MANASIJA MONASTERY

A few kilometers above Despotovac stands the monastery-fortress of Manasija with an impressive church, flanked by eleven defensive towers. Built between 1406 and 1418, the monastery houses the tomb of despot Stefan Lazarević. In the Middle Ages, he had installed a community of monks there who work on the reform of the Serbian language. The paintings that adorn the Church of the Holy Trinity, are among the most beautiful in Serbia; they display rich polychromy on impressive gold and lazulite backgrounds.