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June 27, 2010

Fruska Gora Monasteries

Krusedol Monastery

The Northern part of Serbia is called Vojvodina Region and is part of the Pannonian plain of Central Europe. The only mount in this extended flat region is the National Park of Fruska Gora which is also a well know tourist destination, and thanks to his hospitable and fertile environment around 35 monasteries were erected between the 15th and 18th century (some monasteries dates even from earlier time) in an area of 50 x 10 km.

 Krušedol  Monastery (Крушедол)



These monasteries were repeatedly protagonists of the history of the Serbian Nation, as pilgrims and refugees found places during time of persecutions. They were among the focal points of resistance against the Ottomans and also places of storage for treasures of orthodox spirituality and art over the centuries.

Today there are just 15 monasteries left and some of them were damaged during the NATO bombing campaign in 1999.
So now Fruška Gora Monasteries were declared Monuments of Culture of Exceptional Importance in 1990, and they are protected by Republic of Serbia.

Velika Remeta Monastery  (Велика Ремета)





Novo Hopovo Monastery (Ново Хопово)



Nemanja from SpiritualSerbia (a company that organizes trips to Serbian-orthodox monasteries all over South-East-Europe) gave me some pictures of the beautiful Fruska Gora Monasteries and explained the most important facts for visiting Monasteries in orthodox countries.
Nemanja tells that the monks in Serbian orthodox monastery are not really strict about behavior of visitors in the monastery, as they assume that if you dress not adequate and behave rather rude, that you’re not doing it on purpose, but that you just don’t have a clue about the rules. However it’s nice to show you arrive prepared and are willing to show your respect for their holy place.

Jazak Monastery (Јазак)



Here some tips for visiting monasteries:

Apropriate clothing: For men it’s long trousers and closed shoes, and no head coverage. For woman it’s a long skirt, long sleeves and a headscarf.

Greeting the monks: Walking toward the monk (or monks) you can nicely say:
"pomaže bog" (literally: That god helps) and he will answer "bog pomogao" (literally: God helps). The monk will then hands you his hand that you will hold in your both hands and bend down your head and tell: "oče blagoslovi" (literally: Father bless me) and he will make a sign to bless you.
 

Of course you don't need to do all that, a simple greeting is fine. The monastery always will send one monk to show you around the monastery and answer your questions. Often you will be invited for coffee and cakes or exquisite monastery rakija. If you want to show gratitude leave some money or in the designated places or simply by the icons in the chapel.


Grgeteg Monastery(Гргетег)



Beočin Monastery (Беочин)




Vrdnik-Ravanica Monastery (Врдник-Раваница)



Nemanja from Spiritualtours proposes nices bed&brakfasts for overnight stays and good ethno restaurants for tasting Serbian Specialties.

10 comments:

  1. Absolutely breathtaking. I love all of the rich history & pictures.

    Thank you for such an informative post...someday I will visit, until then, "pomaže bog" (I KNOW!) & "bog pomogao!" ALWAYS in every situation in our lives!

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  2. Thanks Lisa for the beautiful comment!

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  3. you know I love those spots and delicious dishes!!!
    Srbija!

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  4. Ms Larsen, if you're planning your next reportage ....in Fruska Gora you'll find the ideal scenery, delicious traditional food and great rustic places for the overnight!

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  5. Wonderful post! You forgot to mention that people are also great! ...'ve been there and it was amazing!

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  6. @AnaVar: Thanks for mentioning it. Yes the people are indeed very friendly and guestfriendly!

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  7. This is a lovely post with gorgeous photos! I was recently in Fruška Gora too and I cannot wait to return one day!

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  8. Sa beskrajnim uživanjem sam Vaš post pročitala. U par navrata sam i sama posećivala manastire i mišljenja sam da ste ih na divan način predstavili. Fotografije su divne. Hvala za prekrasan post :)

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  9. I like this site... very informative :)

    We need more site like this doing a great job in promoting our territory. Many foreigners have a wrong picture of Serbia and it takes time to make them change their mind.

    But it takes efforts and people like you trying harder!



    Sobe Novi Sad

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  10. Thank you for your nice comment on my weblog post about Fruska Gora monasteries. I visited (only) three monasteries in Fruska Gora: Krušedol, Grgeteg and Novo Hopovo. One of my wishes is to visit more of them. Reading your weblog inspires me to realise my wish soon. Peter of weblog Mijn Novi Sad

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