Peċ - The Frescos of Decan

The artist was angry when a monk threw a shadow with his black robe on the arm of Jesus he was just finishing. He already worked for months to finish the fresco above the altar and he expected to need just some more days. He stood on a fragile construction of wooden branches high up in the ceiling of Decan Monastery with his color pots and brushes. The lower walls were already finished and it was possible to estimate the beauty of the main hall of the church. Now in autumn the monks were preparing themselves for a long hard winter. The vegetables and fruits were already harvested and brought into the storage rooms, while the cellar below the refractory was full of barrels with young wine. The year was good and the grounds of the monastery were even extended. It was decided years ago to renew the main church with frescos. Only the best artists were chosen to guarantee to have the most beautiful church in all of Serbia. The head of the monastery inspected the work everyday and was very satisfied with the visible result. During history the monastery could stand against many invaders and could always defend itself. Nobody could know, that once the biggest threat would be the local Albanian population, which was oppressed for decades by the ruling Serbs.