoda za zaštitu spomenika kulture u Prištini, br. 960 od 31.12.1967.g. Zakon o zaštiti spomenika kulture (Sl. glasnik SRS br. 3/66).]
History
On September 6, 1327, king
Stephen Uroš III Dečanski of Serbia issued an edict with a gold seal at Svrčin, written by ''
logotet'' Rajko, about the events regarding the land dispute between ''
metochion
A ''metochion'' or ''metochi'' ( or ; ) is an ecclesiastical embassy church within Eastern Orthodox tradition. It is usually from one autocephalous or autonomous church to another. The term is also used to refer to a parish representation (or ...
'' (church-dependent territory) of
Hilandar monastery and the county of the
Hardomilić brothers Dmitar and
Borislav (''
tepčija
Tepčija ( sr-Cyrl, тепчија) was a court title of Medieval Croatia, Croatia, Medieval Serbia, Serbia and Medieval Bosnia, Bosnia in the Middle Ages. The functions and position in the court is unclear. It was first mentioned in Croatia in the ...
'' Hardomil's sons), in which ''
čelnik ''Čelnik'' ( sr-Cyrl, челник) was a high court title in the Kingdom of Serbia, Serbian Empire and Serbian Despotate.
In its early form, the holder was entrusted with the security of property belonging to the Orthodox Church from the aristo ...
''
Gradislav Vojšić
Gradislav Vojšić (; 1284–1327) was a Serbian nobility in the Middle Ages, Serbian nobleman who served the Serbian Kings Stefan Uroš II Milutin (r. 1282–1321) and Stefan Uroš III (r. 1322–1331). He was the first known ''čelnik'' of th ...
was the
arbitrator.
[Bozanic, p. 1][Prilozi za književnost, jezik, istoriju i folklor 1977, p. 68: "Шестог септембра 1327. године долазио је хиландарски игуман Гервасије код краља Стефана Дечанског због спора око међа са синовима тепчије Хардомила. Тада је одређен пристав Градислав Војшић и дванаест староседелаца жупљана, достојних да им се верује кад се закуну и покажу где је међа Косорића, а где хилан- дарског метоха (Законски споменици, стр. 397)" ]
On September 8, 1331
Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia was crowned as a king, on a council of nobles held in Svrčin.
Findings
On Svrčin hill stone and bricks that were used for building were found.
Remains of church of st. John from which the locals extracted stone for building are located in vicinity of Svrčina. During the construction of the drainage trench, on the northeastern slope of Glavica, a stone wall was found, thickness ranging from 1 to 1.2 meters, as well as part of a
tegula. Bricks and stones, which are once part of the building are scattered throughout the area.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Svrcin
Castles in Serbia
Nemanjić dynasty
14th-century establishments in Serbia
Medieval sites in Serbia