Inventing History in the Late Ottoman Period: The Cult of the Holy Empress Helen (Ana Neda of Bulgaria), Sister of the Holy King Stefan of Dečani
Inventing History in the Late Ottoman Period: The Cult of the Holy Empress Helen (Ana Neda of Bulgaria), Sister of the Holy King Stefan of Dečani

Summary/Abstract: This paper explores the creation of the cult of the Holy Empress Helen, sister of the Holy King Stefan of Dečani, which was reflected in 19th-century church art in the Diocese of Raška and Prizren. Her cult emerged in the Dečani monastery owing to the efforts of the archimandrite Serafim Ristić and the books he published. The paper explores the examples of visual culture found so far that are linked to the cult of Saint Helen – reliquaries, icons, engravings and church murals.

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