The Ostrog Monastery

The Ostrog Monastery is one of the most extraordinary and revered sites in Montenegro, a dazzling white Serbian Orthodox monastery built improbably into a sheer vertical cliff face high above the green Zeta valley in the country's interior. Founded in the seventeenth century and dedicated to Saint Basil of Ostrog, whose relics it holds, it is the most important pilgrimage site in the country and one of the most visited in the Balkans, drawing the faithful of several faiths who climb to its cliff-carved chapels.

History

Vasilije Jovanović, Metropolitan of Herzegovina and later Saint Basil of Ostrog, founded the monastery in the early 17th century, and it first appears on a map of Montenegro of 1640; he died here in 1671 and his body lies in the cave church of the Presentation, whose frescoes date from the end of the 17th century. The present look of the monastery dates from 1923-1926, after a fire, while the two small cave churches survived (Wikipedia, Ostrog Monastery).

What to look for

• The cliff monastery - the white monastery set into the sheer rock face.
• The cave chapels - the chapels carved into the cliff.
• The pilgrims - the devout who come to venerate the relics.
• The valley views - the outlook over the green Zeta valley below.

When to go

May to October for the best weather on the mountain roads; it is a working monastery and pilgrimage site open year-round, busiest on religious holidays. Go with time for the winding drive up and the walk to the upper monastery.

What to expect

It is reached by a steep, narrow and winding mountain road that can be nerve-racking and busy with pilgrim traffic. As a deeply sacred, active pilgrimage site, modest dress is required, with covered shoulders and legs, and quiet, respectful behaviour, especially at the upper monastery and relics. It can be crowded with pilgrims. Its cliff-face setting is genuinely astonishing.

Nearby

Podgorica, the Bay of Kotor and Durmitor are within reach.

Key facts