Narrative of Cultural Heritage:Theory and Practice – Church of St.Nikola In

Narrative of Cultural Heritage… 27-523:7(497.115) NARRATIVE OF CULTURAL HERITAGE: THEORY AND PRACTICE – CHURCH OF ST. NIKOLA IN PRISTINA Jelena Pavličić University of Belgrade, Serbia Abstract: Depending on the context in which the subject In the 20th century when electronic tools revolu- of past achieves a particular communication, is inter- tionary change memory and remembering by the new preted and used, the value of this subject is changed. The transfer of information, way of remembering is not the object polysemy is causing this so we are always challenged only being changed, but also the perception of time. to rethink the phenomenon of heritage. At that point we are Thus, the past becomes something that requires a re- in the domain of explanation, and that mean in story, narra- discovery and new ways of preserving and use in the tive. But what kind of story? If we know that images of past are product of selective forgetting and active process of present. remembering, and are part of narrative time concept The problem that we face is how inherited and pre- through whom we read and examine heritage object, than served values from the last time to transfer in the fu- the story that we make about that object is not strictly ture. Although comprehensive contained in one cul- linear, it breaks rigid chronology, and creates a plot that tural object, the values change, depending on the con- combines elements of temporal experience. The case study text in which object communicates, is interpreted and of this theory and focus of this paper is 19th century church used. Therefore, the „key“ is in their clear recognition, of St. Nikola in Pristina. We are following the life and mean- understanding and explanation, which causes further ing of this object in the old city center through the period of treatment of heritage and preservation. So the quality existence and ideas that enriched it. The aim is to recognize of cultural object (which makes it so different from and discuss place of the church in the cultural memory of other works of material culture) not only recognizes town, and opposite the materiality and age but rather those mental con- Keywords: continuity, time concept, remembering, images of structions which tend society in facing the very subject. past, narrative, structure of cultural heritage, communi- Therefore the problem is relocated in the field of un- cation, church of St. Nikola in Pristina, cultural memory derstanding and explanation of objects of the past, and of town then we are in the domain of narrative - or the story. 121 Култура / Culture, 8 /2014 A story, we would tell at first, has a linear flow, as at is to become non chronological. "The plot of a story first is a time experience, too. It has a beginning and an gathers and consolidates a number of separate events end, the past is clearly distinguishable from the pre- into one complete and finished story and thus schema- sent and the future. Also, as the category of "under- tizes intelligible meaning which is related to the story standing" the past is in the level of remembering past as a whole." The human mind needs rounded story, contents, then remembered images of the past are also without which objects and the human experience are perceived through the linear continuum. However, isolated cases. So the plot is deliberately tool by which images of the past are not "chunks" of unique "history" we shape our messy, shapeless and somewhat inartic- extracted as needed and always the same, but on the ulate time experience The narrative involves mimetic contrary they are the result of selective memory and activity because products something very specific or, always an active process of remembering. In this very specific, products scheduled events by building mechanism of constructing the past events may be the plot. In the story, the author establishes a similarity in essence of modern narration. That kind of story about the way that the previously distant objects and experi- the object breaks rigid chronology and creates a plot ences are approaching one another - they associate that combines elements of temporal experience. Or, (Riker, 1993: 6 - 20). speaking of events or things of the past, we use the present experience and knowledge, again, we remember the things that were already part of the process of I. THERE WAS THE ENTIRE LIFE BEHIND THINGS remembering and choose the content we want to save from oblivion. In this paper, we wonder how to structurally organ- Paul Ricoeur drew attention to the importance of ize the story of an object of the past and how to build a distinguishing the current remembering of the past, plot that makes harmonious diffused time experience, then the present seeing of the current and finally the or the actors, events, policies with which the subject is current expectations of the future. The distinction identified today. between these three dimensions is based on their uni- Specifically, we're talking about the Church of St. ty (Kuljić, 2006: 8). It exists in time - as the three as- Nicholas in Pristina (e.g. Fig. 1). It was built in 1830 on pects of the present (which, in turn, is always punctuel the foundations of an older church (Nušić, 1903: 12). (current)) - in which we remember, perceive and ex- About the older church not much is known because of pect, and in the space of mind (of the narrator) and archaeological research that has never been done. narration. Monastery with the same inscription was mentioned in Ricoeur looks at examining the paradoxes of time at the Turkish census of the 1544th years and from the St. Augustine and develops his subjectivist conception time of Selim II (1566-1574), which raising the possi- to the structural organization of the story and Aristo- bility that the present church renewed this sacred tle’s theory of dramatic plot. The thesis is circular in space (Zirojević, 1984: 170).1 The first significant nature, and the main priority of the theory of the story changes new church experienced in the early 20 cen- 122 Narrative of Cultural Heritage… tury, and then at the end of the century, when its role However, it is interesting to talk about this church in as an active religious center is shaken. In 1911 the bell the terms of Old Serbia, 19th century church and the tower is added to the church and in 1990 the dome. In city of Pristina. Their models of functioning the church 1992 the conservation work of the church started, keeps itself. Orthodox faith and the Church as an insti- especially in the iconostasis of family Frchkovski from tution had a prominent place in the state and the socie- Debar. During this work wall paintings was discovered ty of the nineteenth century. (Vranići, 1993: 138-142). In 1999, after the arrival of Attitude of the state toward the church reflected on KFOR in Kosovo and Metohija, the church was dam- the church building, in fact on all the things to which the aged by a bomb while in riots 2004th it was on fire. A Church in its doctrinal and liturgical practice was at- significant portion of its construction corps was tached upon: iconography and equipment of churches, burned then, the entire archive, icons, and valuable decorating, maintenance, and the raising of temples. The iconostasis Debar masters of the 19th century, also.2 adoption of legislation creates that the State controls the How the iconostasis doesn’t exist anymore, and it was visual identity of the city. By edict from 1830 Serbia gets the reason why the church was nominated as cultural the freedom of confession of faith and church art reaches heritage, the question is are there other values, and is expansion. Tanzimat reforms have enabled the develop- it cultural heritage now without material existence of ment above all church architecture, which until then had wood iconostasis? been reduced to objects for which they did not dare to stand explicit religious symbols. Smaller and inconspicuous churches are changing or there are build new which trough its architecture clearly take place in the visual identity of place. In a small span of time since the intro- duction of reforms, in the Balkans was built a large number of Christian churches. At the same time in the unre- lieved south, there are still small, inconspicuous churches of basilica type. Church of St. Nicholas has found its place in the city, but not as monumental temple but a modest one, without dome and tower (Fig. 2.), so as not to compete with the high minaret of a nearby Imperial mosque. "The church from the outside looks like an ordinary house, built in the ground so that it comes down to four degrees." It is simi- Figure 1. Church of St. Nicolas in Pristina from the north, 2010. lar to Odzaklija church in Leskovac. St. Nicholas church is located in the old part of town, the side of the road to Judging by the rare studies and published papers on Germia, the famous picnic place of Pristina, and the ele- the subject, it would seem that this modest church vated site of the former “Varos mahala”, where only Serbs from the 19th century doesn’t give much to be said. 3 lived in 19th century (Nušić, 1903:12). By the time of con- 123 Култура / Culture, 8 /2014 struction, approximately in 1830 the Serb population cording to another story, Kir Janicije was the one who didn’t have a church, but over the ruins of the old church, asked for permission to build a church, but nonethe- over the altar was raised roof (part), that position is des- less feared that it will be crushed / destroyed, so it was ignated as a place of worship and over them lit candles.

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