The church was built in the period 1180 – 1190. It has a rectangular ground plan, 29,75 m long.
It is a very spacious church with a tripartite altar space on same side, with bell – towers and a very high central cupola having a span of 12 m.



The Turks used to partly pull it down to turn it into the Islamic place of worship, but the Serbs, in spite of dificulties, persistedin restoring it. The first renowation was in 1834, the second more extensive was in 1856. Radical changes were done to the external appearance of the church. Barouque style in architecture was considered inappropriate for the church to its former Medieval appearance. The examples were looked for in old churches belonging to Raška – style in architecture. Old bells were found buried in the ground. On one of them there is an inscription carved in Old Slavic, saying tha the bell a gift from Metropolitan Nikifor of Gradačka Church, while the incription carved on the other bell says that the bell was a gift to Most Holy Bogorodica Gradačka in 1454. The bell is one of the oldest in Serbia.

A number of old manuscripts are kept in the treasury of the Čačak churh. The most important is Četvorojevandjelje( A four – gospel book ), known among the scientists as ” Čačak Četvorojevandjelje “.

The monastery was erected on the site of the old one built by the Nemanjići’ s dynasty in the Middle Ages.

The monastery was restored in 1554.

It is of a great historical importance because it was in this church where the well  -know Hadzi – Prodan Rising started in 1814. The monks of the monastery took part in the rising, too.

A more recent renovation was done in 1837.

Only small fragments of painting were found during the conservation work.

According to tradition, the original monestary was raised during the Mrnjavčevići’ s rule.

Today’ s monastery was erected at the beginning of the 19th century. Sacred relics of Jovan Sjenički, to whom the monastery is dedicated, are kept in he monastery.

By the monastery there is a spring called Svetinja ( sacred thing ) believed to have the healing feature.

Stjenik was a metoh ( smaller church given as an appendage to a larger church ) to the monastery of St.Nikola ( St.Nicholas ) at the village of Ježevica.

St Jovan Church ( St.John ) belonging to Stjenik Monastery is very modest in size, made of stone, having irregular shape.

The church is dedicated to St. Nicholas and according to tradition, the founder of the monastery was King Milutin.
According to the sources obtained from the local people, the monastery was founded during the rule of Czar Dušan.

The ground plan of the church is cross – shaped.

The central area of the church was painted in 1609 with scenes off the life of St. Nicholas.
The bell – tower of Baroque style in architecture was added to the monastery in the 19th century and the narthex in 1846.

The frescoes depicting the scenes of lives of Saints, Mother of God and Sufferings of Christ ( Christ’ s Passion ) have been presented.

In the period 1609 – 1951 conservation and repair works on the church and its roof started. The church looked as it originally did in 1846.

Interestingly, the frescoes date back to 1609 and 1637 and in a special manner support the Serbian and Orthodox tradition.

Vujan Monastery is situated in the village of Prislonica, on the wooded slopes of Mount Vujan dominating’ the picturesque surrounding countryside.

As thought by historians, the monastery dates back to the Middle Ages, but its original name was Obrovin.

The monestary was ruined in 1597 and restored in 1805 by Nikola Milićević – Lunjevica.

Many legendary brave warriors living in this region, who took part in the First and Second Serbian Uprising against the Turks, like vojvoda ( Duke ) Lazar Mutap and Nikola Lunjevica, were buried in the narthex of the monastery.

The icon of St. Mihailo, the Archangel, from 1808 is kept in the monastery. It is considered a rare and a precious example of its kind and therefore is under the protection of the government. Another icon worthy of mention is that of Jesus Christ from the 19th century.

The Monastery of Vaznesenje ( the Ascention of the Lord )

Supposedly, the monastery was erected on the old site, but there is no evidence of that . Due to a Gospel Manuscript written at the Monastery of Vaznesenje in 1570, we are sure that the monastery existed in the 16th century.

The monastery was most probably ruined during Great Migrations in 1690 like most monasteries in the gorge.
There were attempts to restore the monastery on several ocassions but it was not until the 1930s that the Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović started the renovation works.

The monastery church is a single – nave building with a low dome and a semi – circular altar apse.
Two marble rosettes with plants ornamentations, have been preserved in the narthex and the central church area.

The iconostasis of the monastery church contains the icons of small size, because of the small size of the church.

Patron Saint’ s Day of the monastery is the Vaznesenje ( the Ascention of the Lord ).

It is not known exactly when the Monastery was built. According to tradition and researh work done so far, it is believed that the Monastery was raised in the 16th century when it was first mentioned. However, the first mention of the monastery moves the time of its errection back by a few decades, even a century.

The preserved architectural shapes of the church show the signs of the style in architecture at the end of the 16th century.

The monastery was burnt down and ruined on several ocassions in the past. It was not restored until the 19th century, thanks to a monk named Nikifor Maksimović, who later became the Bishop of Ziča.

The iconostasis of the church, made of stone, and remains of the frescoes under the layer of the wall built in 1844 also raise a question of how old the church really is. The reason more, this is the only iconostasis built of stone of all Ovčar – Kablar monasteries. The following manuscripts were the only preserved at Sretenje Monastery: Gospel manuscript, the Canons of Mother of God, a Menaion for the month of June which is of great importance because it contains the service to Prince Lazar and an important work of our ecclesiastical literature.

The only preserved antiquities and forged objects kept as valuables at Sretenje Monastery are a marble baptismal font dating from the 17th century, a rosette from the 17th century and the icon of Holy Mother of God from the 18th century.

The first written records on the monastery date back to 1525. The old Preobraženje Monastery was blown up with dynamite, with the blessing of St. Sava, the Bishop of Ziča, for the purpose of the construction of the railroad leading to the town of Užice.

Numerous written records are the testimony to the subsequent sufferings of the people who allowed and ordered the blowing up of the monastery.

Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović took an initiative to  erect a new Preobraženje Monastery in 1938. Today it is a building with a square ground plan and a low altar apse. The church was not fresco – painted except for the dome and the altar area.

According to the blessing of Bishop Nikolaj, the monastery is not allowed to have any property or a parish, but has a solely missionary role. Monastery Patron’ s Day is Preobraženje Gospodnje ( Transfiguration of Christ ). The monks at this monastery therefore live by the rules of the Holy Mountain of Athos.

Vavedenje monastery

The characteristics of the style of the original parts of the church are an evidence that the monastery dates back to the 16th century. According to tradition, which Vuk Karadzic and a writer of travel accounts Joakim Vujić referred to, the monastery was raised by St.Sava and his Father Simeon.

Felix Kanic, who travelled all across this region in 1860, wro down that there were ruins of a fortification opposite tr church: ” The ruins of a Medieval town can be seen opposite the church, whose name and the name of a person who bu the town today’ s generations know nothing about and whic was probably raised on the site of a Roman castle. ”

The iconostasis of the Monastery of Vavedenje, contains among others, the icons dipicting Mother of God with Christ, and Jesus Christ, the work of Nikola Apostolović. Gold – plate imperial  gate dipicting the scene of Blagovesti ( Holy Annunciation ) has  also been preserved. A modest artistic value of the monastery, embodied in the iconostasis, is enhanced by a few icons preserved from the times of ravages the times past. Most items of worship had the same destiny.

The monastery archives include a četvorojevandjelje ( Four Gospels Manuscript ) called Gundulić’ s Četvorojevandjelje, published by Trajan Gundulić in 1552 as the first book printet af the first printing – house in Belgrade.

Nobody knows who built the monastery or when: According to a Turkish census and tradition, the monastery was raised in the second half of the 16th century.

Like all other monasteries in Serbia, this monastery was ruined at the end of the 18th century.

The church of Sveta Trojica Monastery is a single – nave building with a rectangular chancels and a dome above the central area of the church, with the alter in the eastern side and the narthex in the western side added after the naos was built.

The beauty of the monastery church is a testimony to a great skill of masters engaged to work for an obviously rich man who had a very good taste and a good sense of beauty and excellence in architecture. By its spatial and architectures structure, design and proportions, the monastery church ranks among the most beautiful and architecturally most significant Serbian Orthodox churches raised in late 16th century.

Sveta Trojica Monastery contains a big cross embroidered with gold and sterling silver of great artistic value. Besides, it contains two unique, exceptionally rare icons depicting Christ Saviour of Souls and Mother of God of antique value.