Hrista Jovanović - Mali Rista
The merchant, born in the village Zavoj near Pirot moved to the town at the beginning of the 19th century and soon having been successful in trading he became a man of high standing, respected both by the wealthy men ("chorbadzije") in Pirot and the Turkish authorities. The outstanding Turks and the Serbs from Pirot recommended him to Usein Pasha, in 1840, to be in charge of the town of Pirot and its surrounding (to become a tax-raiser - "kalauz") in raising taxes in the form of livestock and butterfat. It was said that at Usein Pasha's demand he drove seven haznas (immense number) of livestock to Pirot. Soon the rumours were spread about Rista's trade abilities and enormous amounts of money included in his business so that by the 1860s he "had a monopoly on livestock fair". Even today he is a man whose name is reminded of and often mentioned in Pirot. The house he had to be built for his family, resisted the ravages of time and is the most significant building in Pirot dating from the 19th century.
He died in Pirot in 1864.
The House of the Hristic family - The residence of Mali Rista
The house of the Hristic family is the best preserved monument of traditional architecure from the middle of the 19th century in Pirot. With its beauty and construction characteristics it exceeds the frontiers of Serbia and becomes a part of the Balkan cultural inheritage.
The prominent merchant from Pirot, Hrista Jovanovic had this house built to have been his family residence. It is claimed that the construction works lasted for two years and were over on April 5th 1848, the proof of which should have been the inscription at the first floor inscribed on the door of the reception room. Since he intended to build a two-storied house Mali Rista, as his nickname was, should have got a permit from the Turkish authorities. That is how, at the outskirts of Pirot, one of the most luxorious Christian houses of the time was built. Unfortunately there are no documents about the master who built the house.
At that time the house was resided by Hrista Jovanovic and his family and later by their descendants who changed their last name Jovanovic into Hristic.
In its arrangement and inventory the house is of the Balkan-Oriental type. It is characterized by the harmony of its interior and both the luxury of the facade and the roo.
The bondruk construction and the master's skill in constructing it gave the astonishing lightness to the house.That is a type of symmetrical house, almost of the square form, with the lobby in the shape of a cross. The house consists of basement, ground and the second floor. The most significant and distinctive characteristic of the building is the unique way of constructing the roof and a special kind of platform in the attic meant for teferièenje (being on excursion party). The roof is indented and wavy. The roof has a large eaves made of the wreath of tympanons over each window frame. This element of the house contributed to its achieving the outstanding position in the Serbian arcitectural heritage which led to its being proclaimed to be the cultural monument of exceptional significance. The main decorative elements on the radiant white facade are the wooden window frames and the external and corner pillars boarded up and framed by profiled laths.
The house is entered from the porch into the lobby where the rooms at the ground floor served as bedrooms. At the ground floor there was also a room called „iža“ (kitchen) and the hearth, as well as the pantry for storing flour and wood for heating. The wooden stairs lead to the second floor directly to the large lobby which comprises the central part with wooden shelves („rafovi“) and the hearth, men's room (“divanhana”) and a room for women. Round the hall there are „bed-room”, “kandil-soba” (the icon-lamp room), the large room, the treasury and “sark-room” which served as a kind of wardrobe. The family resided on the ground floor and the second floor served for showing off, for receptions and celebrations.
The whole interior of the building is decorated with "dolapi" in engravins.The "dolap"
on the ground floor is of the highest quality and it is supposed to have been made by the master of the well-known Debar school. The ceiling ("đul-tavan") in divanhana is also a piece of engraving. In the large room, where the prominent master Rista's quests used to be received, the gypsum ceiling ("štuko") is a standing out. The hiding-place and the "kandil- soba" are typical for the Serbian house of the urban architecture. The hiding place was entered from the dolap of the low room. In the "kandil-soba" the icon lamp was kept permanently lit and it was placed beside the icon facing the east in the time of celebrations.
The Museum of Ponishavlje fits in the surrounding with the setting created by B.Najdanovic the urban 19th century house of Pirot. Besides, the gifted craftsmen and artisant's crafts, (kilims, pottery, carpentry woodwork with carving and the skill of manufacturing metal pots and pans), specific for the people from this area, should be emphasized. The Musem display does not reconstruct the way master Rista's residence used to be, but the way the Pirot 19th century houses were furnished and arranged.
The interior of the house is equipped with the objects from the Museum collection. At the ground floor there is the suitable inventory which is characteristic for certain chambers, pottery, and metal and wooden pieces of furniture. The second floor is equipped with the appropriate furniture possessed by the Hristic family as well as by other merchant families from the 19th century Pirot. That was the time when Pirot kept transforming from an oriental town into an urban patriarchal milieu. Pieces of clothes and jewelry from Pirot and its surrounding are exhibited in the glass showcases. The space on the second floor is dominated by the Pirot kilims abounding in coulours, patterns and ornaments.
After the Second World War the House was assigned to the newly-founded National Museum. The Museum was opened on November 29th 1956.
Since 1953 the House is preserved by the state. In 1979 it was proclaimed to be the cultural monument of great importance.
Due to the Museum setting, the house of the Hristic family kept its authenticity and atmosphere of the Serbian patriarchal house.
The author of the text
Tatijana Karanović,
a custodian of the
Museum Ponišavlja
