Orthodox Moraca monastery, Montenegro is located on the high bank of the Moraca mountain river of the same name, which forms the famous Moraca canyon, in some places reaching a height of 1000 meters. The famous monastery complex is a significant monument of medieval architecture and consists of a large Churches of the Assumption of Our Lady, small Churches of St. Nicholas, buildings with monastic cells and a rich subsidiary farm (you will see an apiary, sheep herds, and turkeys with ducks) - all this against the backdrop of the serene murmur of a mountain river, which swiftly carries its emerald waters somewhere below.
Already the road to the Moraca Monastery deserves mention, the town serves as a guide Kolasin (in winter, a popular ski resort), from which the monastery is within walking distance highway E80 (if you are driving from the coast, then your route will lie through Podgorica, and from Podgorica, follow the signs for Kolasin along the Moraca River). The road runs along the Moraca canyon, and along the way you will have to make more than one stop to capture the dizzying views on the camera. Soon you will see the black domes of the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady - the central building inside the monastery complex - the Moraca monastery is clearly visible from the road, and when you get closer, you will see a cluster of tourist buses, meaning that you have arrived at the right place 🙂 There are also brown signs on the road to Manastir Moraca.
The monastery is located on a beautiful green lawn in a small valley above the canyon - perhaps the first you will be met by sheep grazing peacefully in the courtyard.
The year of foundation of the monastery is considered to be 1252, and its creator is Prince Stefan, the grandson of King Stefan Nemanja of Serbia. The Church of the Assumption of Our Lady was built in the so-called "Rashi style" (XII-XIII centuries) and differs markedly from the churches that can be seen on the coast of Montenegro. Despite the apparent simplicity of forms and external decoration, this church has a valuable interior decoration - inside it is decorated with ancient frescoes, the oldest surviving frescoes depict episodes from the life of the biblical prophet Elijah (XIII c), the rest of the frescoes are later (XVI c) and depict, among other things, scenes of the last judgment. In the XVI century. Moraca monastery was invaded and severely destroyed by the Turks. The relics of Stefan, the founder of the monastery, are kept on the territory of the monastery. The second - small - Church of St. Nicholas dates back to 1635 and boasts frescoes by the famous master Kozma.
The monastery complex has a well-groomed garden and courtyard, decorated with flowers and shrubs, where visitors to the monastery can sit on a bench and enjoy the view of ancient buildings. Outside the walls of the monastery there is a small cafe where you can quench your thirst and take a breath under the shade of a canopy on hot summer days. The auxiliary farm of the monastery is interesting - not in every zoo a city dweller can see rare breeds of feathered poultry, turkeys, ducks, geese, chickens, etc. Obviously, the monastery is self-sufficient and would have done without the benefits of modern civilization - the monks have a garden, pastures, an apiary, breed chickens and sheep, grow grapes.
