Historiography of the Nerodimlje District (near Uroševac)

The medieval district of Nerodimlje and the current municipality of Uroševac stretch over the southern part of the Kosovo basin, beneath the high Šar Mountains at the foothills of Nerodimlje Mountain, near the bifurcation of the Nerodimka River. This river is unique in Europe and second in the world for its natural bifurcation phenomenon. One branch of the Nerodimka River flows into the Lepenac River, which belongs to the Aegean basin, and the other branch into the Sitnica River, part of the Black Sea basin. To the northwest of the city of Uroševac extends the Nerodimka Mountain, a branch of the Šar Mountains, where the Nerodimka River originates from the confluence of the Small and Great (Golema) Rivers above the village of Gornje Nerodimlje.

To the north of Uroševac, the Nerodimka Mountain separates the Kosovo plain from the Sirinić District; to the northwest, its highest peak Studenica, at an elevation of 1723 meters, stretches to the tripoint of the Nerodimlje District, Sirinić District, and Prizren Podgora or (Rusenički Podgor-Mušitište). To the west, the Nerodimka Mountain extends to the Bukova Glava massif which leads to the Jezerački Pass towards Metohija, or the high plateau of Drmanska Glava at an elevation of 1359 meters.

This plateau was once known as Prozrak Gora. This area is the largest hydrographic divide (node) in the Balkans, from which waters flow into three seas: the Adriatic, Black, and Aegean Seas. On the outskirts of the Drman mountain head, the Nerodimka mountain connects (merges) with the Crnoljeva mountain, and its mountainous mass extends towards Drenica, towards the flatland of Kosovo, thus separating the Kosovo plain from the region of Metohija.

It was rumored that in ancient times in a base of the Šara Mountain, a large and dense settlement extended from the village of Nerodimlje, Manastirec, Plešina, Zaskok, Grebno, Gatnje, Rake all the way to Kačanik, where a cat could leap from roof to roof to reach Kačanik. Through the ages, as peoples and their cultures came and went in this region, so did their ethno-cultural influences.

Starting from the Starčevo-Vinča culture, evidenced by archaeological findings around the villages of Varoš and Nekodim, and also findings from the Roman and Byzantine eras.

An ancient church (basilica) discovered in the village of Zaskok and a luxurious villa with floor mosaics from the 6th century found in Nerodimlje, as well as several medieval archaeological findings, including the foundations of monasteries and churches, have been uncovered in this area.

With the relocation of the medieval Serbian state institutions from Old Ras to Kosovo and Metohija at the end of the 13th century, when Constantinople was under Latin rule, the Nemanjić dynasty managed to become independent, both politically and economically, by exploiting mines and strengthening trade and transport connections. This rise was especially prominent in the first decade of the 14th century. New mines were opened, significant amounts of silver coins were minted, trade connections with the outside world flourished, mining settlements and markets gained urban characteristics, and foreign mercenaries were employed for military purposes. The Kosovo and Metohija region became the central area of this diverse activity, including the immediate surroundings of Uroševac with the then palaces - capitals in Nerodimlje, Petrič, Svrčin, Pauni, and Štimlje near Prizren and Priština, remaining for a longer period as the main political, economic, and cultural center of the medieval Serbian state. In medieval Serbia, there were no permanent capitals; rulers from the Nemanjić dynasty often moved their seats from place to place, sometimes holding court simultaneously in multiple capitals.

Besides the known palaces in Kosovo and Metohija, such as Vrhlab, Priština, Vučitrn, Novo Brdo, and Prizren, the northern side of the Šara Mountains was a favorite place of the Nemanjićs. In the southern end of the Kosovo Field, near Uroševac, there were several unfortified palaces, such as Svrčin and Pauni. North of Uroševac, there was an unfortified palace in Štimlje. West of Uroševac, in the Nerodimlje medieval district, were several unfortified palace summer residences, such as Rodimlje and Porodimlje-Nerodimlje, extending into the present-day village of Gornje Nerodimlje.

Rodimlje palace, mentioned in the Gračanica Charter, was located in the center of the village on the banks of the Nerodimka River, where an old pine tree, planted by King Milutin, stood, and where knightly games were held until the mid-20th century. Porodimlje, also known as Nerodimgrad, was situated at the confluence of the Small and Great (Golema) Rivers near the dam of the artificial lake at the foot of the fortress-town of Veliki Petrič. The fortress of Veliki Petrič was located on an elevated position in the Nerodimlje district, at 1021 meters above sea level, above the confluence of the Small and Great (Golema) Rivers in the hamlet of Šarenik-Šajkovac (now part of the village of Jezercu). Mali Petrič stretched at the base of the fortress of Veliki Petrič, near a large stream on a rock along the Small River. Veliki Petrič served to protect the palaces and summer residences in Nerodimlje as it overlooked the flat Kosovo and the Nerodimlje district.

The palaces in Nerodimlje were used more for entertainment and summer retreats, while the palaces in Svrčin and Petrič were more working residences of the rulers of the Nemanjić dynasty. King Stefan Uroš II Milutin, upon ascending to the throne in 1282, ruled for nearly forty years, taking over after his older brother Dragutin abdicated. King Milutin's favorite places were the palace at Paune and the summer residence in Rodimlje, in present-day Gornje Nerodimlje. In the center of the village, on the banks of the Nerodimka River, was a residential complex and luxurious palace of King Milutin, and opposite the palace, on the bank of the Nerodimka River, was the monastic complex of St. Archangel Michael from the 14th century, a Nemanjić endowment. During his reign, King Milutin spent most of his time at his palace-summer residence in Rodimlje-Nerodimlje, surrounded by the beautiful natural setting of the Nerodimka Mountain and the famous Nerodimka River. Inspired by this location, King Milutin undertook significant projects, creating a strong medieval Serbian state in Europe at that time.

During his reign, the king built many monumental structures, raising and renovating 42 churches and monasteries, more than all other Nemanjić rulers combined. Notable temples of King Milutin include: the Church of the Holy Virgin of Ljeviška in Prizren, the main church in Hilandar, three churches in Thessaloniki, a monastery in Jerusalem, Gračanica (a masterpiece of medieval architecture), and many others, including his final endowment (final resting place) the Banjska monastery in Zvečan, unparalleled in its architectural beauty, though the remains of King Milutin rest in the Church of St. Sunday - Saint King in Sofia.

Many important charters and contracts were written at his palace in Rodimlje-Nerodimlje. The famous Gračanica Charter, woven into the walls of the Gračanica Monastery, and the Banjska Charter were written there. The Gračanica Charter states that King Milutin donated his endowment, the Gračanica Monastery, including all fishponds upstream of Sazlije - Sitnica on the Svrčin Lake. In addition to several watermills on the Nerodimka River and an orchard near the bifurcation of the Nerodimka River, King Milutin also donated to the church at the Paune palace several watermills downstream from Uroševac, as there were many watermills operating on the Nerodimka River at that time.

During the reign and residence of King Milutin in the courts of Rodimlje-Nerodimlje and much later through the reign of the Nemanjić dynasty at this palace, grand knightly tournaments and entertainments were organized. Musical ensembles from ancient India even came to entertain guests and the nobility. This tradition was carried on until the mid-20th century. King Milutin passed away on October 29, 1321, in his favorite palace in Rodimlje-Nerodimlje.

Archbishop Danilo transferred his relics from the monastery of St. Archangel Michael, a church located near the palace. From there, the king's relics were moved to the Banjska Monastery in northern Kosovo, in Zvečan.

After the Battle of Kosovo, unbearable political circumstances arose in this area. Around 1389, the relics of the holy Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin were transferred from the Banjska Monastery to the mining town of Trepča, and then around 1460 to Sofia in Bulgaria, where they remain today. The medieval district of Nerodimlje with its beautiful palaces was a favorite capital of all the Nemanjićs, not only King Milutin. Stefan Uroš III Dečanski also spent considerable time in Porodimlje-Nerodimlje, besides his court in Štimlje. In 1330, while residing in Porodimlje-Nerodimlje, he issued his famous Dečani Charter (chrysobull), donating his endowment, the Visoki Dečani Monastery, one of the most significant Serbian legal monuments.

The charter was written on a parchment five and a half meters long, illustrated with miniatures and initials at the beginning. Today, this famous charter is kept in the Archives of Serbia in Belgrade. In Porodimlje-Nerodimgrad, significant events in the history of the Nemanjić Serbia took place. The struggle for power between Stefan Dečanski and his son Stefan Dušan ended in Porodimlje-Nerodimgrad. Coming from Skadar in 1331, young Dušan surprised his father in Nerodimlje, from where he fled to Petrič. Dušan caught up with him and imprisoned him in the town of Zvečan. Then, the young king was ceremonially crowned for the second time as king on September 8, 1331, at a state assembly in the court of Svrčin. Stefan Dušan, upon taking the throne, often resided in Nerodimlje and issued various charters and privileges. In 1332, he granted privileges to the Dubrovnik merchants for purchasing grain in Serbia. Young King Dušan, always on the move and full of plans and aspirations, spent much of his time in Nerodimlje.

In the courtyard of the monastic complex of St. Archangel Michael, while residing in Nerodimlje in 1336, young King Dušan planted a pine sapling (munnika), an old pine that survived for centuries until 1999 when it was destroyed by Albanian extremists along with the old 14th-century monastic church of St. Archangel, a cultural monument of exceptional importance. After the sudden death of Emperor Dušan, his son Emperor Uroš Nejaki often stayed at the palaces in Porodimlje-Nerodimgrad. The sudden death of the young emperor occurred near these palaces on December 4, 1371. Many legends have been told about the emperor's death, one of which is that the young emperor was not killed by natural causes but was hunted down by King Vukašin near a place called Glavica, near Uroševac. Historical records state that King Vukašin died ten years earlier in the Battle of Marica. Young Emperor Uroš was buried near Porodimlje-Nerodimgrad in the Church of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin, located in the hamlet of Šarenik-Šajkovac above Gornje Nerodimlje at the confluence of the Small and Golema rivers that form the Nerodimka River. According to tradition, the church was built by Empress Jelena, Emperor Uroš's mother, at the place where he died on December 2, 1371. In written sources, this church is referred to as "the monastery of St. Uroš." In 1584, the monastery was abandoned. Patriarch Pajsije, in his biography of Emperor Uroš, states that in 1584 a shepherd in the abandoned church discovered the grave of Emperor Uroš with relics, which were placed in a new reliquary in the renovated church.

In 1705, after the famous Serbian migration under Arsenije Čarnojević, the relics of Emperor Uroš were transferred to the Jazak Monastery on Fruška Gora. The monastery was demolished in the first half of the 18th century by the notorious Jašar-pasha of Priština, who also demolished many churches and monasteries on Kosovo field. In the second half of the 19th century, after the Nerodimci obtained a firman from the Turkish sultan to renovate the monastery, the work was halted at the vault of the church due to interference from the Albanians-Arnauts from the village of Jezercu. The church was finally renovated in 1996, when it was consecrated, but for a short time (the monastery was mined and destroyed in 1999, along with other cultural monuments in the village by the KLA). At the end of the 19th century, the famous Serbian writer Branislav Nušić, while staying in Priština in Kosovo and Metohija as a consul, described the Nerodimlje district as the most beautiful place in Kosovo field in his book on Kosovo. Every corner of the Nerodimlje district is tied to the Nemanjićs and the legends about them. This was no coincidence, as the Nerodimlje district lies in the most beautiful part of Kosovo, surrounded by mountains on all sides, with only one side open to the flat Kosovo field. Nerodimlje is gentle and rich, with "beautiful fruit, dense and beautiful forests, and clear waters," says Nušić, so the Nemanjićs probably chose this district for their courts in Nerodimlje, Petrič, Svrčin, Paune, and Štimlje. The writer, besides the beautiful description of this region, collected many folk creations (cultural and national treasures of the Serbs) in this district, recorded festive customs, and many beautiful songs and dances that were performed at gatherings, weddings, and feasts, passed down from the Middle Ages.

The pine tree of Emperor Dušan in the courtyard of the monastic church of St. Archangel in Gornje Nerodimlje.

After the Balkan Wars and the liberation of Old Serbia from the Turkish Empire, Kosovo and Metohija were administratively reorganized into districts. The area of the municipality of Uroševac and its surroundings administratively belonged to the Nerodimlje district, which included several smaller municipalities, with the district administration located in the town of Uroševac, governing until World War II, including the municipalities of Nerodimlje, Štrpce, Drajkovce (Sirinićka župa), Štimlje, Mužičane, Kosin, Babuš, Talinovac, Staro Selo, and Gatnje. The municipality of Nerodimlje included the rural areas of Gornje Nerodimlje-Zaseok Stojković, Donje Nerodimlje, Jezercu, Dramnjak, Baliće, Manastirce, Plešina, and Zaskok. The municipality of Štimlje included the rural areas of Štimlje, Račak, Malopoljce, Petrovo, Topilo, Devetak, Laniste, Rance, Crnajlevo, Belince, Zborce, Godance. The municipality of Mužičane included the rural areas of Mužičane, Rašince-Glavica, Davidovce, Voinovce, Đurkovce, Crni Breg, and Trn. The municipality of Kosin included the rural areas of Kosin, Srpski Babuš, Svrčin, Muđer Babuš, Muđer Prelaz, Bablak, Miraš, Srpski Miraš, and Crnilo. The municipality of Babuš included the rural areas of Srpski Babuš, Svrčin, Muđer Babuš, Muđer Prelaz, Bablak, Miraš, Srpski Miraš, and Crnilo. The municipality of Talinovac included the rural areas of Srpski Babuš, Svrčin, Muđer Babuš, Muđer Prelaz, Babuš, Svrčin, Muđer Babuš, Muđer Prelaz, Bablak, Miraš, Srpski Miraš, and Crnilo. The municipality of Talinovac encompassed the rural areas of Muđer Talinovac-Ratkocer, Sazlija, Papaz, Sovtović-Grbole, Pojatište, and Raovica. The municipality of Staro Selo included the rural areas of Staro Selo, Biba, Sojevo, Kanenoglava, and Grljica. The municipality of Gatnje covered the rural areas of Gatnje, Grebno-Omure, Burnik, Duganjevo, Nekodim, Varoš Selo, and Raku. After the war, in 1950, these small municipalities were integrated into the municipality of Uroševac as a new administrative and economic municipal center.

On the referendum, the villages of Tankosić, Miroslavje, Zlatare, and Novo Selo were integrated into the municipality of Uroševac; before World War II, these villages belonged to the Gnjilane district. The current territory of the municipality of Uroševac, now the municipality of Štimlje, has historically extended administratively and operated according to church canons as "the Parish of the Church Community of Nerodimlje," extending to the village of Rabovce, a village that administratively belonged to the municipality of Lipljan.

The expulsion of Serbs in 1999 from this area led to the destruction of all cultural and historical medieval artifacts of exceptional importance. The old monastic church of St. Archangel Michael, an endowment of the Nemanjić dynasty, the Monastery of St. Emperor Uroš, the Church of St. Virgin, and the old memorial pine tree (munika) of Emperor Dušan, planted by his hand in 1336, a natural relic and historical monument, were destroyed. This tree, placed under state protection in 1961 along with the old monastic church.

The nomination of the Šar Mountain National Park for UNESCO protection included the ancient pine tree on the list of global conservation. Unfortunately, in 1999, this natural monument and the old monastic church were destroyed by Albanian extremists. Everything connected with the centuries-old history of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija was destroyed. The natural environment of the village was devastated (the forest around the church and monastery was cut down), the old commemorative school was demolished, and the village cemetery within the churchyard was destroyed. In the village of Donje Nerodimlje, the Church of St. Nicholas and the Church of St. Stephen were destroyed, along with both village cemeteries and all the immovable and movable assets of the Serbs that remained in the village after the expulsion in 1999, and this was done with the permission of the international community, which had the obligation to protect and preserve all material goods.