Stari Ras and Sopoćani

Ras, now called Stari Ras, was a medieval town in south-west Serbia near the confluence of the Raska and Sebecevo rivers, on routes where eastern and western influences met. When the Nemanjic dynasty came to power in 1159 it became the first capital of the independent Serbian state, and it remained so until the early 14th century. The hilltop fortress of Gradina and the lower town of Trgoviste survive as an archaeological site.

The Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul was built in the 10th century on the foundations of a 6th-century baptistery and became the seat of the Bishop of Raska. The Church of St George at Djurdjevi Stupovi, founded in 1170 to 1171, is the earliest example of the Raska School, a blend of Romanesque and Byzantine forms that shaped local building for nearly 150 years.

Sopocani Monastery was built around 1260 by King Stefan Uros I, grandson of Nemanja, as his own burial church. Its frescoes are counted among the finest of Byzantine and Serbian medieval art. Ottoman troops set fire to the monastery in 1689, and it stood deserted for more than two centuries until it was restored in the 20th century. The group was inscribed in 1979.