The primary records of the Reconstruction Implementation Commission (RIC) from 2005–2009 were drafted in parallel English and Serbian versions, combining specialist Byzantine architectural terms, structural engineering vocabulary, and European public procurement terminology, while pairing Albanian and Serbian place names (e.g. Pejë/Pec, Ferizaj/Urosevac, Llaushë/Lausa) with occasional typographical variants in the static HTML files. This reference guide provides 25 bilingual architectural and conservation definitions grounded in specific RIC site dossiers alongside a complete concordance of municipalities and settlements across the corpus.
Architectural and liturgical terms in RIC site descriptions (Terms 1–15)
The introductory headers across all 35 entries in classify monuments using Byzantine and post-Byzantine architectural typology. Consulting both language versions side by side reveals several translation nuances from 2009: for instance, English pronaos and narthex are both rendered in Serbian as either pronaos or priprata, while exonarthex appears in Serbian as spoljašnja priprata or simply priprata (as at Vučitrn/Vushtrri #08 and Pristina #10).
Similarly, the 2004 damage assessments and 2005–2008 work logs frequently reference specific liturgical and structural elements—such as the upper western gallery (emporia), the twin-arched belfry window (biforium), the side chapel (paraklession / parecclesion), the sanctuary altar table (časna trpeza), and residential monastic buildings, which the English dossiers render interchangeably as konak, guest house, or monastic building. The table below defines the first 15 architectural and liturgical terms with direct citations to RIC site records.
| No. | English Term in RIC Records | Serbian Term in RIC Records | Definition and Documented Example in RIC Dossiers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Apse | Apsida | Semicircular or polygonal eastern termination of the sanctuary housing the altar (at St Andrew in Podujevo #11, the apse was blown up with explosives in 2004 and rebuilt in 2005). |
| 2. | Basilica (three-aisled) | Trobrodna bazilika | Longitudinal church plan divided by colonnades into a central nave and two lateral aisles, e.g. St George Cathedral in Prizren (#04), St Nicholas in Pristina (#10), and Belo Polje (#23). |
| 3. | Biforium | Bifora | A twin-arched window opening divided by a central stone colonnette and capital; at Holy Virgin Ljeviška (#01), the fire-damaged belfry biforium pillar and capital were replaced in 2005. |
| 4. | Aisle / Nave (single-aisled) | Brod (jednobrodna crkva) | The main longitudinal body of a church; smaller churches across the RIC catalogue are termed single-aisled (jednobrodna, e.g. #05, #07, #08, #13, #26). |
| 5. | Altar table | Časna trpeza | The central consecrated stone or marble table inside the sanctuary; repaired in 2005 at Devič Monastery (#03) and re-fixed in marble at Istok (#35). |
| 6. | Exonarthex | Egzonarteks (spoljašnja priprata) | An outer vestibule added to the west of the main narthex; subject to dedicated roofing and conservation works in 2006 at Ljeviška (#01), Vučitrn (#08), and Pristina (#10). |
| 7. | Emporia / Upper gallery | Emporija (gornja galerija) | An elevated western gallery inside the church; timber emporia floors and beams were burned in 2004 at Vučitrn (#08), Kosovska Mitrovica (#09), Pristina (#10), and Softović (#13). |
| 8. | Iconostasis / Altar screen | Ikonostas | The screen bearing icons that separates the sanctuary from the nave; Lipljan (#31) preserves an integral 14th c. stone iconostasis, while 2007 restricted tenders covered 7 timber iconostases. |
| 9. | Konak / Guest house | Konak | A monastic residence or parish lodging building; termed konak or guest house at Devič (#03), Đakovica (#26), and Brnjača (#34). |
| 10. | Baptistery | Krstionica | A standalone structure within a church courtyard used for baptism; reconstructed in 2006–2007 at St Nicholas in Pristina (#10) and programmed for 2009 at Vučitrn (#08). |
| 11. | Dome / Cupola | Kupola | A hemispherical vault over the church crossing or belfry; rebuilt in stone at St George Cathedral (#04) in 2006–2007, while #01, #18, and #30 are five-domed churches. |
| 12. | Parecclesion / Paraklession | Paraklis | A side chapel attached to a church; documented in the 14th c. ruins of Holy Archangels (#02) and in the April 2009 report showing the northern paraklession at Devič (#03). |
| 13. | Parish house / Priest's house | Parohijski dom | Residential and administrative building for the parish clergy; reconstructed or programmed at Prizren (#04), Vučitrn (#08), Pristina (#10), Peć (#22), Đakovica (#26), and Istok (#35). |
| 14. | Narthex / Pronaos | Priprata / Pronaos | The western entrance vestibule preceding the nave; termed pronaos in the English dossiers for Vučitrn (#08), Kosovo Polje (#17), Peć (#22), and Istok (#35). |
| 15. | Cross-in-square / Free cross | Upisani krst / Slobodni krst | Two classic domed church ground plans: the inscribed cross within a square/rectangular exterior (#01, #09, #18) and the projecting free cross (#17, #22, #32, #33, #35). |
Conservation, structural, and procurement terms in RIC records (Terms 16–25)
The second group of terms covers the engineering, conservation, and tendering vocabulary used in the 2005–2009 work logs and the 2007 Thessaloniki EKBMM training programme. Distinguishing terms such as temporary hoardings, subsidence, consolidation, plaster infusions (lime grouting), and restricted tenders helps clarify the exact nature of each documented intervention.
| No. | English Term in RIC Records | Serbian Term in RIC Records | Definition and Documented Example in RIC Dossiers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16. | Drainage system / Perimeter drainage | Drenažni sistem | Subsurface perimeter trenching to divert rainwater and groundwater away from church foundations; executed in 2006 at Vučitrn (#08) and Belo Polje (#23). |
| 17. | Plaster techniques - infusions | Injektiranje maltera (infuzija) | Injection of fluid lime-based grouts into voids behind delaminated mural plasters; taught as a core module at the November 2007 Thessaloniki EKBMM workshop. |
| 18. | Consolidation | Konsolidacija | Structural and material stabilisation of weakened stone/brick masonry, vaults, or foundations (e.g. Ljeviška #01, Devič central konak #03, Belo Polje vault #23, Bistražin foundations #25). |
| 19. | Lintel | Nadvratnik / Nadprozornik | Horizontal stone, timber, or reinforced beam spanning a door or window opening; fire-damaged lintels were replaced at Our Lady of Ljeviš (#01) in 2005–2006. |
| 20. | Restricted tender | Ograničeni tender | Procurement procedure (2007 codes ending in 5-2-2) restricted to pre-qualified specialist conservation teams for wall painting restoration (07-006) and iconostases (07-007, 07-008, 07-017). |
| 21. | Lead roof cover | Olovni krovni pokrivač | Traditional malleable lead sheeting protecting curved domes and vaults on historic monuments; repaired or replaced at #01, #03, #04, #05, #07, #10, and #16. |
| 22. | Barrel / Semi-circular & Cross vault | Polukružni i krstasti svod | Masonry ceiling vaults: longitudinal barrel vaults (#07, #08, #13, #23, #31) and the cross-vaulted pronaos at St Saviour in Prizren (#06). |
| 23. | Temporary hoardings | Privremena zaštitna ograda | Protective site boarding erected around damaged monuments during the 2005 emergency phase, e.g. at Prizren (#04, #05) and Vučitrn (#08). |
| 24. | Subsidence | Klizanje / sleganje tla | Ground movement causing structural cracking across masonry walls; identified in the 2004 assessment as the primary cause of damage at Donja Šipašnica (#15). |
| 25. | Wall paintings / Frescoes | Zidno slikarstvo / Freske | Murals painted on lime plaster inside Orthodox churches; the English RIC dossiers predominantly use the conservation term wall paintings. |
Place names in the primary sources: Serbian and Albanian forms and 2009 HTML spelling variants
Across the 2009 RIC pages , municipalities and villages were written in bilingual pairs—typically formatted as Albanian name / Serbian name in English documents and in Serbian alone in the Serbian files. Because the original HTML tables were typed manually, the primary corpus also contains several spelling variants and transliteration differences (such as Ksovo Polje, Shipahsnicë e ulët, Bistarzhin/Bitrazin, Bellopole / Bellopolë / Bellopoj, and M-Talinovc).
The concordance table below maps every municipality and settlement in the RIC catalogue across its standard Serbian form, standard Albanian form, and exact spelling variants attested in the 2009 HTML source files.
| Standard Serbian Name | Standard Albanian Name | Exact Variants Attested in 2009 RIC HTML Files | Associated RIC Catalogue Entries |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prizren | Prizren / Prizreni | Prizren | #01, #02, #04, #05, #06, #07, #12, #14, #16 |
| Priština (and Čaglavica) | Prishtinë / Prishtina (Çagllavicë) | Prishtinë/Pristina, Prishtine/Pristina, Çaglavicë/ Caglavica, Ćaglavici | #10 (St Nicholas), #28 (Atelier Agim Çavdarbasha in Çagllavicë/Čaglavica) |
| Srbica (village of Lauša) | Skënderaj (Llaushë) | Llaushë/Lausa (Skënderaj/Srbica), Skenderaj/Srbica | #03 (Monastery of St Joanikije at Devič) |
| Vučitrn | Vushtrri / Vushtrria | Vushtrri/Vucitrn, Vućitrnu | #08 (Church of St Elias) |
| Kosovska Mitrovica | Mitrovicë / Mitrovica | Mitrovicë/Kosovska Mitrovica, Mitrovica, K. Mitrovica | #09 (Church of St Sava) |
| Podujevo | Podujevë / Podujeva (Besiana) | Podujevë/Podujevo, Podujeve/Podujevo | #11 (Church of St Andrew / listed as St Elias in 2005 tender #12) |
| Uroševac (Softović, Talinovac, Varoš Selo) | Ferizaj (Softaj, Talinoc i Muhaxherëve, Varosh) | Ferizaj/Uroševac, Ferizaj/Urosevac, Softe/ Softovic, M-Talinovc/ M-Talinovac, Varoshë/Varoš Selo | #13 (Softović), #18 (Holy King Uroš), #19 (Talinovac), #20 (Town Cemetery), #21 (Varoš Selo) |
| Kosovska Kamenica (Donja Šipašnica) | Kamenicë (Shipashnicë e Ulët) | Shipashnica e Ulët/Donja Šipašnica (Kamenicë/Kamenica), Shipahsnicë e ulët | #15 (Church of St Parasceve in Donja Šipašnica) |
| Kosovo Polje | Fushë Kosovë / Fushë Kosova | Fushë Kosovë/ Kosovo Polje, Fushë Kosovë/Ksovo Polje, F. Kosove/K. Polje | #17 (Church of St Nicholas) |
| Peć (and Belo Polje) | Pejë / Peja (Bellopojë) | Pejë/Pec, Peje/Pec, Peči, Bellopolë/Belo Polje, Bellopole /Belo Polje, bellopoj | #22 (Church of St John the Baptist), #23 (Presentation of the Virgin in Belo Polje) |
| Đakovica (Bistražin & Piškote) | Gjakovë / Gjakova (Bishtazhin, Piskotë) | Gjakovë/Đakovica, Gjakove/Djakovica, Bishtrazhin/Bištražin, Bistarzhin/Bitrazin, Piskote, Piskotë/Piskote | #24 (Holy Trinity), #25 (Bistražin), #26 (Assumption of the Virgin), #27 (Piškote) |
| Vitina | Viti / Vitia | Viti/Vitina, Viti/Vitini | #29 (Church of St Parasceve) |
| Obilić | Obiliq / Kastriot | Obiliq/Obilic, Obilić | #30 (Church of St Michael) |
| Lipljan | Lipjan / Lipjani | Lipjan/Lipljan, Lipjan/Lipjane | #31 (Presentation of the Virgin), #32 (Sts Florus and Laurus) |
| Štimlje | Shtime / Shtimja | Shtime/Štimlje, Shtime/Stimlje | #33 (Church of St Michael) |
| Orahovac (village of Brnjača) | Rahovec (Bërnjak) | Bërnjak/Brnjaca, Rahovec/Orahovac), Bernjak/Brnjaca, Brnjaći | #34 (Church / Refectory of St Kyriake) |
| Istok | Istog / Burim | Istog/Istok, Istok/Istog | #35 (Church of Sts Peter and Paul) |
Documented case study from RIC records: how a single site appears under different names across sources (Podujevo #11 and Brnjača #34)
Two examples from the primary RIC corpus illustrate why cross-referencing monument names and terminology is essential. First, the church in Podujevo/Podujevë (#11) is titled Church of St. Andrew (Crkva Svetog Andreja) in, in its site dossier, and in the 2007 tender table (43000-07-001 and 07-022), whereas in the 2005 tender table (, Ref. No. 12) the exact same monument is listed as Church of St. Elias, Podujeve/Podujevo (Crkva Svetog Ilije), reflecting the dual dedication (St Elijah / St Andrew) associated with the church in secondary literature. Second, entry #34 in Brnjača/Bërnjak near Orahovac/Rahovec is titled 34 CHURCH OF ST KYRIAKE in English (Small domed church and guest house), but in the Serbian catalogue and dossier it is titled 34 TRPEZARIJA SV. NEDELJE u Brnjači ('Refectory of St Kyriake/Nedelja'), because the church building itself was undamaged in March 2004 and RIC works in 2005 focused entirely on the burned guest house/refectory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 'Crkva Svete Nedelje' called 'Church of St. Kyriake' in the English RIC records?
In English Byzantine and Orthodox heritage terminology, the Greek name St. Kyriake (Agia Kyriaki) is the standard equivalent for the Serbian Sveta Nedelja, used in the RIC catalogue for sites #16 in Prizren and #34 in Brnjača/Bërnjak.
Which English names are used in RIC records for 'Crkva Svete Petke' (#15 and #29)?
The English site dossiers and catalogue use the Greek/Latin form Church of St. Parasceve (at Donja Šipašnica #15 and Vitina/Viti #29), while the 2005 tender table (, Group 1) also uses Church of St. Petka for Vitina.
What is the difference between 'Guest house' and 'Parish house' in the English RIC dossiers?
Guest house (or konak) translates the Serbian konak—a monastic residence or church lodging building—whereas Parish house (or Priest's house) translates parohijski dom, the parish rectory and administrative building.
How does the collection's search handle Serbian, Albanian, and diacritic-free place names?
The client-side search index includes both Serbian and Albanian place names as well as monument aliases, normalizing Latin diacritics (č, ć, ž, š, đ, ë, ç), ASCII equivalents (c, z, s, dj, e, c), and Serbian Cyrillic.
Sources and Further Reading
- Church of St. Elijah, Podujevë — Wikipedia Reference Trail — Wikipedia (English edition) (pristup: 11. novembar 2026.) · Source document ↗
- RIC Archival Page: The Background / Uvod — Reconstruction Implementation Commission (RIC) — archival snapshot (17. maj 2009.)
- RIC Archival Site Dossiers (/inc/{eng,srp}/sites/*.html, May–July 2009) — Reconstruction Implementation Commission (RIC) — archival snapshots (17. maj 2009. / 28. jul 2009.)
- RIC Archival Page: Current Activities / Trenutne aktivnosti — Reconstruction Implementation Commission (RIC) — archival snapshot (april 2009.)
