PETRUS

The Proud Guardian of Pomoravlje

The mediaeval town of Petrus is situated near Paraćin, on a broad plateau above the Crnica River gorge, downstream from the village of Zabrega. In the 14^th century, it served as both a military and administrative centre, as well as the largest fortified town in the central Pomoravlje region, which later became known as the area of Petrus, or Pustoš Petrus (the Petrus Wasteland). The fortress was likely named after a massive stone megalith, measuring eight by six meters, known locally as Krstata Stena (the Crossed Rock), which stands on the town’s central plateau, surrounded by cliffs on three sides.

Since ancient times, this site has held a special significance as a place of worship. It is assumed to have been inhabited during the Roman period (the Latin word “petra” means stone), as evidenced by the discovery of copper coins from that era, which are now on display in the Local Museum of Paraćin. However, a Byzantine fort certainly existed there in the 6^th century, as its remains were discovered in the foundations of a later Serbian fortress. In the 10^th century, hesychast monks settled in the Crnica River canyon, establishing numerous monasteries and hermitages. During the reign of Stefan Nemanja, a new fortress was built in the Petrus area. As a result, the entire region became a border župa (county) of the Serbian Nemanjić state, the only one on the right bank of the Great Morava that remained consistently under their control. At its height in the 14^th century, Petrus controlled the connection between the Morava Valley and the Timok Valley. It was ruled by contemporaries of Emperor Dušan and Prince Lazar—Župan Vukoslav and his son Crep. Shortly after 1413, when it was conquered by Musa, son of Sultan Bayezid, along with several surrounding Serbian fortresses, Petrus lost its strategic importance and was eventually abandoned.

ABOVE: Map of the site

ABOVE: The stone megalith from which Petrus got its name

Petrus, now mostly in ruins, once comprised two distinct areas. The first was a broader urban section in the shape of an irregular hexagon, surrounded by walls up to a meter thick. The second area, known as the “small town,” was a citadel with a donjon tower perched atop Bula Hill at an elevation of around 320 meters, protected on the western side by an artificial dry moat. Recent archaeological excavations uncovered a grand hall with painted walls and a brick floor in the southeastern part of the small town.

Beneath the fortress lie a hermit’s cave and the remains of two monastic complexes, one dedicated to Saint John the Beheaded and the other to Saint Mary Blaga. The larger Petrus area is recognised and protected by the Republic of Serbia as an Immovable Cultural Monument of Great Importance. Besides the fortress, the area includes 21 religious sites with visible remains and another 23 known only through local legends.

ABOVE LEFT: Sunset over Petrus

ABOVE RIGHT: View of the Crnica River gorge from Petrus

Legends of Petrus

Several legends about Petrus have been preserved in local folklore. One of them tells that Petrus, as a border fortress in Prince Lazar’s realm, used signal fires to warn the princely court in Kruševac of approaching Ottoman raiders. If a raiding party was spotted, a large fire would be lit in Petrus, visible from the village of Lešje, near the Monastery of the Holy Virgin, where a monk named Dionysius (Držman), the brother of Duke Crep, resided. Upon seeing this, a second fire would be lit at the fortified town of Stalać. The garrison there would then light a third fire atop the tower of Todor of Stalać, which could be seen in Kruševac, signalling the imminent threat.

Another legend says that Pavle Orlović ruled Petrus and that he set out from the fortress with his troops to join the Battle of Kosovo in 1389. Yet another tale from this period speaks of the cunningness of the Petrus fortress commander, who saved the town from the Ottomans after the Battle of Kosovo. He ordered his cavalry’s horseshoes to be reversed and led all the townspeople out of the fortress. When the Ottomans arrived at Petrus, they saw many tracks leading into the town and none leading out. Believing that large reinforcements had arrived to defend the city, they abandoned their attack and retreated.