Stefan Uroš I

Serbia's economic rise

Stefan Uroš I, the youngest son of Stefan the First-Crowned, ruled Serbia for more than three decades. His reign is remembered for the sudden economic strengthening of the state, above all thanks to the development of mining. He brought in the Saxons, skilled miners from Europe, who opened silver and gold mines at Brskovo and Novo Brdo.

He was married to Jelena Anžujska, a French noblewoman, thereby strengthening ties with the West. For her, according to legend, he planted the "Valley of Lilacs" along the Ibar river, so as to welcome her in a flowering setting reminiscent of her native Provence.

Sopoćani

His greatest spiritual work is Sopoćani Monastery. The frescoes in this monastery, especially the "Dormition of the Mother of God", are considered the pinnacle of European painting of the 13th century and a precursor of the Renaissance. Uroš I died as the monk Simon, and his relics rest in his endowment.