Fortified Manasija Monastery

Photo by Roman Bruehwiler.

Fortified Manasija Monastery is part of the Tentative list of Serbia in order to qualify for inclusion in the World Heritage List.

The Fortified Manasija Monastery is a medieval Serbian-Orthodox monastery surrounded by massive walls and towers. It holds the remains of Byzantine wall paintings. Monastery founder Despot Stefan built Manasija in the early 15th century to serve as his mausoleum.

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The coordinates shown for all tentative sites were produced as a community effort. They are not official and may change on inscription.

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Lisu Marian

Romania - 30-Mar-20 -

Fortified Manasija Monastery (T) by Lisu Marian

At the beginning of the 15th century, Serbian king Stefan Lazarevic builds the proud work in the Despotovac area.
Outside is a fortress; inside a monastery. It was called Resava, from the neighbour-river, but now we find on the maps with name Manasija, dedication of the Holy Trinity.
Perhaps the inclination towards the world of weapons convinced the despot (nobility title received from Byzantium) to raise walls to the sky, with square towers, many of them lose their numbers, and before they ditch as a double defensive measure. But surely his care for the country made him leave in the interior of the church the wonderful frescoes in his own style (the Morava school): biblical scenes, but also holy warriors, of which the first despot even has honor. The church becomes its grave, and more recently it is passed into the holy line, because it preserves faith and defense the borders under the Order of the Dragon.
Six centuries ago, the school where the translation and writing was established, being in time and library, becoming then not only an important Orthodox center of faith and spirituality, but also of culture and art, and even of architecture. It is precisely the importance that one obtains that does not give him rest: it is burned and plundered by the Ottomans, and even by the Serbian peasants during the uprisings.
The appearance is difficult to understand, it was a true bastion, with thick walls that kept on the ramparts designed for shooting, bouldering areas or hot liquids.
The outer space is a combination of serene blue and forest green, so the outer beauty is doubled by the inner peace that gives it the shelter of the walls.

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Full Name
Fortified Manasija Monastery
Country
Serbia
Added
2010
Type
Cultural
Categories
Religious structure - Christian
Link
By ID
2010 Added to Tentative List

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Fortified Manasija Monastery (T)
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