Serbia, Sopotnica - Manastir Mileseva

Nature Reserve of Milesevka River Canyon lies at the altitude between 600 and 1400 meters and covers the protected surface of 297 hectares consisting of several limestone gorges surrounded by forests and pastures....Unique features of the Milesevka River canyon are its wilderness, roughness, picturesqueness, inaccessibility and steep sides that are sometimes 300 meters high and almost vertically descend towards the river bed. Pancic's Spruce, the relict and beautifully-strong pine plant rises above the rocky river bed of Milesevka River. Pancic spruce /relict and endemic species of the Balkans/, conifer, tender chestnut, nut, black hazel and pine are only some representatives of 317 floral species of not well explored and researched Milesevka River Canyon. Wild boar, wolf and roe deer as well as many rare animals live within this wild area of steep cliffs. Until the last decade one could find here the endemic relic griffin-vulture which is one amongst the largest birds of prey. This unique and rare bird weights 13 kg and has 3 meters wingspan represents the European condor. The Reserve of Milesevka River is 7 km long and forms unique habitat for birds of prey. Up to now there are 19 day species and 9 night-species of birds discovered in this area together with the nearby Uvac Nature Reserve. The narrow mountain track passes through the Reserve of Milesevka River Canyon. It starts beneath the last tunnel of the deserted road and passes 5 km along the picturesque Milesevka River canyon with three possibilities to access the river. After Ravniste the path continues along Medjanska Reka River up to the village of Pocrkvine from where it descend for 4 km along the abandoned tracks to the village of Aljinovici on the road Nova Varos - Sjenica. The path is not well marked so not recommended to children nor to those who are afraid of heights. Visiting season is opened from May until October. This Nature Reserve still remains intact in spite of the huge human impact on the surrounding nature. Milesevka River Canyon is true challenge for brave...By the way canyon road centuries ago was royal caravanning trail which connected capital of middle-age Serbian empire Ras with Dubrovnik
The Mileseva monastery was founded between 1234 and 1236 by Serbian King Vladislav. The monastery is situated in a valley of the Mileseva River, near Prijepolje. Mileseva is one of the most important Serbian sanctuaries and spiritual centers. In 1236, Vladislav moved the relics of his uncle Saint Sava from Trnovo in Bulgaria, where he died, to Mileseva. Some historians believe that the coronation of King Tvrtko I of Bosnia took place in Mileseva. In the fifteenth century, the monastery was the seat of the Metropolitanate of Dabar-Bosnia. In 1459, the Turks set the monastery on fire, but it was soon restored. In the first half of the sixteenth century, the first service books were illuminated in Mileseva. One of the oldest schools also existed in the monastery. In the middle of the century, during the time of Patriarch Makarije (the Serbian Patriarchate was restored in 1557), the monastery was thoroughly renovated. Its external narthex was built and painted, and probably cut through the wall between the narthex and the nave. In later times, after several Turkish demolitions, a new restoration was undertaken in 1863, when the church considerably changed in appearance.The Mileseva monastery has been visited by pilgrims and donated to by Russian Emperors (Ivan IV Vasilyevich) and Valachian and Moldavian rulers. In 1594, the Turks removed the relics of St. Sava from the monastery and publicly burned them on Vracar hill in Belgrade, Mileseva was declared Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1979, and it is protected by Republic of Serbia. The first group of frescoes were produced in the 1230s. The other groups include works from the Turkish period, to be found in the exonarthex. These thirteenth-century frescoes may be considered to be the supreme achievement of all the painting in Europe of that time. The portraiture deals with bishops (altar space), warrior saints and martyrs (nave), as well as monks (narthex). The upper registers in the narthex represent Christ's earthly life. Below the resurrection composition on the south wall of the west bay, King Vladislav is depicted as being led to Christ by the Mother of God. The Nemanjic family is portrayed in the northeastern part of the narthex: Stefan Nemanja as the monk Simeon, Sava as the first archbishop, Stefan the First-Crowned as king, and his sons Radoslav and Vladislav. The frescoes in the narthex and the adjacent chapel were presumably painted in the 1230s and 1240s. They illustrate the last Judgment and the lives of some saints. In the second half of the sixteenth century, the church was repainted with a new layer of frescoes of which only fragments of the Last Supper under the dome and the Forty Martyrs in the north choir have survived. These frescoes were damaged in a fire, but they happened to save (acting as a protective layer) the earlier and more valuable paintings from the thirteenth century.