35 Orthodox churches destroyed in 3 days

35 Orthodox churches and monasteries - some over 700 years old - were destroyed or heavily damaged within 72 hours. This was not accidental - it was a systematic cultural genocide.

UNESCO reaction

Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO: "The destruction of cultural monuments in Kosovo in March 2004 constitutes a crime against humanity. It is a loss not only for the Serbian people, but for the whole of civilization."

THE COMPLETE LIST - 35 destroyed and damaged shrines

UNESCO monuments (2 destroyed/damaged):

1. Our Lady of Ljeviš, Prizren (14th century):

• Status: UNESCO World Heritage
• Damage: Burned, bell tower collapsed, frescoes damaged
• Restoration: Partially restored 2005-2010

2. The Patriarchate of Peć (Pećka Patrijaršija), Peć (13th century):

• Status: UNESCO World Heritage (since 2006)
• Damage: Living quarters burned, museum damaged, churches preserved
• Restoration: Restored 2004-2006

Monasteries completely destroyed (5):

3. Devič Monastery, Srbica (13th century):

• Completely burned - church, living quarters, library
• Frescoes from the 14th century - LOST FOREVER

4. Holy Archangels Monastery, Prizren (14th century):

• Endowment of Emperor Dušan
• Completely demolished
• Tombs of medieval rulers - desecrated

5. Gorioč Monastery, Srbica:

• Burned to the ground

6. Binač Monastery, Vitina (14th century):

• Completely destroyed with dynamite

7. Duboki Potok Monastery, Istok:

• Burned

Churches completely destroyed (18):

8. Church of Saint Nicholas, Gnjilane (14th century) - burned 9. Church of Saint Basil, Obilić (16th century) - demolished 10. Church of Saint Sava, Priština - burned 11. Church of the Holy Saviour, Prizren (14th century) - burned 12. Church of Saint Nicholas, Prizren (16th century) - burned 13. Church of Saint George, Prizren (15th century) - demolished with dynamite 14. Church of the Virgin, Prizren (16th century) - burned 15. Church of Saint John, Peć - burned 16. Church of Saint Luke, Kosovo Polje - damaged 17. Church of Saint Nicholas, Suva Reka - burned 18. Church of Saint George, Uroševac - burned 19. Church of the Transfiguration, Gnjilane - demolished 20. Church of Saint Procopius, Istok - burned 21. Church of Saint Nicholas, Djakovica - burned 22. Church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God, Lipljan - damaged 23. Church of Saint Luke, Obilić - damaged 24. Church of Saint Nicholas, Srbica - burned 25. Church of Saint George, Vitina - demolished

Churches heavily damaged (10):

26. Church of Saint Lazarus, Priština - damaged by stoning 27. Church of Saint Sava, Prizren - damaged 28. Church of the Dormition, Peć - interior burned 29. Church of Saint Nicholas, Kosovo Polje - partially burned 30. Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Kačanik - damaged 31. Church of Saint George, Glogovac - damaged by stoning 32. Church of Saint Nicholas, Obilić - damaged 33. Church of Saint Luke, Srbica - partially burned 34. Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God, Lipljan - damaged 35. Church of Saint Elijah, Uroševac - damaged

Statistics by century

• 13th century: 4 churches/monasteries
• 14th century: 11 churches/monasteries
• 15th-16th century: 9 churches
• 17th-19th century: 8 churches
• 20th century: 3 churches

The method of attack - a systematic approach

Evidence of organization:

• Lists of churches - the attackers had exact addresses
• Prioritization - the most important ones (UNESCO, medieval) were attacked first
• Tools prepared - Molotov cocktails, dynamite, cans of gasoline
• Simultaneous attacks - in different towns at the same time
• Documentation - some attackers filmed "trophies"

What was lost forever?

Frescoes:

• Byzantine frescoes from the 13th-14th century - PRICELESS
• Some examples UNIQUE - nowhere else in the world
• Once burned - LOST FOREVER (they cannot be reconstructed)

• Hundreds of icons from the Middle Ages - burned
• Rare painting techniques - lost knowledge

• Medieval construction - unique styles
• Parts of buildings CANNOT be authentically reconstructed

• Manuscripts, old books - burned
• Historical documents - LOST FOREVER

UNESCO response

Emergency mission (March-April 2004):

• A team of experts sent to Kosovo
• Assessment of the damage
• Drafting a restoration plan

• Financing the restoration (10+ million euros)
• Placing the monuments on the "list of endangered sites"
• A demand for better protection

Restoration - partial

2004-2015:

• 18 churches - restored (with the help of the EU, UNESCO, Serbia)
• 10 churches - partially restored
• 7 churches - not restored (too dangerous or too heavily destroyed)

• The frescoes cannot be authentically reconstructed
• The icons are lost forever
• The churches are restored but EMPTY - without worshippers
• KFOR must guard every restored church

Justice for the cultural genocide - NONE

International Criminal Court (ICC):

• The destruction of cultural heritage is a WAR CRIME (the Rome Statute)
• But the ICC has no jurisdiction in Kosovo (not a state in 2004)

• Opened an investigation
• 20+ persons arrested
• Most released - "lack of evidence"
• Only 5 convicted - lenient sentences (a few months)

The symbolism of the 35 churches

The destruction of 35 churches was not "collateral damage" - it was the GOAL:

• The erasure of history - without churches, there is no evidence of a Serbian presence
• Ethnic cleansing - not only of people, but also of culture
• A message: "You are not welcome here, you never were, you never will be"
• Cultural genocide - the killing of a culture

"When you burn a 700-year-old church, you do not burn only a building. You burn history, identity, spirituality. You burn the proof that we were here. That is what they wanted - to erase us, as if we had never existed." - Bishop Artemije, 2004.