Destruction of churches and church property on Kosovo in days of March Pogrom (March 17-19, 2004)

...groups of bandits and pyromaniacs were cruising through the Serb quarter of Potkaljaja, above the Seminary and the Bishop's residence. The Kosovo police was warning the Serbs to flee; those who did not were evacuated to the German base after they had already been beaten up and lynched by the mob. The police did not try to stop the demonstrators. Serb houses were systematically looted and set on fire. Medieval Potkaljaja gradually disappeared in flames. Prizren was covered by a thick veil of smoke that rose above the whole city. It was later said that there was obvious organization. Everything that was Serb was systematically destroyed. The following churches were also destroyed in the flames: St. Kyriake, St. Panteleimon, Unmercenary Physicians (Sts. Cosmas and Damian) and the medieval church of Holy Salvation (Christ the Savior) on the hill above Potkaljaje, and Tutic's church (St. Nicholas) next to the Bishop's residence. There was no resistance whatsoever to the wave of destruction. KFOR simply got out of the way, leaving churches and homes unprotected, withdrawing to its base. All they did was evacuate the Serb civilians. Since there were not more victims, it appears that the primary goal of the organizers of the pogrom was to destroy Serb property and churches, and to expel forever the few Prizren Serbs that remain. One group of Albanians headed in the direction of the medieval Holy Mother of God of Ljevis, broke into the church and set a fire that damaged a large number of frescoes. The renowned 12th century fresco of Christ "the Provider of Prizren" taking bread from a small basket while in the arms of the Mother of God was destroyed in especially barbaric fashion.