The tomb of Queen Theodora at the Banjska Monastery - another reexamination

Abstract

The paper explores the problem of the tomb of Queen Theodora, the first wife of King Stefan Decanski and mother of King and later Emperor Stefan Dusan, at the Banjska Monastery, a foundation of King Stefan Uros II Milutin. The tomb is the main topic of the charter King Dusan issued to this monastery. The paper minutely examines the previous research on the subject, including different identifications of the personages buried at Banjska. Special attention was accorded to the analysis of new sources, written and material, relevant to this problem. The author concludes that the transfer of Queen Theodora?s remains to Banjska, on the orders of King Dusan, was an ideologically motivated move. The tomb on the north side of the west bay is identified as Theodora?s. The author cautiously proposes that Konstantin, King Milutin?s younger son, might have also been interred at Banjska, in the north parekklesion along the narthex. The funerary program of Banjska is assessed from the perspective of traditional solutions and the reception of new models adopted from Byzantium.