Hello everyone, I hope you are doing great. We recently had 4 days off in Serbia due to a national holiday and I used that chance to travel with my family. We headed to southern Serbia and the Vranje town, where we have relatives and friends, but previously we visited the Manasija monastery located in central Serbia. The monastery was not on our way, but it wasn't that far either, so we headed there.
The last time I visited this place was when I was a child and I remembered the imposing fortress that surrounds the monastery church that I wanted to see again and present it to you.
When you stand in front of those fortress walls, you can't help but admire the medieval architecture. These walls were built to protect the monastery church inside. In that period, people used walls to protect everything that was valuable to them, and this monastery certainly was.
We entered through a large heavy gate into the endowment of the former Serbian ruler, the despot Stefan Lazarevic.
In school, we learned a lot about this monastery as a very important cultural landmark, built in 15th century, and I still remember some facts, so I will be happy to share them with you. The Manasija Monastery has been destroyed several times throughout history, as is the case with most medieval monasteries due to the turbulent war past. And it had different purposes, not only religious as it is today. When the Turks ruled Serbia, the Manasija monastery had a defensive role.
But what is interesting is that its founder, Despot Stefan Lazarevic, was not only a brave and distinguished military leader, but also engaged in literature, so this monastery was a cultural center where writers and all respectable people of that time, interested in education and literature, gathered.
The famous Resava School was founded there and was very important for the further development of Serbian literature and education. And indeed, while walking around the monastery, you not only feel its religious value, but the place captivates you with the culture and spirit of the old times.
I am always fascinated by the remains of the old town and the fortress.
As I pass between the walls, I think about how it used to be and what happened inside a long time ago, what kind of people walked there, what were their thoughts and habits...
Nuns live in the monastery today, and their quarters are there. It is a women's monastery.
When we walked around the courtyard of the monastery, we entered the church. It is the Church of the Holy Trinity, where there are very old icons and frescoes.
I was amazed by the large chandelier with candles arranged in a circle.
We felt peace inside. When we got out, we walked around the church a little more and then continued our journey from the Middle Ages to today...
Thank you very much for reading.
The images and writing are original and mine.
Greetings!
Jelena
Despotovac Municipality
