The Monastery "Ravanica", Cuprija

The church of the monastery of Ravanica was erected between 1375 and 1377. It is dedicated to the Ascension and has a basis in the form of a developed of trefoils and five domes. It was built by alternating rows of stones and three to four rows of plaster and brick. The primarily vestibule of the church, which was added after the church was erected, was demolished, and todays vestibule was erected by daskal (teacher) Stefan in 1721. When we talk about wall church painting ,here we have the first independent style of Serbian medieval painting. Živopisanije was completed in 1387. The characteristic of the wall church painting is that the saints are extremely decorated. This style of painting is called a decorative style, and is a feature of the new style of Pomoravlje. After Prince Lazarus died, Ravanica became a target of Turkish, devastating attacks, and was burned for the first time at the end of the fourteenth century. Shortly after the killing in Kosovo, Prince Lazar was proclaimed a saint and his relics were transferred to the monastery in 1392. In Ravanica, the relics of Prince Lazar lay until 1690, when the monks fleeing from the invading enemy army fled to Hungary carrying relics with them. Only in 1989, relics was returned to Ravanica, where they still exist today. To the monastery Ravanica you can reach by asphalt road from Cuprija, after separation from the highway Belgrade-Nis ((149 km from Belgrade, through the agricultural estate Dobricevo(9.5km) and Senj (0.6km)).