SOPOĆANI MONASTERY

History. Founded in 1260 by King Uroš I to house his tomb, the monastery represents an exceptionally fine example of Serbian medieval art. Destroyed during the Austro-Turkish wars in 1689, Sopoćani was admirably restored in the 1920s and 1950s. Surrounded by a perfectly circular enclosure dating from the 12th century, the building is not unlike that of Studenica.

Its architecture is typical of the Raška school: a rectangular block of one piece, 36 m long, is extended by a large apse flanked on each side by a chapel. At the crossing of the nave and the transept, on top of a high square tower, stands a dome. Finally, in front of the entrance to the exonarthex, an addition made by Emperor Dušan in the 14th century, stands a three-story square bell tower.

Visit. Unlike Studenica, the exterior facades are not very ornate, but Sopoćani houses some of the most beautiful frescoes in the Orthodox world, registered with Unesco.

In the narthex, a painting shows us the death of the mother of Uros I, surrounded by her son and his wife, the famous Helen of Anjou. In the naos, the splendid Dormition of the Virgin represents the Virgin lying on her funeral bed and surrounded by Christ, who receives her soul in the form of a swaddled infant. All around are apostles, archangels and princes of the Church, in compassionate and so realistic attitudes that the painting here goes beyond the strict religious framework.