Die Kirche des heiligen Andreas an der Treska

The church of St. Andreas on the Treska near Skopje is an important monument founded and completed in 1388/9 by the Serbian Prince Andreas Mrnjavcevic. This monograph is the first complete study of the Church and, as the subtitle indicates, deals with its history as well as with the architecture and painting. The many inscriptions constitute an important source for the mediaeval history of Serbia and of course for the history of the monastery itself, its first abbot and the artists who worked there. The architecture articulates the idea of an Apostolion and develops a specific triconchal form which results from the combination of contemporary and traditional local influences and which provides clear evidence of the presence of local builders in the area. The late 14th century paintings were executed under the direction of the renowned Serbian noble and Metropolitan Jovan Zograf. A few other examples of the work of Jovan Zograf and his workshop have been preserved. These gifted artists were aware of artistic developments in Constantinople and their work constitutes a valuable contribution comparable to the most significant Byzantine artistic monuments of the period such as the Chora monastery in Constantinople and the church of the Apostels in Thessaloniki. The overall iconographic programme is researched in depth and interpreted in the light of the relevant liturgical, theological as well as literary background. The inscriptions and paintings in the exonarhex of the church originating in the 16th century reveal on the one hand the continuity of 14th century art and on the other hand they show very clearly the altered condition of art and culture under Turkish rule.