The building of Serbia’s numerous monasteries, which are often surrounded by serenity and green forests, is also closely connected with the establishment of the Serbian state, founded on a tradition of monastic life and spirituality. For the most part, the Serbian monasteries were built in the Middle Ages, when the overall European culture was being developed under the aegis of the church, so the monasteries transformed themselves from places of praying and pilgrimage into important national anchorages and hotbeds for education and culture.
As master-pieces of medieval art and architecture, our monasteries represent a valuable part of the European cultural heritage. Today, there are more than two hundred monasteries in Serbia; 54 of which have been declared cultural monuments, while importantly, Stari Ras (Old Ras) with Sopocani, Studenica and medieval Serbian monasteries in Kosovo and Metohija – namely Decani, Gracanica, Pecka patrijarsija (Patriarchate of Pec) and Bogorodica Ljeviska (Our Lady of Ljevis) are listed as UNESCO world cultural heritage sites. Taking into consideration the significant number of the Serbian monasteries and their variety of styles, we hereby present certain possible routes you can follow to pay a visit to these extraordinary cultural monuments.
Manasija, is a Serbian Orthodox monastery near Despotovac, Serbia, founded by Despot Stefan Lazarevic between 1406 and 1418. The church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. It is one of the most significant monuments of medieval Serbian culture and it belongs to the “Morava school”. The monastery is surrounded by massive walls and towers. Immediately following its foundation, the monastery became the cultural centre of the Serbian Despotate. Its School of Resava was well known for its manuscripts and translations throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, even after the fall of the Despotate to the Ottoman Turks. Manasija complex was declared Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979, and it is protected by Republic of Serbia, and monastery have entered a UNESCO Tentative List Process in 2010.
