Ravanica Monastery

The monastery was built at the foot of the Kuchay Mountains in the village of Seine between 1375 and 1377. Ravanica Monastery is unique in that it was the founder of a new picturesque and architectural style in the Middle Ages in Serbia, which is called the Moravian architectural style.

The monastery is a very original building that combines the Serbian style of construction with five domes in the form of a cross and the style of the Athos architectural tradition with buildings in the form of a shamrock. The walls of Ravanica are lined with brick and stone, their rows alternate. Relief plastic and decorative ceramoplastic elements were used to decorate the facades.

In the main part of the temple and on the altar in painting you can see some innovations concerning biblical cycles and themes. A little later, these drawings became an example of painting temples in Serbia. In the domes there are images of the Virgin, Christ and other saints. In the altar there are scenes of Christ’s suffering and incarnation, while in Naos the themes of miracles and great festivals predominate.

The monastery had a significant impact on the construction of other churches, as it became the center of spiritual life, culture, art and literature.