Tvrdos Monastery

Tvrdos stands above the Trebisnjica west of Trebinje on a site occupied since late antiquity, with the foundations of a fourth-century basilica beneath the present church; the monastery was the seat of the Herzegovinian metropolitans in the sixteenth century, destroyed in 1694 and rebuilt in the twentieth. What makes it more than another monastery is wine: the community has cultivated vines and made wine here for centuries, and the cellars cut into the rock produce Vranac and Zilavka commercially, sold at the monastery and across the country, with tastings offered. The setting above the river and the vineyards around the buildings are part of the visit.

History

The monastery was founded at the end of the 15th or early in the 16th century and was the seat of the archbishops of Herzegovina until the Venetians destroyed it in 1694. The present building dates from 1924, and the monastery is known for its wine, above all from the local Vranac and Žilavka grapes, and for its cellars, one of them from the 15th century (Wikipedia, Tvrdoš Monastery).

What to look for

• The church - the rebuilt monastery church over late antique foundations.
• The rock cellars - the wine cellars cut into the stone.
• The vineyards - the monastery vines around the buildings.
• The Trebisnjica - the river below the monastery.

When to go

April to October for the vineyards and the setting; the harvest falls in September. The monastery is open year round around services. Tastings run through the day; groups should arrange ahead.

Practical notes

This is a working monastery and the wine operation runs alongside religious life; dress and behaviour expectations apply. Tastings and sales are commercial. The church is largely twentieth-century rebuilding. The visit takes about an hour.

Nearby

Trebinje lies east; Zavala is northwest.

Key facts