Krupa Monastery

Krupa stands on the river of the same name below the southern slope of Velebit; tradition dates it to 1317 and to monks from Bosnia, though it was probably built around 1642, and it is among the oldest Serbian Orthodox monasteries in Croatia. The iconostasis holds icons painted around 1600 by the Cretan Ioannis Apakas, the walls were painted in 1620-22, and the complex has a cloister and arcaded ranges around a courtyard. The monastery was damaged in the Second World War and again in the 1990s, and it has been repaired since with a small community in residence. The setting - a wooded gorge, clear water and travertine steps - accounts for a good share of the visits.

History

Folk tradition says Krupa was built in 1317 by monks from Bosnia with the support of the Serbian king Milutin, later restored by Stefan Dečanski and Emperor Dušan and endowed in the 15th and 16th centuries by Saint Angelina; its Gothic windows, unusual for an Orthodox church, suggest instead that it was built by incoming monks around 1642. About 1600 the Cretan priest Ioannis Apakas painted four throne icons for the iconostasis, and Georgije Mitrofanović painted the walls in 1620-22. The monastery was a place of learning: the writer and educator Dositej Obradović lived and worked here in the 1760s, Gerasim Zelić in the 18th century and the novelist Simo Matavulj was educated here in the 1860s, and its history was written down in the 18th-century chronicles of Bishop Simeon Končarević. It was completely renovated in 1855, a large bell tower was begun in the 1950s and never finished, and partial reconstruction has gone on since 2000 (Wikipedia, Krupa monastery).

The main sights

• A monastery dated by tradition to 1317 - among the oldest Orthodox houses in Croatia.
• Icons of around 1600 - on the iconostasis, by Ioannis Apakas.
• Arcaded ranges round a courtyard - the monastic complex.
• A travertine river below - clear water in a wooded gorge.

When to go

April to October. Two hours.

Practical notes

This is a working monastery with a small community; visiting hours and dress rules apply. The area is thinly populated and services are almost non-existent. The road in is narrow and partly unsurfaced.

Nearby

Kudin Bridge is downstream; the Zrmanja canyon is north.

Key facts