Bridges to Jerusalem: The Monasteries of Serbia

All across the Serbian regions of the Balkans, from the flat plains of the northern region of Vojvodina and Banat to the mountains of Bosnia and Kosovo, from the wooded interior farmlands of Serbia to the rocky Mediterranean, the Serbian Orthodox Church and its people have held monasteries as one of their most sacred centers of its faith.  In the late Medieval era known as the Golden Age of Serbia, these monasteries became known as “Bridges to Jerusalem,” symbolizing spiritual islands of the Holy Land in a time when travel to the region itself was all but unthinkable to most people.   Ruling dynasties and nobility were especially noted as benefactors to monasteries, with some rulers even establishing multiple monasteries in celebration of occasions, repentance for sins, preparation for death, or simply another year of their reign.  Indeed, many rulers themselves became monks or nuns following their abdication from rule or the death of their spouse, allowing for their children to take power, and to prepare themselves for the end of their earthly kingdom and entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven.  Often remotely situated in hills and within mountainsides, these monasteries often became part-retreat, part-retirement centers (or places of banishment) for the nobility and other persons of note.  Not surprisingly, they also became repositories of some of the greatest artistic and architectural wonders of the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian people.

There are hundreds of Serbian Orthodox monasteries and dependencies spread across the modern states of former Yugoslavia, but a few stand out as being of particular beauty and exception.

The monastery of Studenica in central Serbia is one of the largest and greatest of its kind.  Surrounded by a stout defensive wall, it is a complex of beautiful 12th and 13th-century churches made of stone and marble, each decorated with beautiful frescoes depicting Biblical scenes and the lives of the saints, including depictions of the noble benefactors of the monastery. 

A short distance away, Gradac monastery, a hillside women’s convent dating from the 13th century, was established by a French noblewoman by name of Helen of Anjou, who took monastic vows following years of being a Dowager Queen following the death of her Serbian husband, King Stefan Uros’ the First.  Long abandoned, the monastery was rebuilt in the latter half of the 20th century and has since become known as a center for younger nuns who engage in traditional craftswomanship.  A special legend holds that the lilacs that grow in the valley around the monastery were planted by King Stefan Uros’ to remind Helen of Anjou of those that were found in her home country of Provence (modern-day France).

The secluded 13th-century monastery of Crna Reka (“Black River” in Serbian) in the far south of Serbia near the Kosovo border is largely built into a stone cliffside and is accessible through a rickety covered wooden bridge that spans the Black River.   Legend holds that the founder of the monastery, Saint Peter of Koriša, once prayed to the Archangel Michael, patron of the monastery, that the river would temporarily dry up so that he could focus on prayer, at which point it did. 

The 11th-century monastery of Saint Roman of Djunis near the southern Serbian city of Nis’ includes the remains of its founder, one of the earliest saints of the Serbian Orthodox Church, as well as those of Count Raevsky, the real-life inspiration for the character of Count Vronsky in Tolstoy’s epic novel, Anna Karenina, who died fighting for Serbian independence in the 1870s.

An almost endless list of monasteries to visit across Serbia awaits the pilgrim who wishes to cross over into another world of prayer, simplistic communal living, contemplative silence and spiritual art. Those who take the time to exit off the main highways of Serbia and leave their hurried life behind, if only for an hour or two, are rarely disappointed with their proxy pilgrimages to these “Bridges to Jerusalem.” 

Be Not Afraid!

Good Shepherd Travel offers trips to Belgrade, as well as Rome, Lourdes, Fatima, Ireland, and many other destinations across Europe. And of course, we love Jerusalem and the Holy Land best! For more information on how to begin preparing for a pilgrimage in late 2021 and 2022, contact Tony AbuAita at Tony@goodshepherdtravel.com.