The Zavala Monastery () is a

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

monastery located in the village of Zavala on the southwestern edge of

Popovo Polje Popovo Polje ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Popovo polje, Попово поље, , is a '' polje'' (karstic field) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in a southernmost region of the country, near the Adriatic coast. Its size is . Popovo polje ...

, in

Ravno, Bosnia and Herzegovina Ravno ( sr-cyrl, Равно) is a village and municipality located in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ravno was a separate municipality until 1963, when it became a part ...

municipality, in the southernmost part of

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

. It is first mentioned in 1514, which means that the monastery already existed by the early sixteenth century. The monastery was designated

National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina The National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina include: *sites, places, immovable and movable heritage of historical and cultural importance, as designated by the Commission to preserve national monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina on the basis o ...

by the KONS in 2003.

Location and history

Some 55 kilometres to the east lies the town of

Trebinje Trebinje ( sr-Cyrl, Требиње, ) is a city and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on the banks of the Trebišnjica river in the region of East Her ...

. The monastery is dedicated to 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 fea ...

. The northern wall of the monastery's church is situated within a cave. This monastery is also known as a place where

Basil of Ostrog Basil of Ostrog (, ; 28 December 1610 – 29 April 1671), also known as Vasilije, was a Serbian Orthodox bishop of Zahumlje who is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Life Early life Stojan Jovanović ( sr-Cyrl, Стоја ...

entered into monasticism. Along with

Žitomislić Žitomislić may refer to: * Žitomislić (village), located near Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina * Žitomislić Monastery The Žitomislić Monastery ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Манастир Житомислић, Manastir Žitomislić, ) is а Serbian ...

and Tvrdoš, Zavala is one of the most important monasteries in

East Herzegovina East Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Istočna Hercegovina, Источна Херцеговина) is the eastern part of the historical Herzegovina region in Bosnia and Herzegovina, east of the Neretva river, part of the Republika Srpska entity. Major ...

. It was first mentioned in 1514, when the monastery purchased a vineyard in Orahov Do. Two years later, in 1516, the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

ordered the destruction of Catholic churches built before the conquest of Herzegovina. For this reason, many Catholics in the region of

converted to Eastern Orthodoxy. The proximity of the Zavala monastery was the main factor in their conversion. During World War II, the monastery suffered major damage, and in the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...

it was further damaged and abandoned. In the early 21st century, the frescoes were restored, the church and dormitories were renovated, and the monastery became active again.

Zavala and Vjetrenica

The site of the restored monastery, together with Zavala's village old architecture and stone masonry, and with Vjetrenica cave, constitutes cultural-historic, architectural and natural assemble, protected by KONS as an important

national monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...

of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Because of its importance as national heritage, as well as tourist and ambiental attraction, the site is also placed on the UNESCO Tentative list for inscription into UNESCO

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

list A list is a Set (mathematics), set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of t ...

Footnotes

References

Journals

External links

{{Authority control Tourist attractions in Bosnia and Herzegovina World Heritage Tentative List for Bosnia and Herzegovina Protected areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina 16th-century Serbian Orthodox church buildings Christian monasteries established in the 16th century 16th-century establishments in Bosnia and Herzegovina Serbian Orthodox monasteries in Bosnia and Herzegovina Attacks on religious buildings and structures during the Bosnian War Attacks on religious buildings and structures during World War II Popovo Polje