The Byzantine Treasures of Serbia
8 nights, 10 - 19 October 2011
Oct 10 (Mon) Travel Day
Oct 11 (Tue) Beograd (Belgrade)
Arrive Nikola Tesla International Airport. Depending on your arrival time and your energy level, you might wish to visit the Museum of Serbian Orthodox Church, the Fresco Gallery
(within walking distance of the hotel), or the Sekulic Icon Collection, before the tour gets under way tomorrow.
(Belgrade, 1 night, Hotel Le Petit Piaf)
Oct 12 (Wed) Manasija & Ravanica
Manasija Monastery was founded by Despot Stefan Lazarevic. The church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was erected and painted between 1307 and 1418. Architecturally, the church belongs to the Moravska School.
Ravanica is considered one of the most impressive buildings of the Moravska architectural style. It was built in the late 14th century, by King Lazar, who was killed in the Battle of Kosovo a couple of years after having completed the monastery. The frescos, in the decorative style, are of a heightened and delicate sensibility.
(Vrnjačka Banja, 1 night, Hotel "Sunny Hill")
Oct 13 (Thu) Lazarica & Gračanica
Lazarica's Church of Saint Stefan was founded by the Serbian ruler Prince Lazar around 1375. It was ruined during the Turkish invasion (around 1413), and remained neglected until the reign of Prince Milosh Obrenovich in the 19th century, when it was restored. Some traces of frescos remain. Lazarica is important because it breaks with the previous tradition of Nemanjić church architecture.
Gračanica is the last and the best of King Milutin's Byzantine-style churches. Its frescos, painted by Mihajlo and Eftihije, were completed in 1321.
(Priština, 1 night, Hotel Afa)
Oct 14 (Fri) Dečani & Peć
Dečani is a pearl of medieval Serbian Christian art. Its celebrated 14th-century frescos comprise more than 1,000 figures and scenes from all the major themes of the New Testament. The
Patriarchate of Peć, located at the very entrance of the Rugovska Gorge, is a complex of four medieval churches. It is one of the most significant monuments of Serbian history. The apparently simple subject matter of the earliest frescos proves to be much more complex on closer scrutiny. The frescos were influenced by the learned first leaders of the Serbian Church, St. Sava and Arsenije I.
(Novi Pazar, 1 night, Hotel Tadž)
Oct 15 (Sat) Đjurđevi Stupovi, Sveti Petar i Pavle u Rasu & Sopoćani
The ruins of
Đjurđevi Stupovi Monastery, the endowment of Stefan Nemanja, overlook the city of Novi Pazar. The complex, including the Church of Saint George, was built in the 12th century.
Sveti Petar i Pavle u Rasu is a small church built in the 8th or 9th century, the only pre-Nemanjić church in Serbia. Saint Nemanja, the founder of the Serbian medieval dynasty, was baptized in this church. Of all the medieval monasteries in central Serbia,
Sopoćani has retained the most impressive frescos and icons.
(Sjenica, 2 nights, Hotel Borići)
Oct 16 (Sun) Mileševa & Davidovica
The 13th-century frescos of
Mileševa Monastery, painted by the most skillful artists of the time, include the most famous in Serbian culture: the White Angel. The church, dedicated to the Ascension of Our Lord, was the final resting place of Saint Sava, whose relics were removed and burned by the Turks in 1594.
Davidovica Monastery, on the Lim River and slopes of Jadovnik Mountain near Bordarevo, dates from the 13th century. It was built on the ruins of a Byzantine basilica of the 6th century an endowment of Monk David, the grandson of Stefan Nemanja from whom Davidovica Monastery got its name.
Oct 17 (Mon) Pridvorica & Studenica
The 11th-century
Pridvorica Monastery offers splendid mountain views on our way to
Studenica Monastery, the mother church of all Serbian shrines. Studenica is dedicated to the Presentation of the Holy Virgin. It is best known for its 13th- and 14th-century Byzantine-style frescos.
(Ivanjica, 1 night, Studenica Monastery Dormitory)
Oct 18 (Tue) Žiča, Ljubostinja & Kalenić
Painted dark-red in the tradition of the Mount Athos monasteries,
Žiča Monastery is one of Serbia's most memorable landmarks. Symbolically, it stands an equal distance from Rome and Constantinople.
Ljubostinja Monastery was founded by Princess Milica and Prince Lazar in 1388. After the battle of Kosovo, Princess Milica became a nun and spent the rest of her life here.
Kalenić Monastery is a foundation of Protovestiar Bogdan, his wife Milica, and his brother Peter. The church was built and painted from 1407-13.
(Belgrade, 1 night, Hotel Le Petit Piaf)
Oct 19 (Wed) Travel Day
Depart Nikola Tesla International Airport for flights homeward.
Brochure
Reservation Booking Form (PDF 240k)
Terms and Conditions (PDF 235k)
Travel Insurance Protection
Practical Information (PDF 243k)
Manasija, Military Saints
Gračanica, Saint John the Baptist
Peć, The Christ
Dečani, Holy Nativity
Mileševa, The "White Angel"
Dečani, Annunciation
