TheGolubac Fortress(Serbian:Голубачки градorGolubački grad) was amedievalfortifiedtown on the south side of theDanubeRiver, 4 km (2.5 mi) downstream from the modern-day town ofGolubac,Serbia.According to recent discoveries, the fortress, which was built during the 14th century byMedieval Serbianstate, is split into three compounds which were built in stages. It has ten towers, most of which started square, and several of which received many-sided reinforcements with the advent of firearms. Towers were not connected for easier defense. Serbian Medieval frescos were recently found inside the fortress.
Golubac Fortress has had a tumultuous history. Prior to its construction it was the site of aRomansettlement. During theMiddle Ages,it became the object of many battles, especially between theOttoman Empireand theKingdom of Hungary.It changed hands repeatedly, passing betweenTurks,Bulgarians,Hungarians,Serbs,andAustrians,until 1867, when it was turned over to the SerbianKnez,Mihailo Obrenović III.In the 21st century it is a popular tourist attraction in the region and a sightseeing point on Danube boat tours. (Full article...)
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ASerbian Orthodoxiconof Prince Jovan Vladimir, who was recognized as a saint shortly after his death
Jovan VladimirorJohn Vladimir(Serbian Cyrillic:Јован Владимир;c. 990 – 22 May 1016) was the ruler ofDuklja,the most powerfulSerbianprincipality of the time, from around 1000 to 1016. He ruled during the protracted war between theByzantine Empireand theBulgarian Empire.Vladimir was acknowledged as a pious, just, and peaceful ruler. He is recognized as amartyrandsaint,with hisfeast daybeing celebrated on22 May.
Jovan Vladimir had a close relationship with Byzantium but this did not save Duklja from the expansionist TsarSamuel of Bulgaria,who conquered the principality around 1010 and took Vladimir prisoner. A medieval chronicle asserts that Samuel's daughter,Theodora Kosara,fell in love with Vladimir and begged her father for his hand. The tsar allowed the marriage and returned Duklja to Vladimir, who ruled as hisvassal.Vladimir took no part in his father-in-law's war efforts. The warfare culminated with Tsar Samuel's defeat by the Byzantines in 1014 and death soon after. In 1016, Vladimir fell victim to a plot byIvan Vladislav,the last ruler of theFirst Bulgarian Empire.He was beheaded in front of a church inPrespa,the empire's capital, and was buried there. He was soon recognized as amartyrandsaint.His widow, Kosara, reburied him in thePrečista KrajinskaChurch, near his court in southeastern Duklja. In 1381, his remains were preserved in theChurch of St Jovan VladimirnearElbasan,and since 1995 they have been kept in theOrthodoxcathedral ofTirana,Albania. The saint's remains are consideredChristian relics,and attract many believers, especially on his feast day, when the relics are taken to the church near Elbasan for a celebration. (Full article...)
