KINGS VLADISLAV AND RADOSLAV AS KTETORS – SIMILARITES AND DIFFRENCES

Text topic: Culture and Money

Text author: Ђорђе Ђекић и Марко Шаптовић

The starting point of this paper is an assumption that creation of

works of material culture requires necessary material means, but that

existence of ktetorial financial means does not in itself guarantee actual

creation of artistic works, nor their significance. The paper compares

two ktetors – the two heirs of King Stefan the First-Crowned. Prince

Vladislav, the younger son of King Stefan – one of the most prominent

persons in the Kingdom, but still not the king, had significantly different

starting position in his ktetorship in comparison with the King’s older

son Radoslav, who was destined to inherit the throne. As a son of

the concurrent king Stefan the First-Crowned, Vladislav raised his

ktetorial endowment, the Monastery of Mileševa, around the year 1220,

after which it was frescoed with assistance of his uncle, archiepiscope

Sava. This cooperation resulted in creation of the following frescoes:

Ktetorial portrait, Procession of the Nemanjić Dynasty, The Feast of

the Ascension of Jesus Christ, Harrowing of Hell. It is possible that

St. Sava also assisted in some other issues related to foundation of the

Mileševa Monastery. Radoslav was already crowned when he raised the

narthex of the Studenica monastery, and frescoes within this narthex

were also created under St. Sava’s influence. In comparison, Vladislav

founded an entirely new monastery, which was a significant financial

burden for a prince, while Radoslav, as the king, limited his ktetorial

activity on upgrading the Studenica Monastery which was endowment

of his grandfather St. Simeon. It should be noted that the Studenica

Monastery was ranked as the most important monastery in the church

hierarchy of the Serbs. After St. Sava passed away, Vladislav, who was

crowned King in the meantime, transferred the relic of St. Sava to the

Mileševa Monastery, thus effectively raising the importance of Mileševa

to the 2nd most important Serbian monastery. The legal regulation

of Mileševa was based on the Law of St. Sava, while previous regal

regulation of the Studenica Monastery became the Law of St. Simeon.