The Tronoša Monastery ( sr, / ) 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 between the villages of
Tršić
Tršić (Serbian language, Serbian Serbian Cyrillic alphabet, Cyrillic: Тршић, ) is a village in the municipality of Loznica, located in the Mačva region of Serbia. It is the birthplace of Serbian linguist and language reformer, Vuk Stefanov ...
and
Korenita
Korenita ( sr-cyrl, Коренита) is a town in the municipality of Loznica, Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at ...
, in the administrative town of
Loznica
Loznica ( sr-cyrl, Лозница, ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city located in the Mačva District of western Serbia. It lies on the right bank of the Drina river. In 2011 the city had a total population of 19,572, while the administrative ar ...
, in western
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
. It is ecclesiastically part of the
Eparchy of Šabac
The Eparchy of Šabac ( sr, Шабачка епархија or ) is an ecclesiastical territory or eparchy of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Serbia. It is situated in the north-western part of Šumadija and Western Serbia and in the small south-wes ...
. According to tradition, the monastery was built by King
Stefan Dragutin
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 ...
.
Location
The monastery is located southeast of Loznica. It is situated in the forested area of the Korenita village. However, being also close to the village of Tršić and as the first school of a linguist and language reformer
Vuk Stefanović Karadžić who was also from Tršić, the monastery is popularly connected to this village.
History
Old monastery
There are no proper historical records which confirm the origin of the monastery and everything known about it is according to the various traditional writings. The monastery was an endowment of King
Stefan Dragutin
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 ...
. However, he died in 1316 and the construction was finished by his widow,
Queen Catherine in 1317. It was named after three rivers which confluence into one at the monastery (''tri reke koje vodu nose'', "three water bearing rivers"). The original edifice was looted and razed by 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) ...
several times in the 14th and 15th centuries. It ended up being completely demolished and it is not known what the original monastery looked like.
[
]
Reconstruction
It was rebuilt on the foundations of the old monastery in 1559. The enterprise was headed by 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 ...
Pajsije and monks Arsenije and Genadije. That same year, the Church of the Presentation of Mary
The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known in the East as The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, is a liturgical feast celebrated on November 21 by the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and some Anglo-Catholic Churches.
The feast ...
was built. Just few years later, a school which transcribed and rewrote the old manuscripts was operational. As an act of retaliation for the attacks of the hajduks
A hajduk ( hu, hajdúk, plural of ) is a type of irregular infantry found in Central and parts of Southeast Europe from the late 16th to mid 19th centuries. They have reputations ranging from bandits to freedom fighters depending on time, p ...
in the region, the Ottomans burned it in the early 1800s. It was renovated in 1834 and was painted by Mihailo Konstantinović from Bitola
Bitola (; mk, Битола ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki ...
and Nikola Janković from Ohrid
Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the List of cities in North Macedonia, eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording ...
.[
In 1791, a ]hieromonk
A hieromonk ( el, Ἱερομόναχος, Ieromonachos; ka, მღვდელმონაზონი, tr; Slavonic: ''Ieromonakh'', ro, Ieromonah), also called a priestmonk, is a monk who is also a priest in the Eastern Orthodox Church and E ...
Josif Tronošac transcribed the 1526 Tronoša Chronicle, the most important Serbian literary memorial in the first half of the 18th century. The copy of the chronicle is kept in the monastery, while the original is in Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
.[
]
World wars
Tronoša was badly damaged during the World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. During the Battle of Cer
The Battle of Cer, ; german: Schlacht von Cer; hu, Ceri csata. Also known as the Battle of the Jadar River (Јадарска битка, ''Jadarska bitka''; ''Schlacht von Jadar''; ''Jadar csata''). was a military campaign fought between Austr ...
in 1914, Serbian wounded soldiers were transported to the monastery for medical treatments. After Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
occupied Serbia, their army burned the church books. The also destroyed or removed all doors in the complex, which were repaired only in 1923. In August 1941, a local Chetnik
The Chetniks ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Четници, Četnici, ; sl, Četniki), formally the Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, and also the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland and the Ravna Gora Movement, was a Yugoslav royalist and Serbian nationa ...
rebellion liberated Loznica ("the first town liberated from Germans in the occupied Europe") in the Battle of Loznica
The Battle of Loznica ( sr-cyr, бој на Лозници) also known as the Battle of Tičar (бој на Тичару) was fought on 17–18 October 1810 between Serbian Revolutionaries and Ottoman forces in Loznica, at the time part of the ...
, and Tronoša's hegumen Georgije Bojić was active in the planning and conducting of the operation. as an aide to Veselin Misita
Veselin Misita (Serbian Cyrillic: Веселин Мисита; 19 March 1904 – 31 August 1941) was a Bosnian Serb military commander holding the rank of lieutenant colonel during World War II.
Misita is best known for leading the victorious ...
, in charge of the attack. When German reoccupied the area in October 1941 they burned the monastery books and punched through one of the walls with the cannonball.[
]
Today
In the vicinity of the monastery is the Chapel of the Saint Holy Martyr Pantaleon. Below the chapel is the ten-pipe concrete drinking fountain with cold, spring water. Both the chapel and the fountain were also destroyed several times through history. Traditionally, the original fountain is attributed to the mythological Jug Bogdan
A jug is a type of container commonly used to hold liquids. It has an opening, sometimes narrow, from which to pour or drink, and has a handle, and often a pouring lip. Jugs throughout history have been made of metal, and ceramic, or glass, and ...
(based on the historical Vratko Nemanjić
Vratko Nemanjić (fl. 1325–1355) was a Serbian noble, father of Prince Lazar's spouse Princess Milica of Serbia, Milica. Serbian epic poetry identifies him with Yug Bogdan ("South Bogdan") or Ljutica Bogdan ("Irate Bogdan"), a mythical hero in t ...
, though) and his nine sons, the Jugović brothers
The Jugovic brothers ( sr, Браћа Југовићи / ''Braća Jugovići''), or Nine Jugović ( sr, link=no, Девет Југовића / ''Devet Jugovića''), commonly known as the ''Jugovići'' ( sr-Cyrl, Југовићи), the nine sons of ...
, hence the ten pipes. They built the chapel and the fountain in 1388 prior to the Battle of Kosovo
The Battle of Kosovo ( tr, Kosova Savaşı; sr, Косовска битка) took place on 15 June 1389 between an army led by the Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and an invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the command of Sultan ...
. Modern chapel and the fountain were restored in 1968 when the fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
"Leaving to the Battle of Kosovo" was painted on the fountain. The fountain is called "The Fountain of the Nine Jugović".[
One of the best known traditions in the monastery is the making of large "plowmen candles". Two are cast each year out of of wax and are tall. On the ]Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday (also known as Great and Holy Thursday, Holy and Great Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Sheer Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries, among other names) is the day during Holy Week that commemorates the Washing of the ...
people gather in front of the monastery, bring the candles inside the church and light them in front of the icons of Jesus Christ and the Holy Mother of God. They are thought to help to preserve and enhance the harvest, hence the name. The custom of casting the candles and the ceremony of bringing them into the church and lighting them has been placed on the Serbian list of the intangible cultural heritage
An intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is a practice, representation, expression, knowledge, or skill considered by UNESCO to be part of a place's cultural heritage. Buildings, historic places, monuments, and artifacts are cultural property. Int ...
.[
As Vuk Stefanović Karadžić learned to write in the monastery, "coming to school from the nearby Tršić through the forest", a section of the monastery is adapted into the "Museum of the Vuk's early schooling". Today, Tronoša is a female monastery. In 2017 it officially celebrated 700th anniversary.][
The monastery has been protected since 22 December 1948 and was declared a cultural monument of great importance in 1979.][
]
Architecture
The monastery was built in the Raška architectural school
Raška architectural school ( sr, Рашка школа архитeктуре), also known as the Raška style (Рашки стил, ''Raški stil''), or simply as the Raška school, is an ecclesiastical architectural style that flourished in the ...
. In terms of architectural and spatial traits, there is resemblance between the Uvac Monastery
The Uvac Monastery ( sr, Манастир Увац) is a Serbian Orthodox monastery in western Serbia.
Architecture
The monastery was built in the Raška architectural school. In terms of architectural and spatial traits, there is resemblance be ...
, Church of the Annunciation Monastery in Ovčar Banja
Ovčar Banja ( sr-cyr, Овчар Бања) is a village and a spa located in the city of Čačak, Serbia. Located near the Ovčar-Kablar Gorge in the valley of the West Morava, it is known as the "Serbian Mount Athos" because of the numerous mona ...
, Pustinja Monastery
The Pustinja Monastery ( sr, Манастир Пустиња, Manastir Pustinja) is a Serbian Orthodox monastery in village Poćuta near Valjevo in Central Serbia.
According to local legends this monastery was built in the 13th century by king D ...
, Dobrilovina Monastery
The Dobrilovina Monastery ( sr, Манастир Добриловина, Manastir Dobrilovina) is a Serbian Orthodox monastery in Donja Dobrilovina, Mojkovac, northern Montenegro. It is located on the left Tara river banks, in a region known as ...
, Majstorovina Monastery The Majstorovina Monastery ( sr, Манастир Мајсторовина, Manastir Majstorovina) is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located in the village of Majstorovina in Bijelo Polje, Montenegro. It includes the Church of the Holy Trinity, datin ...
, Tronoša Monastery and others.
Saint Stefan of Tronoša
Archimandrite Stefan Jovanović was born in the nearby village of Tekeriš
Tekeriš () is a village in Serbia. It is situated in the Loznica municipality, in the Mačva District. This village has a Serbian ethnic majority and its population numbers 370 people, according to the 2002 census.
History
Tekeriš is famous bec ...
, on the Cer. He was a noted spiritual leader, patriot, rebel and the first teacher of Vuk Stefanović Karadžić. He was especially active against the Turkification
Turkification, Turkization, or Turkicization ( tr, Türkleştirme) describes a shift whereby populations or places received or adopted Turkic attributes such as culture, language, history, or ethnicity. However, often this term is more narrowly ...
("thanks to him, none of the Serbs east of the Drina
The Drina ( sr-Cyrl, Дрина, ) is a long Balkans river, which forms a large portion of the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. It is the longest tributary of the Sava River and the longest karst river in the Dinaric Alps whic ...
river were Turkified"). When the famine struck the regions of Jadar and Rađevina
Rađevina is an area in northwestern Serbia between mountains Vlašić, Cer, Jagodnje and Soko. Along with the Azbukovica they form the Upper Drina region. Rađevina is predominantly hilly and mountainous region full of forests and pastures wit ...
, he came to the local Turks to ask for the help for the hungry people, but the Turks poisoned him. In 2017 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 ...
canonized him as the Venerable Stefan of Tronoša. Its day is 17 September and it is the official slava
Slava may refer to:
Ships
* ''Slava'' class cruiser, a modern Russian warship
** Soviet cruiser Slava (1979), now Russian cruiser ''Moskva'', a ''Slava'' class guided missile cruiser sunk during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
* Russian ba ...
of the Eparchy of Šabac.[
]
References
External links
Манастир Троноша
City of Loznica
1317 establishments in Europe
14th-century Serbian Orthodox church buildings
Religious organizations established in the 1310s
Christian monasteries established in the 14th century
Serbian Orthodox monasteries in Serbia
Loznica
Nemanjić dynasty endowments
Cultural Monuments of Great Importance (Serbia)
{{Serbia-hist-stub