MOTIFS OF STUDENICA MONASTERY TO ADORN NEW SERBIAN PASSPORT: One of the most beautiful symbols of medieval Serbia gets a special place! (PHOTO)

A depiction of the altar trifora (a three-part window) of the Church of the Virgin Mary at Studenica Monastery will be featured in the new Serbian passport.

The trifora, created around 1190, represents one of the finest achievements of architectural sculpture of the Serbian Middle Ages, the Studenica Info portal reported, showing what the photograph inside the new Serbian passport will look like.

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The trifora of the Church of the Virgin Mary at Studenica Monastery is one of the best Romanesque triforas in Europe. It was carved in marble by craftsmen from Apulia, Studenica.info states, explaining the meaning of the motifs depicted.

“The two large figures on the left and right represent the fat (bad) and thin (good) monk. The vine on the left side contains negative motifs. It begins with a dragon followed by a partridge, a man, a pig, a deer, an eagle, a ram with a cross and horns without a halo – the symbol of Judas – and a medusa as a symbol of debauchery. The right side is characterized by positive floral motifs and begins with a snake, which was a good symbol in the Middle Ages. In the lunette on the left side, a ketos dragon is depicted devouring the Babylonian harlot, while the ketos itself symbolizes the devil. On the right is the basilisk bird with a snake tail, which symbolizes Christ. The basilisk kills the ketos with its breath – the Holy Spirit. The four elements between them are the elements of creation – water, air, fire, and earth,” they stated.

Let us recall, the new Serbian passport will no longer be “burgundy”, but “burgundy red”, and each page will have a different design.