White Church of Karan

White Church, Karan
White Church, Karan
Native names; Бела црква каранска (Serbian); Bela crkva karanska (Serbian);
Type	Serbian Orthodox parish church
Location	Karan, Užice Municipality, Zlatibor District, Serbia
Coordinates	43°54′54″N 19°54′42″E / 43.9150°N 19.9117°E
Built	1340–1342
Cultural Heritage of Serbia
Type	Cultural Monument of Great Importance
Designated	1982
Reference no.	SK 186
	Location of White Church, Karan in Serbia

The White Church of Karan (Serbian Cyrillic: Бела црква каранска; Serbian: Bela crkva karanska) is a Serbian Orthodox parish church in the village of Karan, Užice Municipality, Serbia. It is dedicated to the Annunciation to Mary. The church was listed as a Cultural Monument of Great Importance.^[1]

History

The church was established by Župan Petar Brajan between 1340 and 1342 on the site of a former Roman worship house, according to the tombs excavated by archaeologists near the building.^[2]

Architecture

The White Church is typical of the Raška architectural school.^[2] It has three bays and is topped by a cupola. The eastern part of the church has a semi-circular apse with a stone iconostasis. The narthex dates back to the late 19th century.

The church has 14th-century frescoes. The western frescoes represent Župan Brajan and his wife Struja, his son and three daughters, while the eastern frescoes show Emperor Stefan Dušan with his wife Jelena and his son Uroš, as well as saints of the Nemanjić dynasty (namely Simeon, Sava and Milutin). Other frescoes depict scenes from the Old Testament, as well as scenes of Mary's life and the Virgin Mary with angels.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b Monuments of Culture in Serbia: "Bela Crkva karanska" (SANU) (in Serbian and English)
^ ^a ^b "Karan - White church". turizamuzica.org.rs. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
^ Tomović, Gordana. "U državi Nemanjića (13 - 14. vek)" (PDF). graduzice.org (in Serbian). official website of the City of Užice. pp. 11–18. Retrieved March 7, 2011.