5/5 Jovan H. 1 year ago on Google • 69 reviews
The
Manasija
also
known
as
Resava,
is
a
Serbian
Orthodox
monastery
near
Despotovac,
Serbia,
founded
by
Despot
Stefan
Lazarević
between
1406
and
1418.
The
church
is
dedicated
to
the
Holy
Trinity.
It
is
one
of
the
most
significant
monuments
of
medieval
Serbian
culture
and
it
belongs
to
the
"Morava
school".
The
monastery
is
surrounded
by
massive
walls
and
towers.
Immediately
following
its
foundation,
the
monastery
became
the
cultural
centre
of
the
Serbian
Despotate.
Its
School
of
Resava
was
well
known
for
its
manuscripts
and
translations
throughout
the
15th
and
16th
centuries,
even
after
the
fall
of
the
Despotate
to
the
Ottoman
Turks.
Manasija
complex
was
declared
Monument
of
Culture
of
Exceptional
Importance
in
1979,
and
it
is
protected
by
Republic
of
Serbia,
and
monastery
have
entered
a
UNESCO
Tentative
List
Process
in
2010.
Construction
of
the
monumental
mausoleum
and
the
fortified
town
lasted
about
a
decade,
with
breaks.
During
this
period,
a
church,
large
refectory,
lodgings,
adjacent
buildings,
towers
and
walls,
fortifications
with
protective
walls
and
trenches
were
constructed.
Monastery
founder
Despot
Stefan
built
Manasija
to
serve
as
his
mausoleum;
in
its
grandeur,
his
resting
place
surpassed
everything
ever
built
in
the
Pomoravlje.
The
monumental
and
imposing
Church
of
Manasija,
together
with
the
contemporary
monuments
Ravanica,
Ljubostinja,
Kalenić,
Gornjak,
Pavlica,
bear
witness
to
the
last
great
artistic
achievement
of
Morava's
Serbia.
The
refectory
was
built
parallel
to
the
church,
and
is
one
of
the
largest
known
structures
in
medieval
Serbia,
which
was
completely
covered
in
frescoes.
The
monastery
compound
was
encircled
and
protected
by
strong
walls
with
eleven
towers
and
trenches.
The
Church
of
Manasija
Monastery
was
consecrated
on
the
Feast
of
Pentecost
in
1418,
after
about
2,000
square
metres
of
frescoes
had
been
painted.
Only
a
quarter
of
the
paintings
survived,
but
even
these
are
among
the
most
beautiful
in
the
outstandingly
rich
treasure
of
old
Serbian
painting.
During
the
five
centuries
of
Ottoman
presence,
the
monastery
was
abandoned
and
wrecked
several
times.
The
lead
roof
was
removed
from
the
church,
and
so
for
over
a
century
the
frescoes
inside
were
subject
to
damage
by
rainfall.
As
a
result,
about
two-thirds
of
them
were
irremediably
lost.
In
the
18th
century,
the
western
part
of
the
church
-
the
narthex
-
was
heavily
damaged
in
an
explosion
and
was
later
rebuilt.
The
mosaic
floor
of
that
part
of
the
church
was
preserved.
Architecturally,
the
church
belongs
to
the
Morava
school.
The
ground
plan
is
in
the
form
of
a
floral
inscribed
cross,
combined
with
a
trefoil.
The
twelve-sided
dome
above
the
central
space
rests
on
four
free-standing
pillars.
At
the
eastern
end,
there
are
one
large
and
two
small
apses,
whereas
two
large
choir
conches
flank
the
altar.
Above
the
corners
of
the
church,
there
are
four
little
octagonal
domes.
The
narthex
consists
of
nine
bays.
Above
the
central
bay,
there
is
yet
another
dome
that
rests
on
four
pillars.
On
the
inside,
the
original
floor
has
been
preserved
in
the
narthex,
made
of
marble
tiles
in
various
colours.
Nearly
half
of
the
frescoes
have
been
destroyed.
Despot
Stefan
is
portrayed
with
the
church
model
on
the
left-hand
wall.
The
lower
register
of
the
north
choir
depicts
warrior-saints
in
armour
with
swords
and
lances,
as
an
authentic
representation
of
contemporaneous
soldiers.
There
are
also
24
portraits
of
the
Old
Testament
prophets
and
patriarchs
in
the
spacious
dome.
The
Monastery
fortress,
made
up
to
defend
the
monastery,
consists
of
11
towers
linked
with
huge
walls
and
once,
with
trenches.
An
archaeological
team
from
the
UK
led
by
Marin
Brmbolićlocated
the
remains
of
a
person
whom
some
claim
to
be
Despot
Stefan
Lazarević
in
the
southwestern
part
of
the
monastery
floor.
DNA
comparison
with
the
remains
of
his
father,
Knez
Lazar,
confirmed
that
the
remains
belong
to
two
closely
related
individuals.
However,
there
is
no
doubt
that
Stefan's
brother
Vuk
was
buried
in
Manasija
and
the
remains
could
as
well
easily
be
his.
1 person found this review helpful 👍
