Principal church of the monastery of Studenica

The principal church of the Monastery of Studenica, mausoleum of the Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja[1], is dedicated to the Virgin Benefactress and dates from the late twelfth century. Its architecture constitutes a meeting place between Byzantine and Romanesque crafts practice and conceptions of art. This association produced an original work that is the most representative of the style known in Balkan architecture as the Raška school.

The space of the church meets the requirements of the Orthodox rite. Its plan and interior structure with its painted decoration respect the standard usage of the Byzantine churches of the period. With its single nave topped by a dome, tripartite sanctuary, north and south vestibules, vaulting, elaborate construction, and interior masonry blending tufa and brick, the Church of the Virgin is characteristic of Byzantine architecture. The exterior, however, is in another style. The smooth façades of perfectly cut and polished slabs of white marble are divided by pilasters linked by friezes of small blind arches, and bears comparison with the achievements of Italian Romanesque architecture. The portals and the windows with one, two or three openings complete this Romanesque-style group. On the other hand, the drum and the twelve-sided dome – the main part of the church – are entirely Byzantine in form and technique, both on the exterior and on the interior, and lessen the resemblance to the great buildings of Romanesque architecture. Moreover, the arches bearing the dome are marked on the exterior surface of the north and south walls to convey the interior structure of the church according to the ideal of Byzantine aesthetics.

The architecture and sculpted decoration of the west portal, the most elaborate and formal one, make it similar to the family of portals of southern Italy. The stiles framing the door leaves and the front of the lintel are decorated with vine foliage decoration enclosing floral motifs and a series of figural representations. On the exterior archivolt, a vine springs from the skull of a monstrous head and its volutes encircle fantastic creatures. This interlacing pattern continues in the lower section of the portal where, on either side of the entrance, a lion bears a small column. The frame of the apse window also features vine foliage decoration in which flowers and fantastic animals are inscribed. The sculptural repertory of Studenica is related to the vast range of Romanesque art, particularly the monuments of Puglia, such as the north portal of San Leonardo di Siponto, near Manfredonia. However, the central group decorating the tympanum of the west portal departs from this style. This sculpture of the Virgin holding Christ on her knees, accompanied by two angels, is evidence of the influence of Byzantine painting of the second half of the twelfth century from the point of view of iconography and style.

The symbiosis of Byzantine and Romanesque forms reflects the specific status of the Serbian state during this period. The church interior had to consolidate Orthodox Christianity and testify to Serbia’s belonging to the Byzantine spiritual and cultural sphere of influence. The Romanesque exterior conveys the political orientation of the sovereigns willing to ally themselves with Western powers to strengthen their state. Studenica was born at the junction of two artistic worlds, in the image of the Serbian state established at the crossroads of Western and Eastern influences.