PEC

formerly Ipek, Latin Pescium, town in the autonomous pokrajina (province) of Kosovo, republic of Serbia, Yugoslavia. Lying on a small tributary of the Beli Drim River, between the North Albanian Alps (Prokletije) and the Mokra Mountain Range, Pec is the terminus of a rail line from Ni. A majority of its inhabitants is Albanian. The town, with mosques, narrow streets, and old Turkish houses, has an Oriental character. It serves as a local market centre for agricultural produce; industries are leatherworking, food processing, and handicrafts. Pec was especially important as a religious centre and was from about 1253 to 1766, with brief interruptions, the chief see of the Orthodox Church of Serbia. The patriarchal monastery, repeatedly ravaged and restored, consists of four churches with fine frescoes, library, and treasury. About 12 miles (19 km) south of Pec is Decani Monastery (132735), which has more than 1,000 frescoes and represents one of the finest extant examples of Serbian architecture and ornamentation. Pop. (1981) 54,497.