Serbian monasteries
Encyclopedia
Serb Orthodox
monasteries are found throughout Serbia
, Croatia
, Bosnia
, Greece
, Macedonia, Montenegro
, Canada
and the United States
. This foundation of monasteries followed the forming of the first semi-independent Serbian states (under Byzantine rule) starting in the 10th century. The first monasteries were built in the Raška
region, in the Southwestern Serbia, then Kosovo
and finally in Central Serbia
. Fleeing the Turkish tyranny, the majority of Serbs migrated to the North. Shortly thereafter, the first monasteries on the Fruška Gora
Mountain were established.
All the Serbian rulers were very religious and instead of building palaces, they established monasteries as their endowments and mausoleums. Monasteries used to be the place where important decisions were made. The first books were copied here and thus literacy was spread and the culture of the Serbian people was formed. The walls were illuminated by frescoes reflecting the artistic styles of the time. Some of this frescoes are extremely valuable art treasures like the frescoes in the Sopocani
monastery and the Frescoe of the White Angel
("Beli anđeo") from the 13th century in the Monastery of Mileševa
now under the protection of UNESCO
. Dečani
Monastery, Patriarchate of Peć
, Gračanica Monastery, and Our Lady of Ljeviš are also listed in UNESCO World Heritage Site list, as "Medieval Monuments in Kosovo".
Serbian Orthodox Church
The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth in order of seniority after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia...
monasteries are found throughout Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Macedonia, Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This foundation of monasteries followed the forming of the first semi-independent Serbian states (under Byzantine rule) starting in the 10th century. The first monasteries were built in the Raška
Raška (region)
Raška is a region in south-central Serbia and northern Montenegro. It is mostly situated in the Raška District. The southern part of Raška is also known as Sandžak and is divided between Serbia and Montenegro....
region, in the Southwestern Serbia, then Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
and finally in Central Serbia
Central Serbia
Central Serbia , also referred to as Serbia proper , was the region of Serbia from 1945 to 2009. It included central parts of Serbia outside of the autonomous provinces of Kosovo and Vojvodina. The region of Central Serbia was not an administrative division of Serbia as such; it was under the...
. Fleeing the Turkish tyranny, the majority of Serbs migrated to the North. Shortly thereafter, the first monasteries on the Fruška Gora
Fruška Gora
Fruška Gora is a mountain in north Syrmia. Most part of the territory is located within Vojvodina, Serbia, but a smaller part on its western side overlaps the territory of Croatia...
Mountain were established.
All the Serbian rulers were very religious and instead of building palaces, they established monasteries as their endowments and mausoleums. Monasteries used to be the place where important decisions were made. The first books were copied here and thus literacy was spread and the culture of the Serbian people was formed. The walls were illuminated by frescoes reflecting the artistic styles of the time. Some of this frescoes are extremely valuable art treasures like the frescoes in the Sopocani
Sopocani
The Sopoćani monastery , an endowment of King Stefan Uroš I of Serbia, was built in the second half of the 13th century, near the source of the Raška River in the region of Ras, the centre of the Serbian medieval state. It is World Heritage Site, added in 1979 with Stari Ras...
monastery and the Frescoe of the White Angel
White Angel
White Angel is a detail of a world famous fresco from the Mileševa monastery circa 1230 AD in Serbia, Mironosnice na Hristovom grobu . It is also one of the most famous frescoes in Serbian culture. It depicts an angel sitting in front of the tomb of Christ...
("Beli anđeo") from the 13th century in the Monastery of Mileševa
Mileševa monastery
Mileševa is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located near Prijepolje, in southwest Serbia. It was founded by King Vladislav, in the years between 1234 and 1236...
now under the protection of UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
. Dečani
Decani
Decani is the side of a church choir occupied by the Dean. In English churches this is typically the choir stalls on the south side of the chancel, although there are some notable exceptions, such as Durham Cathedral and Southwell Minster...
Monastery, Patriarchate of Peć
Patriarchate of Pec
The Patriarchate of Peć is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located near Peć. The complex of churches is the spiritual seat and mausoleum of the Serbian archbishops and patriarchs....
, Gračanica Monastery, and Our Lady of Ljeviš are also listed in UNESCO World Heritage Site list, as "Medieval Monuments in Kosovo".