The Kovilje Monastery ( sr, Манастир Ковиљe, Manastir Kovilje) dedicated to the

archangel Gabriel In Abrahamic religions ( Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብ ...

, is a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

of the

Serbian Orthodox Church The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches. The majori ...

, located in the village of Kovilje, in the municipality of

Ivanjica ) , motto = , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Serbia##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , pushpin_map = Serbia#Europe , coo ...

, in south-west

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...

belonging to the Žiča Diocese. It is sited between

Golija Golija ( sr-Cyrl, Голија, ) is a mountain in southwestern Srbija, Serbia, between towns of Ivanjica and Novi Pazar. It is part of the Dinarides, Dinaric mountain range. The mountain is heavily forested with significant biodiversity. It conta ...

and Javor mountains, in the Nošnica river valley. The monastery has two churches, one built partly in a

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

and dedicated to the archangel Gabriel, the other, added later, dedicated to

St. Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Demre ...

. The monastery was founded in the 12th century. The first written reference to it is in 1606, in the "''Kruševačkom Pomeniku''". It was rebuilt in 1644 by Archbishop Gavrilo (Rašković). Records from 1733 mention it as an educational establishment. The

hegumen Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen ( el, ἡγούμενος, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of nuns is called a hegumenia ...

of the monastery is the young

Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous ( ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. The majority of the population ...

Hieromonk Amvrosije. He lives there by himself with his tamed animals of two wolves, a fox, an eagle, a snake, raven, rabbit and an owl. The Serb-American community of Libertyville have donated a motorcycle and 4-wheel-drive to the monastery. The life of the monastery has been documented in the Serbian documentary "Monah i vuk".

Architecture

The monastery consists of two temples: the first is dedicated to the

and another, that was later built, is dedicated to

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Dem ...

. The Church of the Holy Archangel partially rests on the rock, so it can be classified in a group of ascetic cave churches. It is a single building with

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in pagan ...

niche. It is believed to have been built in the late 12th or the early 13th century, judging by the remains of frescoes and traditions. Another temple has a rectangular base and a

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

. From frescoes dating from the 13th century, which have survived only in fragments, characters of saints are still well preserved.

Restoration

During the year 1644, Metropolitan of Raska, Gavrilo(Rašković), visited the monastery and found it extremely neglected, in serious condition. Then he restored it and stayed in it for a while, and in 1651 he endowed the monastery with a shackled and decorated Holy Gospel for the liturgical needs of the restored Church of St. Nicholas, and freed the monastery land, which was returned to the

. From the records of 1733, a spiritualist Filip lived in the monastery, who taught those who wanted to become priests. From all this, the monastery was highly ranked as an important place in both spiritual, as well as in national and political life of the people of this region. One of the oldest schools in

was open here in 1867. There was also a school for future priests. Since 1813, the monastery performed an active function of a regular parochial school. The monastery was restored in 2005, and the monastery refectory was built during 2007–2009.

Gallery

File:08-Manastir Kovilje 02.jpg, ''Kovilje Monastery'' File:08-Manastir Kovilje 09.jpg, ''The interior of the Church of Holy Archangel Gabriel'' File:08-Manastir Kovilje 16.jpg, ''The icon of Christ in the Church of Holy Archangel Gabriel'' File:08-Manastir Kovilje 17.jpg, ''The interior of the Church of St. Nicholas''

References

External links

Serbian Orthodox monasteries in Serbia Christian monasteries established in the 12th century 12th-century Serbian Orthodox church buildings Tourist attractions in Serbia Landmarks in Serbia Ivanjica Cave churches Cultural Monuments of Great Importance (Serbia) {{Serbia-stub