Top 10 Little Known Facts about Studenica Monastery
The Studenica Monastery is a 12th-century Serbian Orthodox monastery. It is said to be one of the largest and richest Serb orthodox monasteries. Studenica is located 39 kilometres southwest of Kraljevo and 40.9 kilometres east of Ivanjica in central Serbia. It was founded in 1190, by Stefan Nemanja who was the founder of the medieval Serb state.
In 1979, Studenica was declared a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance and it is under the protection of the Republic of Serbia. UNESCO included Studenica monastery on the list of World Heritage Sites in 1979.
The monastery Studenica is the mother church of all Serbian temples and is dedicated to the Presentation of the Holy Virgin. Its architecture is unique and blended the Romanesque and Byzantine styles. The exterior of the domed single-nave church is reminiscent of Italian Romanesque cathedrals, while interior wall paintings in the naos.
The Studenica during Summer, (April 1- October 31) is open at 7. 00 am and closes at 7.00 pm while in Winter (November 1 – March 31) opening time is 8.00 am and closes at 4.00 pm. It is a must-visit destination anytime you visit Serbia.
1. The Byzantine-Style Fresco Paintings was Used
Stefan Nemanja, the Grand Prince of the Serbian Grand Principality from 1166 to 1196 and founder of the medieval Serb state, was the founder of Studenica Monastery in 1190.
Monastery’s fortified walls encompass two churches, the Church of the Virgin and the Church of the King, which are both built of white marble. It is best known for its collection of 13th and 14th-century Byzantine-style fresco paintings.
2. Availability of Tour Guides
There are tour guides in the Monastery. Guides are important in any tourist attraction site. They help tourists who can’t read for themselves. They guide and interpret everything for visitors making it easy for them to understand more about the place they are touring.
The guides are also of importance to children. They help little ones enjoy touring by explaining important things to them. It is interesting to know that guides in Monastery are very friendly and insightful making it easier for tourists to interact with them.
3. It is a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance
In the year 1979, Studenica Monastery was declared a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance.
These are those objects of Immovable cultural heritage that enjoy the highest level of state protection in the Republic of Serbia. Immovable Cultural Heritage is classified as being of Exceptional Importance upon decision by the National Assembly of Serbia.
4. Monastery is on the List of World Heritage Sites
The Monastery is part of the World Heritage Sites. In the year 1986 UNESCO included Studenica Monastery on the list of World Heritage Sites.
World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by UNESCO.
5. Largest and Richest of Serbia’s Orthodox Monasteries
One of the amazing facts about the Monastery is that its the largest Orthodox monastery in Serbia. It is also the richest among the Serbia Orthodox monasteries.
It is said that its uniqueness is owned due to the combination of Ras and Byzantine style, whereby they used white marbles and beautiful frescoes among which the oldest ones date to the 12th century.
6. It was Founded by Stefan Nemanja
Studenica Monastery was founded near the Studenica river in the late 12th century. Stefan Nemanja, the founder of the medieval Serb State founded the monastery in the year 1190.
He was also known as Saint Simeon. The monastery’s fortified walls encompass two churches. These churches are the Church of the Virgin and the Church of the King, both were built using white marble. Studenica became the most important monastery in Serbia and has remained so to the present day.
7. Studenica Represents Serbian History
One of the interesting facts about the Studenica is that it represents the high point of Serbian history. The monastery houses the remains of the Studenica founder, Stefan Nemanja, as well as the remains of his wife known as Anastasia.
It has well contained the remains of the First Serbian ruler not forgetting the remains, shroud and coffin of the first Serbian King, Stephen the First-Crowned.
It is there that the youngest son of Stefan Nemanja, Saint Sava Nemanjic, Initiated the independence of the Serbian Orthodox Church in 1219 as well as wrote the first literary work in the Serbian Language.
8. It is Protected by the Republic of Serbia
The Studenica of Serbia is protected and given the management required. It is one of the luckiest monasteries in Serbia since it benefits from the highest level of legal protection in the Republic of Serbia which was established by the 1994 Law of Cultural Heritage.
Apart from the protection from the Republic of Serbia, the monastery area is as well protected by the Special Purpose Spatial Plan of the Golija Natural Park and the Golija known as Studenica Biosphere Reserve (MAB); the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 16/2009; the Kraljevo Municipality Spatial Plan and the Construction and Zoning Master Plan for Studenica Monastery Protected surrounding area.
9. How the Studenica Monastery is Maintained and Managed?
The monastery requires maintenance and management to ensure everything runs smoothly in the area. To cater for its maintenance, it is funded by the Serbian Orthodox Church, The Municipality of the nearby town of Kraljevo and the Republic of Serbia.
This property is managed by the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Government of the Republic of Serbia. This management ensures all activities in the area take place at right time following the right procedure, making things easy to handle.
10. First Medical School was Established in the Studenica Monastery
It is interesting to know that the youngest son of Stefan Nemanja known as Saint Sava who was the first Serbian Archbishop and founder of Serbian law and literature establish the first Serbian medical school in the Studenica monastery.
Saint Sava established the school on the model of a Byzantine monastery hospital and he described the monastic life in his significant work ‘Studenica Typicon’ thus increasing the significance of this monastery and its treasures.
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