Middle Ages

The 1330 chrisobull of Deçan mentions many Albanian anthroponyms throughout Kosovo, including the villages of Isniq and Gramaçel in the Deçan municipality, attesting to Albanian presence in the area during the Middle Ages. A chrisobull of the Serbian Tsar Stefan Dušan that was given to the Monastery of Saint Mihail and Gavril in Prizren between the years of 1348-1353 states the presence of Albanians in the Plains of Dukagjin, and Albanians were mentioned as farmers in the great feud of Deçan. Entire Albanian villages were gifted by Serbian kings, particularly Stefan Dušan, as presents to the Serbian monastery of Deçan, as well as those of Prizren and Tetova. Serbian historian Stanojević would discover that, in the charters of Deçan, there were several cases where a father had an Albanian name and his son would have a Serbian name. This highlights the process of the Slavic assimilation of Albanians in these areas during the reign of the various Serbian emperors.^[2][3]

Visoki Dečani monastery

The Serbian Orthodox monastery Visoki Dečani, located near the town, is 36 meters by 24 meters with a tower 29 meters high. It was built between 1327 and 1335 by the medieval king Stefan Uroš III Dečanski of Serbia, and was dedicated to the Ascension of the Lord. The monastery is situated in the valley of the Deçan's Lumbardh river, surrounded by the mountains and forests of the Bjeshket e Nemuna mountain range. It is regarded as the largest and best preserved medieval monastery in Kosovo. The founding charter of the monastery is dated 1330. Following his death, King Stefan Uroš was buried at the monastery, which henceforth became his popular shrine. The epithet 'Dečanski' refers to Deçan. Construction was continued by his son Emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan until 1335, but the wall-painting was not completed until 1350.

During the Middle Ages, entire Albanian villages were gifted by Serbian kings, particularly Stefan Dušan, as presents to the Serbian monastery of Deçan, as well as those of Prizren and Tetova.^[4][5]

Visoki Dečani was declared a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1990, and was protected by the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In 2004, UNESCO listed the monastery on the World Heritage List, citing its frescoes as "one of the most valued examples of the so-called Palaeologan renaissance in Byzantine painting" and "a valuable record of the life in the 14th century" and is protected by UNMIK/KFOR.