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UNESCO Director-General condemns shelling of Decani monastery
Paris/Belgrade,
5 April 2007
UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura condemned the mortar grenade attack at the Decani monastery on March 30 and promised UNESCO’s long-term support regarding the preservation of this facility.
High Decani monastery
In a statement, UNESCO conveys Director-General’s words that when the monastery was added to the World Heritage List, UNESCO and the entire international community acknowledged the universal value of this monument.
“We at the UNESCO remain determined to continue with the work we began on enabling the preservation of cultural heritage in Kosovo-Metohija and I hereby appeal to leaders of all Kosovo communities to show restraint for the sake of the heritage which is priceless for all of us, stressed Matsuura.
The statement adds that the High Decani monastery is part of the Kosovo-Metohija Medieval Monuments ensemble, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2004 and in 2006 on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The High Decani monastery, the largest medieval church in southeast Europe, abounding with Byzantine frescos and Romanesque sculptures, has been the target of several attacks from late 1990s onwards, and following the attack by ethnic Albanian extremists in March 2004 UNESCO Director-General sent an expert mission to assess the damage inflicted to Kosovo-Metohija cultural heritage.
Supported by the UN Secretary General and Serbian and UNMIK presidents, Matsuura summoned a donors’ conference which took place in Paris. As much as $3 million has been collected at the conference for the renovation of several cultural and religious facilities in Kosovo-Metohija, adds the statement.
“We at the UNESCO remain determined to continue with the work we began on enabling the preservation of cultural heritage in Kosovo-Metohija and I hereby appeal to leaders of all Kosovo communities to show restraint for the sake of the heritage which is priceless for all of us, stressed Matsuura.
The statement adds that the High Decani monastery is part of the Kosovo-Metohija Medieval Monuments ensemble, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2004 and in 2006 on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The High Decani monastery, the largest medieval church in southeast Europe, abounding with Byzantine frescos and Romanesque sculptures, has been the target of several attacks from late 1990s onwards, and following the attack by ethnic Albanian extremists in March 2004 UNESCO Director-General sent an expert mission to assess the damage inflicted to Kosovo-Metohija cultural heritage.
Supported by the UN Secretary General and Serbian and UNMIK presidents, Matsuura summoned a donors’ conference which took place in Paris. As much as $3 million has been collected at the conference for the renovation of several cultural and religious facilities in Kosovo-Metohija, adds the statement.
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