Publishing

Archaeological topography of the municipality of Novi Kneževac

The idea of creating an archaeological map of Serbia, including an archaeological map of Vojvodina, existed until the mid-nineties of the last century under the aegis of SANU. Unfortunately, this project did not produce a concrete result, so Serbia does not have an archaeological map today. Encouraged by the lack of a complete picture of any archaeological phenomenon or era, and with the aim of better protection of archaeological sites, the Museum of Vojvodina and the Provincial Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments decided to make a new contribution to the archaeological topography of Serbia, in the area of Vojvodina.

Projects of systematic archaeological reconnaissance of Banat were started in 2004 by the Museum of Vojvodina and the Provincial Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments. Colleagues from these institutions were joined by colleagues from the National Museum in Pancevo, from the Faculty of Philosophy and the Archaeological Institute in Belgrade.

The field part of the work started on the territory of the municipality of Novi Kneževac, where 314 archaeological sites from different eras were identified. The main part of the book consists of a catalog of localities, and the monograph is equipped with more than 650 illustrations (maps, photos, boards and tables).

Archaeological topography of the municipality of Čoka

The second volume of the monograph Archaeological topography of Banat has retained the concept of the previous one, and shows more than 270 localities in seven cadastral municipalities. Archaeological sites, as well as findings originating from them, are presented in more than 660 illustrations. The methodology of working in the field, as well as during the processing of findings, remained the same. It relies entirely on the technical capabilities we use, as well as on the norms of the Council of Europe that our team adopted and developed at the very beginning of the "Archaeological Topography of Banat" project itself.

These investigations have the characteristics of fundamental archaeological investigations. They are fundamental in that they take place according to an established system, that they are comprehensive, not random, and that as such they form a multiply expanded base compared to previous knowledge, ready for upgrading other forms of research in archaeology.

Archaeological topography of the area of the town of Kikinda 1

Retaining the fully established concept, formed in the previous two monographs, for the municipalities of Novi Kneževac and Čoka, this book, in a somewhat larger scope than the previous one, shows more than 240 archaeological sites in three cadastral municipalities. The sites are presented in 950 illustrations. Through the Archaeological Topography of Banat project, the digitization of the archaeological heritage has been carried out since the very beginning in 2004, as default and immanent, which today is becoming a trend in the entire society.

This work on the territory of Banat will not be finished by the generations that started it. The less and less superficial involvement of young archaeologists in field research creates concern for their future. The question is whether a few thousand recorded sites in Banat and a few monographs about it will remain only a monument to the awareness and efforts of a small group of archaeologists, or whether this result will contribute to the creation of a permanent and living awareness and further work on the protection of archaeological cultural heritage, in this way.

The episcopal throne in Serbian lands: from the 9th to the 18th century 1

The episcopal throne in Serbian lands from the IX to the XVIII century 1

Published in 2020, this professional monograph by Milan Radujek, on the recommendation of the Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Faculty of Orthodox Theology, was included in a series of books and events with which the Serbian Orthodox Church commemorates the 800th anniversary of autocephaly. In two volumes, on a total of 961 pages, with rich illustrations, the publication provides an insight into the episcopal throne in Serbian countries, and the ultimate goal is to look at the role of insignia, rituals and images in embodying the power of the first hierarch.

By studying Serbian art of the indicated era, the author presents the most important works and the largest phenomena related to the official seat of the head of the church, which the existing literature did not take into account. An interdisciplinary approach to observing the insignia of power, focusing on the most demanding questions, on the function and symbolism of the throne, on the relationship between the throne image and the insignia and on the reception of learning about power in written and visual sources related to the insignia, the author's focus on the main signs of episcopal dignity, mark this book published by the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Belgrade, the Institute of Art History, the Faculty of Orthodox Theology, the Institute for Theological Research, the Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Provincial Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, Petrovaradin.

Serbian painters of the XVIII-XX centuries: figures and works

"I'm not a prophet, but it seems to me that Medaković's painters will not age easily"
--Academician Svetozar Radojičić

First published by Matica Srpska in 1968, this publication is one of the fundamental books of national culture that has received great recognition from the professional public and has been valued as a work of timeless value for more than half a century. In this extraordinary scientific synthesis, Dejan Medaković found an exceptional way to connect the history of personality and style, using his vast knowledge and love for the artists whose image and work he worked on. Summarizing and evaluating their real merits for the development of Serbian painting, the author Jr. drew conclusions based on an overview of the entire development of our fine art in the 18th and 19th centuries, thus creating a complete picture of the painting period he dealt with in his work, in a special, interesting and unique way.

1994. Medaković's work was republished by Prosveta, but in a small format, on only 260 pages.

After 15 years of long preparation, in 2021, this edition was published, created in collaboration with the author himself, the Publishing House Prometej and the Provincial Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, with significant professional help from colleagues from the National Museum in Belgrade, the Matica Srpska Gallery in Novi Sad, and several collectors who lent reproductions of paintings from their personal collections.

Contemporary photography contributes to the new beauty of this capital work. While the illustrated part of the book is significantly enriched, the text is entirely as the author submitted it.

Arača and medieval Potisje Πάϑισος Banata Μηνισησης

Is the terracotta plastic Bača made of baked earth, which some other fortified cities of medieval Hungary have, whose parallels can be found in the palaces of northern Italy and beyond, in the areas of western and part of northern Europe, in fact the forerunner of that cooperation promoted by Europe? Or, on the other hand, numerous ovens with figures of kings and figures of knights in the area of Central and Western Europe? Or today's great interest of the Hungarian professional public in Bac? Or do all these elements together make Bač one of the potential bridges of international cultural relations?

Baroque among the Serbs

The book "Baroque with the Serbs" is a capital work, which is the result of 40 years of research work of the author related to this topic. It is a trilogy that includes the books Paths of the Serbian Baroque (1971), Trace of the Serbian Baroque (1976) and Baroque with the Serbs (1988), printed in rich graphic equipment.

Through the story of art, this work sheds light on the most important spiritual circumstances in which the Serbian people found themselves in the 18th century, dealing with the problems of their own spiritual unity, while trying to catch up with the vertical of the European spirit.

Baroque among the Serbs symbolically rounded off Medaković's research into national art of the recent era. The book is a collection of all the author's interests, discoveries and interpretations of national art. Rounding out the whole set of topics, i.e. paths and traces, Academician Medaković pointed out the wider context of these phenomena - historical and social circumstances - and grouped the phenomena and themes most relevant to the understanding of the Serbian Baroque and defined which of them were key and which determined the Baroque style in all its peculiarities.

The author himself stated in the introduction to Baroque among the Serbs that it represents his scientific testament when it comes to Serbian art and culture of the 18th century. With this book, he completed his research into the Baroque era and left it, as he wrote, as a legacy to a number of younger scholars. That path was successfully continued first by prof. dr. Miroslav Timotijević, and today also prof. Dr. Vladimir Simić from the Department of Art History, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade. Based on the research of Dejan Medaković, they traced new paths of interpretation and presentation of Serbian art of the Baroque era.

Provincial Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments: the first 70 years

In the monograph "Provincial Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments - the first 70 years" more than 70 years of successful and fruitful work of the Provincial Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments on the protection and restoration of cultural heritage in Vojvodina and the region is presented on 411 pages with over 580 photos and other attachments. The authors of the text are Katarina Dobrić, art historian and Miroslav Stajić, journalist, the editor is Zoran Vapa. Through the basic text by decades, along with selected significant thematic units and points of interest with descriptions of illustrations, information about the complex conservation work flows, from research and valorization, through conservation works to the popularization and presentation of cultural heritage.

In the period from 1947 to 1951, the first 262 decisions on protection were adopted, covering over 2,500 cases. Among the first established cultural monuments are, among others, the Romanesque Basilica of Arača, Bođani monastery, Fruškogorsk monasteries, fortresses in Vršac and Petrovaradin, Obedska bara and Deliblatska peščara, iconostasis of the Assumption and Almaška churches in Novi Sad, the painting "Montenegro Uprising" by Đura Jakšić, the manuscript of the operetta "Knez Ivo od Semberija" by the composer Isidor Bajić...

Discovering Hilandar

At what historical moment of our nation do the great centuries of this monastery reach us? We can justifiably ask, what kind of spiritual messages are we able to read today, when we are forced to review our existence in this conflicting world, the consequences of which we bear with so much personal and general pain? Because our entire national being has been seriously wounded, its integrity has been cut off, its biological strength has been weakened, and unresolved issues that delay and hinder our pacification threaten new calamities. In such a mess that encourages and multiplies the so-called "international justice", itself created on dubious foundations, should turn not to the deceptions of this perfidious moment, but to those values that have been tested by time, and the Hilandar monastery has borne witness to their greatness for eight centuries.

Although the celebration of the eight centuries of the Hilandara monastery really impressively proved that the topic related to this centuries-old spiritual center of the Serbian people is almost inexhaustible, I considered it useful and my duty to make my own modest contribution by responding to the invitation of the Committee for the celebration of this jubilee, which encouraged the topic related to the more widely known scientific problem: "The Discovery of Hilandara". It is this topic that forms the backbone of this book of mine. In it I collected some other previously published works as a testimony of my continuous efforts to contribute to the permanent obligation of our science regarding the study of this monastery whose centuries-old role is immeasurable in shaping Serbian spirituality. If I have succeeded at all in this, I will consider that I have fulfilled my task. This kind of hope spurred and encouraged me to submit a book composed in such a meaningful way to the evaluation of our public.

MEMORIAL Eparchy of Osečopolska and Baranja: 1991-2016

The Eparchy of Osečopoljska and Baranja, in cooperation with the Provincial Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments - Petrovaradin, published the work "Memorial of the Eparchy of Ošekopoljska and Baranja 1991-2016", which was created with the intention of not forgetting the history of the Serbs and the Serbian Orthodox Church in those areas, with reference to important events and changes in the mentioned period.

After the blessing of the then bishop Lucian of Ossekopolska and Baranja, who during his many decades of activity made a great contribution to the preservation of Orthodoxy, at the end of 2015, work began on the preparation of the Memorial on the occasion of the 25th anniversary Diocese.

Dejan Radovanović, art historian and Nedeljko Marković, photographer, together with the clergy of the Diocese, are the authors of this extensive work which, through several chapters, gives us an account of the state of all the church buildings erected in the areas of the Barany, Borovsk, Vukovar and Osijek vicarages.

Katarina Dobrić, art historian, Ibro Sakić, proofreader and Ljubomir Maksimov, designer prepared and realized this representative edition.