The medieval Church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God

The wall paintings were produced nearly two centuries after the church was built, and are dated as 16th and early 17th century.

The compositions on the west wall above the entrance are especially valued, as well as those on the arch of the west trave, which depict psalms 148 and 149.

The icons on the altar partition were done by Nikola Apostolović in 1808 and 1827. They are important for studying the art of the period of the Uprisings, considering that they were produced soon after Karađorđe liberated the cityfrom the Turks.

The grave of Dimitrije Davidović, the “father of Serbian journalism” , is located near the church.

Portraits of Evangelists, exceptional works of art of the 14th century are included in the newer manuscript which was decorated in the 16th century. Numerous frescoes in fragments can be traced to the 16th century, when the monastery evidently prospered, and at which point it was perhaps even reconstructed. Archeological findings indicate that the church did not burn, but caved in for reasons unknown to us. The church remained in such a condition until the beginning of the year 2000, when the Prijepolje Museum launched a project for its reconstruction, within which the church was fully restored  in 2001.

Kumanica is one of the few medieval monasteries which has been honored for centuries also by members of other religions, primarily Muslims, who, like Christian Orthodox Serbs, link it to the powers of healing that were indeed present here in the course of its long history.

The reconstructed Monastery of Kumanica can be reached by taking the main road from Prijepolje toward Bijelo Polje. It is located at the entrance into the Lim canyon, 300 m from a bridge that spans the river.

The time of its construction and its founder are still unknown.

According to the architecture and the people’ s tales it is supposed the church was founded in between the 18 – 19th century.

The preserved remains of stonewalls are protected by local residents and they rally there on the village holiday – The Holy Trinity.

At the beginning of the 14th century Bistrica monastery was added to the holdings of the Sts. Peter and Paul Church as an appendage and later on it was granted to  the Chilandar Monastery.

Like many other churches and monasteries the church was in ruins for ages and then restored in the 19th century.

It is a single – nave church covered with a two – pitched shingle roof. According to certain data, the people of this monastery people knew the beer making technology way back in the 18th century.

The church is located in Bistrica, 1km farfrom the highway Prijepolje – Nova Varoš.

It was built at the end of the 19th century, on a big rock situated on the left side of the Lim river, close to the former Austro – Hungarian military barracks.

It was used as a chapel for an Austro – Hungarian army garrison, and next to it there was a military graveyard too. When the Austro – Hungarian army left, the church remained in good condition and still represents one of the symbols of Prijepolje.

It does not have either any sacral function or monumental character.

All citizens of Prijepolje no matter to which religion they belong protect and have respect for this church.

Mili monastery

The records show that the church functioned from the 15th century and was renovated by the end of the 16th or at the beginning of the 17th century which can be seen in the evidence of insignificant frescoes remains.

Fragments of the plastics inside the temple originate from time of the church renewal.

The monastery was severely demolished in the 17th century and in the 18th century it became totally deserted.
It is still in ruins today, isolated, without an access road and the bridge over the river Lim that separates it from the highway.

Desin de Risa and his son Vlaho were the builders of the church.
Its interior was painted in frescoes that originate from the ninth decade of the 13th century.
According to the legend the family Jugovic was buried in Davidovica.

During excavation works were found there three grave plates were found there: the first one over the tomb of Vratko, the next over the tomb of the unknown son of the head of the tribal state Vratislav while the last one contains a chiseled coat of arms of Vukan’ s family – an empty shield in a medallion.
It has also been established that under the church there are the remains of a Roman basilica base from the 4th century and which at the eastern side, can be clearly recognized even today.

After the demolition of the monastery in the 15th century, it remained ruined for centuries up to 1996 when the Museum in Prijepolje started the project for its renovation and reconstruction that was entirely completed in 1988 and when the monastery recovered its original appearance.

The monastery is 2. 5 km far from the highway in Brodarevo connecting with a part of macadam road that leads to the monastery itself and which is passable all the time except during the winter.

Mileševa was the second ranked among all Serbian monasteries, just after Studenica monastery. In 1377 there was the coronation of Stephan Tvrtko Kotromanic as the king of Bosnia and Serbia, while in 1466 Stephan Vukcic Kosaca got the title the ” Duke of St Sava “.

The monastery acquired great fame with the people in 1236 when St. Sava’s body was moved here from Trnovo.

During the 15th century Mileševa was the seat of dabro – bosnian bishops of the Eparchy of Dabar – Bosnia Mileševa was several times pillaged and burned down by Turks, but it was relatively quickly restored thanks to its reputation and help from the people, Romanian, Wallachian and Moldavian princes, then Russian tsars and dignitaries. Among other things, there was a printing shop working in Mileseva in 16th century.

However, in the great fire in 1782 the monastery cells and all the icons being kept in the monastery were burned. Mileševa underwent two great restorations: the first one during patriarch Makarije Sokolovic and the other in 1863 when the church got its current appearance.

Mileševa represents the mausoleum of Saint Sava, a gallery of Serbian medieval painting and the cradle of printing where a printing shop had worked in the period from 1544 to 1557. The printing shop had been procured in Venice not a full century after Gutenberg’ s. The greatest wealth of Mileševa is represented in partly preserved frescoes that are considered the peak of Byzantine 13th century painting. Arthur Evans wrote in Manchester Guardian on September 1st, 1883 that not a thing created by Giotto could be compared with the beauty of the Angel from the Mileševa monastery that was used in a Europe satellite presentation to America in the middle of the 20th century.

The Mileševa Monastery is situated on the 5th km from the highway in Prijepolje that is connected with the monastery by an asphalt road passing along the Mileševka River.

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.