Žiča Monastery

Žiča was founded around 1207 by Stefan the First-Crowned and his brother Sava, and when the Serbian church gained autocephaly in 1219 this became the seat of its first archbishop; Serbian kings were crowned here, and tradition holds that a new door was opened in the wall for each coronation and then sealed. The church is Raška school, a single nave with a tall dome, and it is painted a deep red ochre inside and out, a colour associated with Mount Athos and unusual enough that Žiča is recognised by it. Frescoes survive in patches from the thirteenth century, with later repainting over them. The monastery was destroyed and rebuilt repeatedly and much of the present fabric is restoration. A convent community lives there.

History

King Stefan the First-Crowned and Saint Sava built the monastery in the Raška style between 1208 and 1230 with the help of Greek masters, and when the Serbian church became autocephalous in 1219 it became the seat of the first Serbian archbishop. A synod condemned Bogomilism here in 1221, the see moved to Peć in 1253, and in 2008 Žiča celebrated 800 years (Wikipedia, Žiča).

What you'll find

• The red exterior - the ochre-painted walls that identify the church.
• Raška-school architecture - a tall-domed single nave of the early period.
• Thirteenth-century fresco fragments - the surviving earliest painting.
• The coronation associations - the tradition of doors opened for kings.

When to go

April to October for the setting; the monastery is open year round. Sunday and feast-day services fill it. Mornings on weekdays are quietest.

Good to know

Much of what stands is twentieth-century restoration after repeated destruction, so the medieval fabric is limited. Photography inside is restricted and dress codes apply. Interpretation is minimal. The visit takes under an hour.

Nearby

Maglič fortress lies south; Vrnjačka Banja is southeast.

Key facts