[1] Its architectural style, which emerged in Kingdom of Serbia at the end of the 12th century, combines Orthodox traditions with Romanesque influences.

The monastery reflects the cultural exchange between the East and West, representing Serbia's historical position during the medieval period.

For centuries, Dečani has played a key role in preserving the spiritual, cultural, and national identity of Serbs in Kosovo.

[7][8] According to Branislav Pantelić, the monastery represents the last phase of the Western, Gothic,[9] Byzantine-Romanuesque architecture and contains Byzantine paintings and numerous Romanseque sculptures, part of a "Palaeologan renaissance".

[6] Those who contributed to the construction of the monastery were collectively gifted a village close to the city of Prizren named Manastirica, where many settled following completion.

[14][15] Bulgarian writer Gregory Tsamblak, author of the Life of Stefan Dečanski, was the hegumen (monastery head) at the beginning of the 15th century.

[22] Albanian civilians seeking refuge in the monastery returned to their homes following the withdrawal of Serbian military from Kosovo in June 1999.

[23] During the violent unrest in Kosovo on 17 March 2004, KFOR defended the monastery from an Albanian mob trying to throw Molotov cocktails at it.

[24] On 2 July 2004, the monastery was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

[8] UNESCO cited it as "an irreplaceable treasure, a place where traditions of Romanesque architecture meet artistic patterns of the Byzantine world.

Its twenty major cycles of fresco murals represent the largest preserved gallery of Serbian medieval art, featuring over 1000 compositions and several thousand portraits.

[citation needed] In 2021, Europa Nostra listed Visoki Dečani as one of the seven most endangered cultural heritage sites in Europe.

[36][37] Visoki Dečani, three episodes of the documentary series "Witnesses of Times" produced by the broadcasting service RTB in 1989 was created by Gordana Babić and Petar Savković, directed by Dragoslav Bokan, music was composed by Zoran Hristić.