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Tvrdos Monastery

Tvrdos Monastery

Tvrdoš, BA

The monastery of Tvrdos was built on the foundations of a church that dates back to the 4th century AD, before the Christianisation of the Serbs. The foundations of this church are visible in the monastery through a glass floor. The Tvrdoš Monastery was built around 1509, and in 1517 it was decorated with frescoes by the Dubrovnik painter Vice Lovrov. During a conflict with the Turks, Tvrdoš was destroyed by the Venetians in 1694. Immediately in the first years of the 18th century, there were several attempts to rebuild the ruined monastery.

Uvac Monastery

Uvac Monastery

Stublo, RS

The monastery of Uvac dates back to the Middle Ages and was built in the 12th and 13th centuries; according to tradition, we owe its foundation to the dynasty of Nemanjić. The monastery had its heyday in the first half of the 17th century, receiving many visitors and high dignitaries of the Serbian Orthodox Church; however, it was completely destroyed in 1698. After three centuries of abandonment, in 1994 the decision was taken to rebuild the monastery, under the direction of the National Museum in Užice and with the help of the state.

Vadstena Abbey

Vadstena Abbey

Vadstena, SE

The Vadstena abbey was planned by Bridget of Sweden and inaugurated in 1384. The monastery played an important role in the Middle Ages, as a mother-abbey for other monasteries of the same order. The monastery of Vadstena was closed in 1595, but in 1935 the Bridgettines order returned to it. The site now houses the St. Bridget Monastery Museum.

Varlaam Monastery

Varlaam Monastery

Kalabaka, GR

Varlaam Monastery or Monastery of the Saints is a male monastery founded in the early 16th century and named after the ascetic Varlaam, who settled on the cliff and built a chapel there in the 14th century. The monastery experienced a time of wealth and spiritual influence in the 16th century. It was during this period that the bryzone tower was built (1536). The monastery is one of six that continue to be active in the Meteora, and have been included in UNESCO's World Heritage Sites since 1988.

Veljushki Monastery

Veljushki Monastery

Veljusa, MK

Veljushki Monastery is said to have been built in the 11th century. With its architectural design originally preserved to the present day, it represents one of the great achievements of medieval Byzantine architecture and sacred art on the Macedonian territory. The frescoes in the church were made in three periods: 1085 (in the altar, the space of the dome in the nave and the walls, the conches, and the chapel), 1164 (in the porch), 19th century (in the nave).

Visovac Monastery, Lake Visovac

Visovac Monastery, Lake Visovac

Brištane, HR

The Visovac Monastery was founded in the 14th century by Dominican monks. Taken over by the Franciscan a century later, the monastery was enlarged. Destructed and abandoned in the 17th century, the monastery is repaired in the 18th and 20th centuries. Located on the beautiful island of Visovac in the Krka National Park, the monastery keeps a collection of books, works of art and other important documents.

Voronet Monastery

Voronet Monastery

Gura Humorului, Suceava county, RO

The church of Voroneţ Monastery is the foundation of the celebrated ruler Stephen the Great and the Saint, built in 1488 in only three months and three weeks. The exterior frescoes were added later, during Petru Rares ruling, in 1547. It is dedicated to the Great Saint Martyr George, the carrier of victory. The church of Voronet monastery is considered "The Sistine Chapel of the Orient" for the great fresco covering the whole western wall - the Last Judgement. The BLUE of Voronet, the dominant colour in the exterior painting is considered by specialists as being unique in the world just like Rubens's red and Veronese's green.

Vosakou Monastery

Vosakou Monastery

Geropotamos, GR

The Vosakou Monastery is a Venetian monastery erected between 1676 and 1740 as a fortress and whose main temple (Katholiko) is dedicated to Timios Stavros (Santa Cruz). The monastery was recently re-established in 1998.

Vraćevšnica Monastery

Vraćevšnica Monastery

Vraćevšnica, RS

The monastery of Vraćevšnica was built before 1428, and the frescoes were completed in 1431. The founder of the monastery was Radič Postupović, a Serbian nobleman who lived during the reign of the despot Stefan Lazarević (1402-1427). After the Turkish conquest of the territory in the middle of the 15th century, the monastery was damaged and abandoned. After the renewal of the Serbian Patriarchate Peć, the monastery was renovated around 1579. In 1737, under Austrian rule, the monastery was renovated again.

Vranjaš Monastery

Vranjaš Monastery

Manđelos, RS

Vranjaš Monastery lies on the slopes of the Fruska Gora mountains, near the village of Manđelos. A church dedicated to St Basil of Ostrog was built in 2014 with Norwegian white pine. The interior is lavishly decorated with iconostasis painted by painted by Borislav and Marija Živković.

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