Tokyo: Presentation of the project on restoration of frescoes in the monastery Đurđevi Stupovi

19. May 2022.
As part of marking the 140th anniversary of friendship between Serbia and Japan, the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Tokyo hosted a presentation of the project on the restoration of frescoes in the Chapel of King Dragutin in the monastery Đurđevi Stupovi, a component of the site “Stari Ras and Sopoćani” from the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The project was completed last year with the financial support of the Sumitomo Foundation and the company Kincho, headed by Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Serbia Naohide Ueyama. On this occasion, lectures were given by the project author, art historian Sachi Shimada and Professor Michitaka Suzuki, an expert on the Serbian medieval cultural heritage from Tohoku Gakuin University.

In her welcome speech, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to Japan Aleksandra Kovač thanked Sachi Shimada for designing and implementing a project of great importance for Serbia and the world, as well as for the cultural exchange and cooperation between Serbia and Japan. She expressed her gratitude to the Sumitomo Foundation and the company Kincho for recognising the significance of the project and for the financial support they had provided.

Ambassador Kovač assessed that heritage was a cornerstone of the Serbian culture, playing an important role in shaping the Serbian identity and representing what Serbia had gotten from the pas. It was a heritage worth enjoying, learning from in the present, preserving and passing onto the future generations. She thanked all participants in the project for helping Serbia with such a task.

The presentation was attended by Honorary Consul General Ueyama and the representatives of the Sumitomo Foundation, as well as members of the Japan−Serbia Association, representatives of the Chiyoda UNESCO Association, members of the academic community, and other admirers of the Serbian cultural heritage.