NIS: ROMANS AND RELIGION

Posted May 8, 2016

Nis’ Roman history begins around 75 BC after the region was captured from the Celts. Although the current citadel at Nis only dates back to the 18th century, a Roman fortress originally occupied the site. When this fortress was completed in 1st century, Nis really began to develop as a city. Over 40,000 artefacts dating from the early Roman period have been found around this site. A great deal of the items found feature Constantine the Great – the Roman emperor who was born in Nis.

Constantine is one of the Roman’s most significant emperors and was responsible for changing Rome’s state religion to Christianity. Constantine is said to have converted after being visited in a dream the night before the Battle of Milvian Bridge. In this dream, the emperor was told to ensure that all his soldier’s shields were marked with a slanted X with the top of its head bent round. This symbol was an incorporation of the first two letters of the Greek spelling for Christ. A different account of Constantine’s conversion states that while riding into battle he saw a cross emanate from the sun. Irrespective of these accounts, Constantine’s against-the-odds victory at Milvian Bridge and subsequent conversion completely altered the course of Christian history.

Constantine isn’t the only Roman emperor to come out of Serbia though. Within the current borders of Serbia, 17 Roman leaders were born – a figure that accounts for about 1 in 5 emperors.

Nis has passed through many hands including the Huns, Byzantines, and Ottomans. Inside Nis Fortress is a mix of monuments from all these different empires, but perhaps one of the best examples of Nis changing hands can be seen with the Ottoman built Skull Tower.

Following a decisive defeat to Turkish forces at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, Serbia found itself under Islamic rule; something that would last for around 500 years. It wasn’t until the early 19th century that any notable Serbian revolts took place. The first revolt ended in the construction of Nis’ Skull Tower. This uprising came to its climax in 1809 when the Serb army found themselves surrounded by the Turkish forces just outside Nis at Cegar Hill. Surrendering wasn’t an option so the Serbian leader opted to fire at his own gunpowder supplies and blow up all the Serbs and many of the Turks in the surrounding area.

As a deterrent against any future uprisings, the Grand Vizier ordered the construction of a tower made from the skulls of Serbian revolutionaries. Over 950 Serbian skulls were used for this column that symbolised Turkish dominance. For Christians, Skull Tower showed why they must continue to show faith in their religion, which is why a chapel was eventually built around the tower after Serbia gained its independence from the Ottoman Empire.