A long time ago, the Pavlovac monastery, dedicated to Saint Nicholas, was built on the Kosmaj mountain in Serbia and it provided a peaceful holy place to many people who at that time were kept alive by faith. Yesterday we visited this old monastery and spent a beautiful time there.
I stopped by the wooden board to read about this monastery. It says there that it was built in 1417 by the despot Stefan Lazarevic, one of the most successful and famous rulers of Serbia. In addition to being a ruler and military leader, Stefan was also known for his literary work and devotion to spiritual life. On the board it is written that the monastery was destroyed by the Turks in 1690 while the monks were unfortunately tortured and killed afterwards. It is also written that restoration was completed in 1998.
These historical facts intrigued me, so I curiously headed down the road to the monastery.
First, we came across an old fountain with an engraved image of the ruler Stefan, who built the monastery.
And we also saw the bell tower.
And then we went down the stairs to the monastery church.
What fascinated me the most were the remains of the walls of the old monastery quarters that were destroyed in the 17th century.
From their demolition until the end of the 20th century, these walls were buried and waited in silence for the moment when someone would discover their great historical value.
I felt very excited when I walked through the former rooms, built of stone. I am always fascinated by the remains of former fortresses and buildings and I carefully observed each wall and imagined what life was like inside when the monks lived there.
I entered the former kitchen where they prepared food and dined in the dining area.
When we finished looking at these walls, we entered the church.
All the frescoes that were painted on the walls were unfortunately painted on a base that could not last long and that is why we cannot see them today.
The church was built of crushed stone, as were the monastery quarters. The initials of the founder Stefan are carved on the wall of the church.
The church is located in the beautiful natural surroundings of the Kosmaj mountain.
Next to the monastery flows a stream that my children wanted to see up close, so we went down.
They had a great time by the stream. We all enjoyed the beautiful forest and silence.
And we are happy to have discovered this place.
Thank you very much for reading.
The images and writing are original and mine.
Jelena
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it is still in good condition! Beautiful monastery. 😀
Yes, it is a very special place. I was especially amazed by the remains of the walls that were discovered later.