The Court and the Monastery Complexes as Centers of Craft Production in Medieval Serbia

Abstract

Being important economical centers on the territory of medieval Serbia and places that in the division of power into sacral and secular stood out, the court and the monastery were the central places of the manor but also first grade centers i.e. urban settlements within boundaries or fence-encircled areas. This was especially the case with the court of the ruler or the head of the church. Thus, in parallel with the craftsmen who were working for the sovereign, landlord or for the monastery on the territory of the manor – the craftsmanship activity was also taking place within the court or monastery complex - on the territory of physically or imaginarily enclosed economic space - the immediate courtyard.

Unlike monasteries whose yard had been encircled and so there is no doubt to whom the workshop actually belonged, in the case of the fortified capital cities, it is difficult to make a distinction between the lord and city workshops. This is especially the case when there are no written sources or systematic archaeological excavations. Based on current knowledge it can be assumed that within the palace complex there were a blacksmith, a goldsmith, a mint, a potter and a tailor, and very likely shoemaker workshops. They were appropriately employing blacksmiths, weavers, gunsmiths, goldsmiths, jewelers, potters, craftsmen who worked on the production and decoration of clothes and shoes, and probably persons practicing the fine crafts, such as engraving. In the case of monasteries, there were blacksmith, goldsmith and potter workshops, and based on the tools it can be assumed that leather production was also present. Workshops with artisans for the production of the essential elements of books, especially within the scriptoriums, should be added to this list as well.

Among them, the most skilled ones were certainly the craft masters. The monastery and church circle were common to found in the working role of craftsmen in a secular environment, as well as secular persons working in the monasteries. Apart from the craftsmen who lived continuously in the complexes, there were also those who traveled with their masters, or stayed within the complexes for a prolonged time due to their working obligations. In that case and where the work was related to a large construction project, some of them stayed within the complexes for years.