The study of sacral art is extremely important for the study of the rich cultural heritage of the Knjaževac region, and it is also a contribution to the study of national art of the new age. The Homeland Museum of Knjaževac, in cooperation with the competent protection institutions, representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church and other scientific and educational institutions, has for many years carried out field reconnaissance, scientific research and recording of sacred objects in situ for study, valorization, presentation and interpretation, but also for preservation of sacral art and architecture as significant elements of cultural heritage.

With the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Serbia and the blessings of the Bishop of Timok, Ilarion and the Bishop Arsenije of Niš, in cooperation with the competent archbishops vicarage and the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture in Nis, the Knjaževac Museum in 2022 realized another phase of the project “Sacral topography of Knjaževac and its surroundings – architecture and painting of churches of the 19th and first half of the 20th and 21st centuries “.

The project covers the territory of the municipality of Knjaževac, parts of the diocese of Timok and Niš, i.e. vicarages of Knjaževac and Pirot, thirty sacred objects were recorded. There are twenty-three facilities on the territory of the Timok Diocese, while seven are on the territory of the Niš Diocese. The processed sacral objects were constructed in the period from 1835 to 2010. On the territory of the Diocese of Timok, there are two sacral buildings from the Middle Ages, seven churches built in the 19th century, twelve built in the first half of the 20th century, and two sacral buildings were built in the first decade of the 21st century. On the territory of the Eparchy of Niš, three sacral buildings were built in the 19th century, three in the 20th century, and one was built in the 21st century on the site of an older sacral object. It was established that another sacral building was recently erected on the territory of the Niš Diocese, which the Serbian Orthodox Church does not recognize, and that it belongs to the Diocese of Raška-Prizren in exile.

The expert team of the museum was responsible for the realization of the project, led by the author of the project, Milena Milošević Micić, museum advisor, art historian; a team of architecture students from the faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture in Niš under the leadership of prof. Ana Momčilović, PhD and expert consultant in the field of modelling BS in Architecture Olivera Nikolić; team for digital processing, recording and photogrammetry consisting of Miloš Ćirković and Ivan Savić; photographer Saša Milutinović, while the web design and creation of an interactive map of sacred objects on the territory of the municipality of Knjaževac was entrusted to the team www.GetToNet.rs. Thanks to the socially responsible approach of the www.sketchfab.com platform for the support to museums and promotion of cultural heritage, photogrammetric 3D models of churches and iconostases are available to the widest audience www.sketchfab.com/ZavicajniMuzejKnjazevac, and the museum in Knjaževac is one of the numerous museums from around the world that presents digitized elements of cultural heritage in this way.

The realization of the project included research fieldwork, recording of the state of the buildings, production of field documentation and accompanying photo documentation, production of technical documentation of architectural buildings and iconostasis drawings, production of photogrammetric models of churches and iconostasis, scientific processing and interpretation of works of fine and applied art. A special part of this project is the internet presentation of the project, designed according to the system of interactive maps of sacral objects with 3D models. https://sakralna.muzejknjazevac.org.rs/.

The results of systematic research represent a unique database which, along with the study of archival material and other written sources, will provide insight and interpretation of the insufficiently researched sacral, visual art and culture of the Knjaževac region and indicate its importance in the context of national art history.
It is planned that after the implementation of this multi-year research project, the systematized material be published, and the digitized elements will be used to create various interactive contents for integrative protection, promotion and valorization. This would indicate the importance and wealth of sacred art in the territory of the Knjaževac municipality and contribute to its presentation and preservation, as well as the development of cultural tourism with the sustainable use of elements of cultural heritage.

In the name of the Project Team,
In Knjaževac, 2022. Author of the project,
Milena Milošević Micić,
Museum advisor and art historian