Like in all other Serbian regions, during the Turkish occupation the artistic creation had been regenerating and developing outside of the town of Niš. Communities of monks gathered in sheltered rural monastic entities continued the cultural work and building tradition of the areas of their origin. Even now, many churches are built or restored owing to numerous contributors acting as a "collective founder". Having been deprived of the state, the people lead by clergy took over the roles of princes and lords. Well-off individuals, including landowners-Christians, dukes, craftsmen and farmers, guided by the church, assumed control over the art, as well. The cultural life of Niš and its surroundings has never faded away. A strong Byzantine inheritance and medieval traditions of the Serbian state had never allowed this part of the subjugated Balkans to abandon its artistic tradition and Christian roots. The vitality of national memory expressed itself after the restoration of the Peć Patriarchate, together with the driving force of the church, reflected primarily in the activities of monasteries as the carriers of our spiritual potentials. The results are visible of the times when the Peć Patriarchate withdrew from the liberation war for the sake of establishing the church life and cultural creation. The conspiratorial attempts of the patriarch Jovan, who was enthroned in 1592, only aggravated the situation of the Serbian people. His successor patriarch Pajsije (1614-1647) lead a conciliatory and well-calculated policy and turned his actions towards the renaissance of Serbian art and medieval tradition. That was the period when many churches were built and frescoed, numerous books were copied, and sacral articles purchased. The main characteristic of the art of that period was to emphasize the glorious times of Serbian statehood.