page_title: Destruction of Serbian heritage in Kosovo
section_title: Ottoman Empire
hierarchical_section_title: Destruction of Serbian heritage in Kosovo / Ottoman Empire
caption_attribution_description: Shqip: Kalaja e Novobërdës This is a photo of a monument in Kosovo, number: 2700
context_page_description: Serbian cultural and religious sites in Kosovo were systematically vandalized and destroyed over several historical periods, during the Ottoman rule, World War I, World War II, Yugoslav communist rule, Kosovo War and 2004 unrest.
  According to the International Center for Transitional Justice, 155 Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries were destroyed by Kosovo Albanians between June 1999 and March 2004. The Medieval Monuments in Kosovo, founded by the Nemanjić dynasty, is a combined World Heritage Site consisting of four Serbian Orthodox Christian churches and monasteries. In 2006, the property was inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
context_section_description: The Banjska Monastery founded by Serbian King Stefan Milutin was burnt down following the Ottoman invasion and the monastery was looted during the Ottoman occupation of Medieval Serbia. It was damaged again during the 16th century, after which it was abandoned until a mosque was built on the ruins in the 17th century. The entire complex suffered the greatest destruction after the withdrawal of the Ottoman army from the Great Turkish War.
  After the capture of Prizren and its surroundings in 1455 by the Ottoman Empire, the Monastery of the Holy Archangels founded by Serbian Emperor Stefan Dušan was looted and destroyed. At the beginning of the 17th century, a systematic demolition was conducted on the monastery churches and it is widely considered that  construction material was used to build the Sinan Pasha Mosque in the same city, but such claims have not been proven.
  At the close of the 17th century, the Ottoman Turks plundered the Visoki Dečani monastery, but made no serious damage. In the first half of the 18th century the Our Lady of Ljeviš in Prizren had been converted into a mosque and adjusted to the needs of services characteristic of Islam. Two monuments dedicated to the Battle of Kosovo were destroyed and removed by the Turks, including one erected by Stefan Lazarević, the Serbian Despot and son of Lazar of Serbia. 
  The 16th century Church of St. Nicholas in the municipality of Lipljan was pulled down in 19th century and construction material was sold to built Kosovo railway. The medieval Novo Brdo Fortress and the town were heavily damaged by disintegration in 1892 when the cornerstone referred to the construction of barracks in Pristina.
caption: The remains of the Novo Brdo Fortress
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