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This tour offers you insight into the most important period of Serbian history, the time when Serbia was gaining independence from the Byzantine Empire, expanding its borders and becoming an important political, cultural and economic power on the Balkan Peninsula. It is about the GOLDEN AGE of Serbia and times of kings of the Nemanjic dynasty, before and after the defeat at the Battle of Kosovo and before it disappeared from the historical scene. All seven monasteries we are going to visit were built until 15th century and are located deep in the countryside and represent an unique combination of Romanesque architecture and Byzantine fresco painting - records of supreme craftmanship of medieval painters from Constantinopoli, Salonica and Serbia.
Old Ras, St. Peter's Church, St. George's Pillars, Sopocani and Studenica Monastery are included into the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
Day 1
Our first stop will be the town of KRUSEVAC, the medieval capital of Serbia in 14th century. There we will see LAZARICA CHURCH (13th c.) built in a combination of stone and bricks layers.Then we will go to the KALENIC MONASTERY (15th century) to admire some of the finest frescoes painted in medieval Serbia. Afterwards we will visit the ZICA MONASTERY (13th c.), the first seat of the independent Serbian Archbishopric and the church where the majority of Serbian kings were crowned. We will continue our journey through the Valley of River Ibar and drive up the mountain to reach STUDENICA MONASTERY (12th c.), considered to be the crowning achievement of medieval culture and art in Serbia. We will visit three existing churches Virgin’s Church, King’s Church and St. Nichola’s Church and Treasury. We will stay in Studenica Monastery for overnight and monastic dinner. You will have a chance to attend Orthodox service at Virgin’s Church in the evening or the next day before breakfast.
Day 2
Our first stop today will be on the outskirts of Novi Pazar at ST. PETER’S CHURCH (9th c.), the oldest Serbian Orthodox church, historically linked with OLD RAS (8th c.), the first Serbian capital. We continue towards ST. GEORGE’S PILLARS (12th c.) built on the top of a hill, which offers a splendid view of the surrounding area. At SOPOCANI MONASTERY (13th c.), a reminder of the contacts between Western civilization and the Byzantine world, we will see the most eminent examples of European painting at that time. During a stroll around Novi Pazar, a vibrant and oriental town, we might stop to have lunch in some of the cevabdzinica, a popular places to have savoury meal. On our way to Belgrade we will visit the LJUBOSTINJA MONASTERY (15th c.) which boasts superb exterior decoration.
