Page 26 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 12(2) (2024)

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studia universitatis hereditati, letnik 12 (2024), številka 2 / volume 12 (2024), number 2

Figure 1a: St. Nicholas Church in Ljuboten, View toward Figure 2: St. Nicholas Church in Ljuboten, South Façade
the Apse (photo Jasmina S. Ćirić) (photo Jasmina S. Ćirić)

Medieval church architecture was not sole- umns, essential for supporting the church’s up-
ly an expression of aesthetic or symbolic in- per structure, are crafted from well-hewn and
tent; it was designed to engage the worshipper’s polished monolithic pieces. The bases of these
body and senses (Caseau 1999, 101–110; Nelson columns feature an elegant torus profile sup-
2000, 143–168). The rhythmic arrangement of ported by corners adorned with curled leaf mo-
brick and stone, sculptural details on capitals, tifs. The capitals are intricately carved, with the
and decorative arches were all meant to guide northwest capital exhibiting alternating rep-
the viewer’s eye, stimulate contemplation, and resentations of a ram’s head, an eagle’s body,
evoke a deeper spiritual connection (Isar 2004, and downward-turned leaves alongside a cen-
215–242). The church’s materiality – its texture, tral cross. These symbolic carvings invite both
patterns, and spatial composition interact with visual and tactile engagement, drawing worship-
the worshipper’s sense of sight, touch, and move- per’s attention to its rich iconography and crafts-
ment, creating an embodied spiritual experience manship. The alternating forms create a visual
(James 2004, 522–537; Williamson 2013, 1–43; rhythm that mirrors the cyclical nature of litur-
Debevec 2016; Ćirić 2022, 77–103). In this way, gical practices, engaging the mind and senses in
St Nicholas Church, as many of its contemporar- spiritual reflection. This sculptural work aligns
ies, served as a space where the physical and met- with the broader tradition of medieval Serbi-
aphysical realms intersected. an art and draws parallels to the sculptural el-
The architectural design of St Nicho- ements found in the Dečani Monastery (Pet-
las Church reveals a sophisticated approach to rov 1963, 259–263; Maksimović 1971, 113; Korać
construction and decoration. The stone col- 2003, 112).