Studenica Monastery, Serbia
Studenica Monastery is a Serbian Orthodox Monastery located about 11 km from the town of Usce in central Serbia. The monastery was built between 1183 and 1191 on orders of the founder of the medieval Serb state Stefan Nemanja who abdicated in favor of his middle son Stefan in 1196 and moved to the monastery where he lived as monk Simeon. Shortly afterwards he joined his son Saint Sava at the Mount Athos and established the monastery Hilandar where he died in 1199.Studenica Monastery is within fortified walls and encompasses three churches:
- the Church of the Virgin (built in 1191),
- the Church of the King (built in 1314)
- and the Church of St Nicholas which is the smallest from the three churches.
Fresco from King's Church
The monastery houses important artworks which represent masterpieces of Byzantine-style art in the Balkans: the Crucifixion from 1209, representation of the Last Judgment, the portrait of Nemanja's wife Ana as the nun Anastasija, the Virgin taking Nemanja, the portraits of Nemanja, Stefan the First Crowned and King Radoslav with his wife Ana, the portraits of the three dignitaries of the Serbian Church - the archbishops Sava, Arsenije and Sava II (Radoslav's brother).
Studenica Monastery is considered one of the most important spiritual and cultural sites in Serbia and was also inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1986.
Tipova Monastery, Moldova
Tipova Monastery is a Moldavian Orthodox cave monastery located on the rocky side of the Nistru river about 100 kilometers north of Chisinau, capital city of Moldova. The cave monastery was constructed in the 16th to the 18th century or by some estimations sometime between the 10th and the 12th century. The last part of the Tipova monastery hewn in a rock of was constructed in 1756.Tipova Monastery was closed and partly destroyed during the Soviet period but the ruins of the monastery came under state protection in 1975. The religious services were renewed in 1994.
The monastery is famous for abnormal phenomena and is surrounded with many legends. According to one legend Moldavian Tsar Stefan the Great (c. 1437-1504) married with Maria Voichita in Tipova Monastery, while the other legend says that the mythological poet Orpheus spent his last days at the rocks.
Ostrog Monastery, Montenegro
Ostrog Monastery or Monastery of Ostrog is an Orthodox Monastery located on a hill between Danilovgrad and Nikšic in Ostroška Greda, Montenegro. The monastery is under jurisdiction of Serbian Orthodox Church and is the most popular pilgrimage destination in Montenegro not only of the Orthodox believers but also of Catholics and Muslims.
Ostrog Monastery was founded in 17th century by Vasilije, the Metropolitan Bishop of Herzegovina whose relics are kept in the monastery and are widely believed to have a miraculous power. Vasilije was after his death proclaimed Saint Basil of Ostrog. The present structure was constructed between 1923 and 1926 after a fire destroyed a big part of the complex.
The monastery features two cave churches: so called Upper Church from the 17th century and the Lower Church from the 18th century. Neither church was not damaged by the fire which destroyed the monastery.
