Patriarchate of Peć, Serbian Orthodox monastery in Peja, Kosovo

The Patriarchate of Peć is a Serbian Orthodox monastery near Peja, Kosovo, at the entrance to Rugova Canyon. Its four churches form one connected whole: the Church of the Holy Apostles, St. Demetrius, the Mother of God Hodegetria and St. Nicholas, joined by a monumental narthex. The complex was painted red in 2008, and a 750-year-old mulberry tree, Šam-dud, stands in the yard.

The monastery grew from a Žiča metochion where Archbishop Arsenije I built the Church of the Holy Apostles in the first third of the 13th century, moving the Serbian Church seat there in 1253. Nikodim I added St. Demetrius around 1320, and Danilo II built the churches of the Hodegetria and St. Nicholas with a monumental narthex by 1337. In 1346 Stefan Dušan raised the archbishopric to the Patriarchate of Peć. Abolished in 1766, it was restored in 1920, and all Serbian Patriarchs have since been enthroned here.

The frescoes covering the walls and ceilings show biblical scenes and saints painted in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, created over several centuries by different hands.

Access is on foot through gated entrances monitored by security staff to ensure visitor safety. It is advisable to wear appropriate clothing and follow the rules posted for this sacred site.

The complex holds burial sites of Serbian religious leaders from the 13th to 17th centuries within its church structures. These tombs make the place a center of veneration and show the long continuity of spiritual authority in this location.