Lovnica Monastery
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The Lomnica Monastery ( sr, Манастир Ломница, Manastir Lomnica), also known as the Lovnica Monastery, is a
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 in ...
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 which ...
dedicated to
Saint George Saint George (Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin: Georgius, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier ...
and located near
Šekovići Šekovići ( sr-cyrl, Шековићи) is a town and municipality located in northeastern Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 6,761 inhabitants, while the town of Šekovići has a population o ...
in the region of Donji Birač in eastern
Republika Srpska Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, lit=Serb Republic, also known as Republic of Srpska, ) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Feder ...
,
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
. The monastery's church and dormitory are built on a narrow flat area on a hillside beside a stream called Lomnica, from which the monastery received its name. In the local accent, the consonant pair ''mn'' is often pronounced as ''vn'', hence the form "Lovnica". As ''lov'' means "hunt" in Serbian, this gave rise to legendary accounts of the monastery's foundation that connect it in some way with hunting or hunters. According to one of the legends, the area of Lomnica was a hunting ground of the Serbian King
Dragutin Nemanjić Stefan Dragutin ( sr-cyr, Стефан Драгутин, hu, Dragutin István; 1244 – 12 March 1316) was King of Serbia from 1276 to 1282. From 1282, he ruled a separate kingdom which included northern Serbia, and (from 1284) the neig ...
, and it was he who built this monastery. The region of Donji Birač contains many medieval
necropoleis A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead". The term usually im ...
with the characteristic ''
stećak Stećak (, ) or Stećci in plural form (, ) is the name for monumental medieval tombstones, that lie scattered across Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the border parts of Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia. An estimated 60,000 are found within the border ...
'' tombstones and other archaeological artifacts. Lomnica was founded around 1570, after the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
sanctioned the restoration of the Serbian Patriarchate of Peć. It was first mentioned in 1578 in an inscription in a liturgical book. Its founders and
ktetor ''Ktetor'' ( el, κτήτωρ) or ''ktitor'' (; ka, ქტიტორი ''kt’it’ori''; ro, ctitor), meaning "founder", is a title given in the Middle Ages to the provider of funds for construction or reconstruction of an Eastern Orthodox ch ...
s were monks Genadije and Akakije, who were probably merchants, craftsmen, or landowners before embracing monastic life. The
iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand t ...
in the church was painted by Longin, who also painted
icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...
s in other Serbian monasteries of that time. The frescoes on the church's walls were finished in 1608, and one of the painters recorded that event on a wall. This inscription also relates that the painters were much harassed by Turks and softas, Islamic theological students known for their religious fanaticism and violence against Christians.
Metropolitan of Dabar-Bosna The Metropolitanate of Dabar-Bosnia ( sr, Митрополија дабробосанска / Mitropolija dabrobosanska) is a metropolis of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina, seated in Sarajevo. Since 2017, Metropolitan ...
Visarion visited Lovnica in 1693, which was also recorded on a wall. The final stages and aftermath of the
Great Turkish War The Great Turkish War (german: Großer Türkenkrieg), also called the Wars of the Holy League ( tr, Kutsal İttifak Savaşları), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Pola ...
(1683–1699) were detrimental to many monasteries in Bosnia, but Lomnica came out of it without significant damages. However, its monastic community left it and never returned. In 1705, it was repurposed as a parish church serving surrounding villages. During the 18th century it was often visited by monks, priests, and other people from Bosnia, Herzegovina, central Serbia, Kosovo, and Montenegro. Many of the visitors wrote inscriptions on the walls and other surfaces inside the church, recording their names and dates of visits. This practice continued into the 19th century, and the latest such inscription was written by a monk from
Visoki Dečani The Visoki Dečani Monastery ( sr, Манастир Високи Дечани, Manastir Visoki Dečani, sq, Manastiri i Deçanit) is a medieval Serbian Orthodox Christian monastery located near Deçan, Kosovo. It was founded in the first half of ...
in 1852. A rather long 18th-century inscription ends with the statement, "It is wrong to write here, but I saw it from omeoneolder, so I erred too." There was a house by the church, in which the visitors could rest. Church services were held at Lomnica only on religious holidays. The region of Donji Birač had a committee consisting of priests and prominent villagers, whose duties included the care about the Lomnica church. It was guarded by an armed man, paid by the committee; nevertheless, it was robbed in 1880. In the mid-19th century, a landslide half-covered its northern wall. Wet soil remained there for years, and the moisture caused significant damage to the frescoes on that wall. Supporting walls were built east and south of the church to prevent its sliding toward the stream. The church was re-roofed in 1823 and 1884. In World War II,
Yugoslav Partisans The Yugoslav Partisans,Serbo-Croatian, Macedonian, Slovene: , or the National Liberation Army, sh-Latn-Cyrl, Narodnooslobodilačka vojska (NOV), Народноослободилачка војска (НОВ); mk, Народноослобод ...
created a large field hospital next to the church. It came out of the war without significant damages. The conservation-restoration of the frescoes and the iconostasis began in 1952. The dormitory was rebuilt, and a monastic community was re-established at Lomnica in 1979. The monastery was designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2005.


References

{{coord, 44.311805556, N, 18.855416667, E, type:landmark, display=title Serbian Orthodox monasteries in Bosnia and Herzegovina National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina 16th-century establishments in Bosnia and Herzegovina 16th-century Serbian Orthodox church buildings Christian monasteries established in the 16th century Buildings and structures in Republika Srpska