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MONASTERIES OF SERBIA

SIMO JELAČA, Ph.D.

PREVIEW

Starting with Stefan Nemanja, all Serbian kings built monasteries and churches, wherever they lived, as their endowments and family mausoleums. Thus, there are now 212 monasteries on the territory of Serbia, probably the most in Europe, and possibly even in the world. Of all these 212 monasteries, 54 have the status of cultural monuments, and Sopoćani, Đurđevi Stupovi, Studenica, Dečani, Peć Patriarchate, Gračanica and Bogorodica Ljeviška are included in the UNESCO list as world heritage sites. Interested readers have the opportunity to find information about each monastery and church on the Internet, and this overview summarizes the data for about twenty of the most famous, which the whole world should know about, and which should be visited by as many tourists as possible. There are monasteries that are no longer located on the territory of Serbia, but were built in places where their founders lived at the time.

HILANDAR

The Hilandar Monastery is dedicated to the Presentation of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Grand Prefect Stefan Nemanja and his son Rastko (Saint Sava) took over a rather dilapidated and neglected Greek monastery, a building from 1198, and renovated it into a very luxurious architectural ensemble. Since then, the monastery has played a very important role in the development of Serbian literacy and literature in the Middle Ages. The church was expanded by King Milutin in 1303, and Prince Lazar added an external narthex in 1389. Multi-storey quarters were built around the church, along with the towers of Saint Sava and Saint George.

The church is well preserved and represents the most significant monument of medieval art on Athos. Today it is a great treasury of decorated Serbian books from the 13th century, charters, icons, documents and objects of exceptional value. Hilandar is located in Mount Athos, in Greece, not far from Halkidiki.

STUDENICA

The Studenica Monastery with the Church of the Virgin of Charity was built by Stefan Nemanja, next to the Studenica River, as his and his family's mausoleum, at the end of the 12th century, not far from Kraljevo, in a valley of pine forests. Studenica is a magnificent Serbian monastery, famous for its treasury of beautiful frescoes from the 13th and 14th centuries and the monumental composition of the "Nativity of Christ". The first works on the construction of the Studenica Monastery began in 1196, and when Nemanja went to Hilandar, he left the throne and the construction of Studenica to his son Stefan, who thus became the new founder of the church. The Church of the Virgin Mary is the oldest in the monastery complex, built in the Byzantine style as a single-nave with a three-part altar apse. The interior and wall paintings are an unsurpassed artistic and technical achievement. Saint Sava transferred the relics of his father Nemanja from Hilandar to Studenica, his endowment and mausoleum. The Studenica Monastery acquired the status of the Great Larva, thus becoming the spiritual and cultural center of medieval Serbia.

Studenica is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

ĐURĐEVI STUPOVI

The Đurđevi Stupovi Monastery was built on a wooded hill above Novi Pazar. It is the endowment of Stefan Nemanja, created during Nemanja's imprisonment in a cave, when Nemanja vowed to build a monastery dedicated to Saint George. King Dragutin then expanded the church and painted it. The Turks destroyed the monastery, after which it was deserted for 200 years. The damaged frescoes from that monastery were transferred to the National Museum in Belgrade. The most famous fresco, among them, is the fresco of Saint George on horseback. It is on the UNESCO list.

ŽIČA

Žiča Monastery is located between Kraljevo and Mataruška Banja. The monastery church is dedicated to the Holy Savior, the Ascension of the Lord. It was built by King Stefan the First-Crowned, who was crowned there in 1217. The church of the Žiča Monastery was built in the Raška architectural style, under the influence of Saint Sava. The monastery was built under the influence of Mount Athos. The frescoes were mostly damaged, and the most significant among them is the composition “Assumption of the Virgin Mary”. The Church of the Ascension was built in 1208, as an endowment of Stephen the First-Crowned. The Žiča Monastery became the seat of the newly founded Serbian archbishopric. In the Middle Ages, it played a very important role in religious, political and cultural life. During its long history, Žiča suffered a lot, the frescoes in it were damaged, and some were destroyed. It was restored in 1928, when it was painted red in imitation of the church in Mount Athos.

MILESHEVA

The Mileševa Monastery, near Prijepolje, was built by King Vladislav, son of King Stefan, in 1218, modeled after the Studenica and Žiča monasteries, in the Raska style, and he buried the relics of Saint Sava there, brought from Trnovo (Bulgaria), where he died on his way back from the Holy Land. In 1594, the Turks transferred the bones of Saint Sava from the Žiča monastery to Belgrade and burned them on Vračara. In the 16th century, the monastery had a printing house where church books were published. The monastery has preserved frescoes from various periods, including the famous fresco Angel at the Tomb of Christ, a masterpiece of Serbian medieval painting. The Mileševa Monastery still houses a painting of the Ascension of Christ, known as the ‘‘White Angel’’, located above the Ktitorski Portal.

Emperor Dušan and Tvrtko I Kotromanić were crowned in the Mileševa Monastery, and Stefan Vukčić declared himself the “Duke of Saint Sava” in that monastery in 1446. King Vladislav was also buried in Mileševa. The greatest value of the Mileševa Monastery is its frescoes, among which the “White Angel”, the most beautiful fresco in Europe, dominates.

SOPOĆANI

The Sopoćani Monastery was built by King Uroš I in Ras, the former seat of Stefan Nemanja’s state. The year of construction is unknown due to damage to the wall. The monastery with the Church of the Holy Trinity is an endowment of King Uroš. The frescoes in the monastery depict King Uroš as a brave warrior. The Turks burned this monastery in the 17th century, which was only restored 300 years later, in 1926. The monastery has highly valuable frescoes, for which it was included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage.

GRADAC

Gradac Monastery is located on the slopes of Mount Golija, not far from Raška. It is the endowment of Helena of Anjou, wife of King Uroš I. It was built in 1276, and consists of the Church of the Virgin Mary and the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. It is famous for its exceptionally beautiful architecture. Queen Helena of Anjou was buried in this monastery in 1314. During the Austro-Turkish War in the 17th century, the monks of this monastery hid the relics of Helena, which have not been discovered to this day. The Turks devastated the monastery, and it was only in the 20th century that it was restored.

ARILJE

The Church of St. Achilles, the endowment of King Dragutin, was built at the end of the 13th century, in the very center of Arilje. the frescoes in it were painted in 1296, and the founder was King Dragutin himself. The church was built as a single-nave with a semicircular apse, and the dome is six-sided, which is an exception in Serbian architecture. The frescoes were painted according to the Sopoćani model. The portraits of the rulers are well preserved. There is a portrait of King Milutin with Dragutin and his wife Katalina (daughter of the Hungarian King Ladislaus IV). The fresco of King Milutin is painted with a model of the Gračanica church in his hands. King Milutin is depicted as a boy in the Sopoćani monastery, in the Bogorodica Ljeviška monastery as a man in his prime, and in Gračanica as a gray-haired old man.

OUR LADY OF LJEVIŠKA

The monastery, the Church of Our Lady of Ljeviška, was built in Prizren, on the site of a former Roman-Byzantine settlement, which is mentioned as the seat of the diocese since the beginning of the 11th century. It became part of the Serbian state at the end of the 12th century and remained so during the reign of Stephen the First-Crowned, until the middle of the 15th century. The Church of Our Lady of Ljeviška is dedicated to the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos, and was the passion of King Milutin. It is the first five-domed church in Serbian architecture. The frescoes in it were painted in 1308-1314. The city gained particular importance during the reign of King Milutin and Emperors Dušan and Uroš. For a while, it was even the capital of the state. It was under the Ottoman Empire from 1455 to 1912, and after 1912 it re-entered the Serbian state. The Church of the Virgin Mary of Ljeviška was thoroughly renovated by King Milutin between 1306 and 1309. The church has a total of 5 domes with a narthex. Among the frescoes, the image of the Virgin Mary of Eleusa with Christ and the Nemanjićs, as founders, is significant. Prizren was a favorite residence of the Nemanjićs. The Prizren Church of the Virgin Mary of Ljeviška was converted by the Turks into a mosque in 1756, which served them until 1912, when it became a Serbian Orthodox church again. It was restored in 1950-1953 to its original appearance. It is on the UNESCO list.

GRAČANICA

The Gračanica Monastery is the pinnacle of Serbian Byzantine-style architecture. According to folk legend, King Milutin fell asleep on the Gračanica River before the battle and dreamed that God told him that he would win if he built a church like this. And King Milutin saw a white cloud in the sky in the shape of a church. He called the best builders and they built Gračanica in 1321. It was built near Lipljan, not far from Pristina, on the ruins of the Church of the Holy Mother of God of Gračanica. Gračanica is dedicated to the Annunciation, and its founder is King Milutin. The Gračanica frescoes show King Milutin with Queen Simonida, and a painting of King Milutin in a pose in which Jesus Christ with two angels is blessing him, giving him and the queen royal crowns as a sign of his royal dignity. The founder of the monastery is King Milutin. Gračanica is the most significant monument, surpassing all the five-domed churches of Byzantine art in its beauty. The interior of Gračanica is richly decorated with frescoes painted in 1318. These frescoes belong to the court style of the 14th century. The monastery suffered a lot during the Battle of Kosovo, so it was restored in the 16th century and again in 1999, on which occasion nuns restored it and turned it into a women's monastery. Since the 16th century, it has served as an important cultural center. The seat of the bishop of Raška-Prizren was transferred to Gračanica, since when Gračanica has been the spiritual, national and political seat of the Serbian people of this region. It is on the UNESCO list.

DECANI

At the initiative of Saint Sava and King Stefan Dečani with Emperor Dušan, one of the most beautiful Serbian Orthodox monasteries, Dečani, was created. It was built in the first half of the 14th century and completed in 1335. The frescoes in the monastery were also completed that year. The Decani Monastery is located in the beautiful valley of the Decani Bistrica River, in the town of Decani, not far from Peć. The Decani Monastery and the Church of Christ Pantocrator are the endowments of King Stefan and Emperor Dušan. The church is dedicated to Christ Pantocrator, and is the best preserved. The facades are built of white and pink marble, in the Romanesque style, like Studenica. Its western portal is particularly impressive. The frescoes were completed during Dušan’s time, and are a true treasury of Byzantine iconography. The church displays a calendar with 365 scenes and the Nemanjić lineage, as well as the stone throne of Emperor Dušan. The monastery’s treasury contains over 150 old manuscript books.

UNESCO declared the Dečani Monastery a cultural monument of extraordinary importance, highlighting it among the most valuable examples of the Renaissance and a precious record of life in the 14th century. The Turks attacked it in 1692, trying to turn it into a mosque, but they failed. Then, the Albanians tried to destroy it, but they also failed. Fortunately, it was preserved by some miraculous feat of the monastery.

PEĆ PATRIARCHATE

The Peć Patriarchate, the Church of the Holy Apostle, as a monastery complex consists of buildings built in the 13th and 14th centuries at the foot of the Prokletije mountain range. In the middle is the church, on the north side is the church of St. Demetrius, and on the south is the church of the Virgin Mary, which houses the temple of St. Nicholas. Since the mid-13th century, Peć has been the center of the archbishopric, and since 1346, the center of the Patriarchate. The Church of the Holy Apostle is also known as the Church of the Holy Savior. It was built according to the model on Žič, as a single-nave. The frescoes were painted in the mid-13th century. In the sub-dome area there are scenes from the life of Christ, and in the dome the Ascension with the figures of the Virgin Mary and angels. At the end of the 13th century, scenes of the Passion of Christ were painted. The restoration of the church was carried out in 1932, and the conservation and cleaning of the frescoes after World War II. The Patriarchate of Peć is on the UNESCO list as a cultural monument of Serbia.

OLD NAGORIČINO

The Staro Nagoričino Monastery, the Church of St. George, is located near Kumanovo, present-day North Macedonia. It was built by the Byzantine emperor Romanus IV Diogenes, and completely renovated by King Milutin in 1313. Half of the facade is old, and the other half is Byzantine, built of hewn stone. The base has an inscribed cross, adapted to a three-nave basilica, with four smaller domes and a larger central one. The altar apse is semicircular. It has a large number of figures, rich architecture in the Renaissance style.

RAVANICA

The Ravanica Monastery, a church dedicated to the Ascension, is the endowment of Prince Lazar. It is located not far from Ćuprija, intended as Lazar's mausoleum. It was built between 1376 and 1381. It is surrounded by defensive walls with seven towers. It has the shape of an inscribed cross with five domes. Ravanica contains all the elements of Moravian architecture. The frescoes in Ravanica were completed in 1385.

LJUBOSTINJA

The Ljubostinja Monastery was built not far from Trstenik, along a mountain stream. It is the endowment of Princess Milica, from the end of the 14th century, dedicated to the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Turks burned this monastery and destroyed most of the frescoes. A secret treasury was discovered in the wall behind the Icon. Among the looted items is the crown of Prince Lazar, which is now in Istanbul. Princess Milica and Nun Jefimija, who became monks after the Battle of Kosovo, are buried in the Ljubostinja Monastery.

RESAVA MONASTERY

Manasija Monastery, Resava, in Despotovac, the tomb church of Despot Stefan Lazarević, the Church of the Holy Trinity, is the endowment of Stefan Lazarević. In that church, a magnificent portrait of Stefan Lazarević is painted with a model of the church in his hands, with three angels, the Holy Trinity, where Christ places a golden crown on his head.

Resava is protected by a fortress built in 1407-1418. Resava Monastery was the most important literary center in the first half of the 15th century. The fortress has 11 towers, the largest of which is called the ‘’Despot’s Tower’’. Inside the fortress was a large monastery refectory and buildings for the monks to live in. The Church of the Holy Trinity was painted in 1407 and 1418, after its completion.

Manasija is a 15th-century monastery, one of the most significant monuments of Serbian medieval culture. It was built in the style of the Moravian school. The translations and transcriptions made here affirmed the famous Resava school. The Manasija Monastery was a “thorn in the side” for the Turks, so they repeatedly destroyed and plundered it and took away its frescoes.

KALENIĆ

Kalenić Monastery, a church dedicated to the Presentation, an endowment of the protovestiar Bogdan, nobleman Stefan Lazarević, built at the end of the first decade of the 15th century, not far from Rakovec, the Monastery is in fact the most magnificent church of the Moravian school. The church contains paintings of the Virgin Mary with Christ. The frescoes were painted in 1413 and represent a masterpiece of the Moravian school.

CHURCH OF SAINT STEPHEN

The Church of Saint Stephen in Kruševac is the endowment of Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović. It was built by Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović from 1377 to 1380, as a court church, known as ‘’Lazarica’’. It is one of the first buildings of the Moravian school, with the base of an inscribed cross. The facades are colorful and richly decorated. Unfortunately, the frescoes in this monastery have completely collapsed.

OPLENAC

Oplenac Monastery, Church of Saint George was built from 1910 to 1912, and in 1915 Austria brutally looted it. The shape of the church is cruciform, and the facade is covered with white Večić marble. 725 paintings were made in the mosaic, with 1500 figures. In the southern apse is the Gallery of Serbian Medieval Rulers, each presented with its own endowment. In the basement is a crypt, like a mausoleum of buried rulers and members of the Karađorđević dynasty, who are also the founders of the monastery.

TEMPLE OF SAINT SAVA

The Temple of Saint Sava, built on Vračar in Belgrade, is the largest Serbian Orthodox temple, one of the largest Orthodox temples in the world. It was built on the site where the Turks burned the relics of Saint Sava, in monumental architecture and with a dome over 70 meters high and impressive mosaics. The foundation stone of this church was laid in 1936, and the dome weighing 4,000 tons was erected in 1989. The work continued after 2000, and the interior was completed in 2004. Interior works lasted from 2016 to 2020, when the temple is considered to be completely completed. The temple is dedicated to Saint Sava, the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The architecture is in the style of Serbian medieval architecture with white marble. Below the monastery is a lavishly painted crypt. The interior is decorated with mosaics, covering over 12,000 square meters. This place is a key point of Serbian spiritual and cultural life, accessible daily.

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