The most beautiful religious buildings Northeast

This monastery is, together with Ostrog and Piva, one of the major religious buildings in Montenegro. It is a perfect example of Serbian medieval orthodox architecture and is part of the Serbian neo-renaissance art. Founded in 1252 by order of Stefan Nemanjić, the first crowned Serbian king (1217), it is set in a bucolic location, on the edge of the Morača River canyon near a waterfall. Composed of a konak (monks' living quarters) and two churches, it houses wall frescoes and icons of exceptional value, starting with the one depicting the prophet Elijah being fed by a crow and the one of the birth of St John the Baptist. They date from the 13th century and are the only ones from that period. The central part of the building contains magnificent examples of late Byzantine frescoes, mainly centred on the life of Christ. Imposing portraits of the great saints of the Orthodox tradition complete the iconographic programme. Devastated by the Turks in the first half of the 16th century, the monastery was restored a few years later before becoming the seat of a veritable artistic renaissance in the first half of the 17th century. Three major painters of this period exercised their talents here: the priest Strahinja from Budimlje (originally from the Berane region), the monk George Mitrofanović (frescoes painted in 1616 on the western facade of the building) and the master Kozma.

Just a stone's throw from the Redžepagić tower stand two Ottoman-style mosques. The larger of the mosques, with an interior wooden staircase, is known as the Old Imperial Mosque (Stara carska džamija) and located next to the Post Office. It was built by Sultan Abdul Hamid in 1471, but its current appearance dates from the ^18th century. Due to its original architecture, engravings and wooden minaret, it is proclaimed a "monument of culture".

A small Orthodox church located in the village of Brezojevice, on the outskirts of Plav (along the road to Andrijevica), in the Prokletije National Park. The Sveta Trojica church is the oldest in the area. First mentioned in a document dated 1566, it is distinguished by its Byzantine architecture, which is quite similar to that of the churches on the Montenegrin coast. It has been burnt down several times and unfortunately no wall paintings have survived.

This small church dating from the mid-16th century is a little gem. The only surviving building of a monastery established by Serbian prince Vukan Nemanjić, its interior walls are partly covered with frescoes from the 1590s. Inside the building, one can also admire a beautifully decorated iconostasis. But the church is best known for housing one of the richest liturgical collections in the country, among which are manuscripts dating back to the 14th century.

This Serbian Orthodox church is the city's landmark monument. The Gospel of Miroslav, produced for this church in 1180, is the oldest surviving Serbian illuminated manuscript. It is illustrated with nearly 300 exceptionally beautiful miniatures and is an important testimony to the artistic exchanges between East and West. Transformed into a mosque in the 18th century, it became Christian again in 1912. Its current appearance dates from 2014 when one of the two towers was rebuilt.

Located on the heights of the city, the monastery of Djurdjevi Stupovi ("the pillars of Saint George") was erected at the end of the 12th century. It consists of a konak (living quarters) and an imposing stone church. In 1219 it became the seat of the Budimljan (medieval name of Berane) episcopate. The church, whose lead roof was melted down during the Ottoman occupation, was later requisitioned by the Austro-Hungarian army to house its horses.