The Studenica Monastery was built, according to Eastern Orthodoxy’s unwritten rule, in possibly the most inaccessible spot. Similarly to the Byzantine monasteries in Mistra, Sumela and Meteora, it used to be reachable only by a long mountainous trek.

High up in the mountain over the Studenica River, it was built at the end of the twelfth century by Stefan Nemanja, founder of the medieval Serbian state Raška, and became the scene of a series of dramatic events of the ruler’s life.

Here, Stefan Nemanja lived for a while after announcing his abdication and before heading to the Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos. After his death his remains were returned to Studenica and are now kept in a tomb that is among the most sacred ones for Serbs.

The monastery’s three surviving churches were built in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The central and biggest one is that of the Virgin, named as “the mother of all Serbian temples.” The Roman influence on the decoration of the façade is even more visible than in Žica – the carved-marble wall covering is not typical of the Central Balkans’ religious architecture of that time. Polished and decorated with figures and floral motifs, it was obviously borrowed from the Adriatic coast’s traditions, where Venetian tastes and building traditions hardly left any space for the Eastern aesthetic.

All three churches – the Virgin church, the King’s Church and the Church of St. Nicholas, are exceptionally curious with their interiors as well. Here, unlike in Žica, many of the frescos are excellently preserved.

But perhaps the most interesting of them is on the northern wall of the King’s Church – an unexpectedly realistic depiction of the Virgin Mary’s birth. Near the newborn Virgin, two women are visible – both wrapped up in the proceedings with unusual professionalism – one is checking the water temperature with the back of her hand, while the other one stands around a tray of surgical instruments.

Practical information: The monastery can be reached by car or public transportation. Studenica is located at about the middle of the road between Kralevo and Novi Pazar, near Ušće. The regular bus line, which runs at least four times a day, starts from the centre of Ušće.

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