The Sopoćani Monastery is the endowment of King Uroš I from the latter half of the 13th century. It was a
mausoleum for the Nemanjić royal family, wherein rest the remains of the royal parents Anna Dandolo and
Stefan the First-Crowned, including the ktitor (founder) himself. The monastery church was dedicated to the
Holy Trinity and was built as a single-nave basilica of the Raška type, with a semicircular altar apse and
an outer narthex with a bell tower that were added to the original church a bit later, during the reign of
Emperor Dušan. The painting of the Church of the Holy Trinity represents the highest achievements of
fresco-painting of the 13th century in general, far beyond the borders of Serbia. Owing to the remarkable
technique of painting, the frescoes withstood the rigours of weather and ravages of man, the largest of
which occurred in set the monastery ablaze and removed the lead roof. In 1979, the monument was inscribed on
the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Old Ras and Sopoćani monumental whole.