Dobrilovina Monastery

Mojkovac, Montenegro

The Dobrilovina Monastery is located on the left Tara river banks, at the beginning of the Tara River Canyon, the deepest river canyon in Europe. The village of Dobrihnina (later Dobrilovina) was mentioned in 1253, though the oldest preserved mention of the monastery dates back to 1592, when the Ottoman authorities allowed the locals to rebuild their monastery in Dobrilovina. In 1609, the current standing church dedicated to St. George was finished; the frescoes were finished by 1613. This church has been pillaged, abandoned, destroyed and renovated several times since its founding.

The consecration of the church took place in 1594. The church, dedicated to Saint George, was finished in 1609. Painting of the church frescoes was finished by the year 1613. In the time of the Cretan War (1645–69), Potarje and the neighbouring territories were in revolt against the Ottoman Empire.

The monastery was ravaged by the Ottomans in 1799, however the monks had already retrieved the valuables and abandoned it. The monastery was then restored by hieromonk Makarije of Vraćevšnica, with the help of Jovan Savić and priest Vid, in 1833. However, the same year, Turks from Kolašin attacked the monastery and the church was renovated only in 1866, when archimandrite Mihailo Dožić-Medenica (1848-1914) was sent as an administrator.

Dobrilovina became the centre of the spiritual and political life and aspirations for freedom in the wide area of Potarje, Dožić also established a school that was operated secretly in the monastery, the first school in the valley of Tara — this was a very significant step towards national awakening here and in surrounding regions. The Ottomans had the monastery emptied and the quarters burned in 1877. The monastery was again renovated in 1905.

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Address

P4, Mojkovac, Montenegro
See all sites in Mojkovac

Details

Founded: 1592
Category: Religious sites in Montenegro

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Radovan Zaric (6 years ago)
Monastery of St George in Dobrilovina. Situated in the picturesque area of the Tara Canyon, among the rocky cliffs on the gentle plateau of the village of Upper Dobrilovina. About the founding of the monastery little is known. It is certain that it existed before 1592 when the Turkish government issued permission for the repair of the ruined church in Dobrilovina. Among the locals it is better known as Mala Morača, because its appearance resemblés Morača Monastery, and it is thought to be a legacy of the Nemanjić Dynasty, just like Morača Monastery. It is said that the Monastery in Dobrilovina, like the other monasteries in the surrounding, had it's own milk pipeline - a specially constructed channel made of yew or other wood by which fresh milk was transported from pastures of mount Sinjajevina. At the beginning of the 18th century, the bones of Archbishop Arsenje were transferred from Dovolja Monastery to Dobrilovina. Legend says that Dovolja Monastery, once a significant spiritual center of Potare, was so named because of the fact that there was a sufficient amount of everything there. In the middle of the 18th: century the church in Dobrilovina was covered and the monastery reconstructed but as soon as 1802 the monastery was abandoned. When 28 years later it was restored to active service, the Turks in Kolašin attacked it in 1833 and forced the monks to leave. The monastery church was reconstructed in 1867 by Archimandrite Mihailo Dožić Medenica, and soon after that, in 1870 he also founded the first school in Potarje here. Difficult times and frequent attacks by the Turks forced the teachers and people to hold and attend classes in a nearby cave instead of the monastery, using the stone boards for writing. It is said that this people themselves guarded the cave, taking turns at the entrance of the cave with their rifles on their shoulders. Today this place is one of the favorite picnic spots for the inhabitants of Mojkovac, and visitors can take a break and sit on the school desks set there in memory of the first pupils. 1609, during the time of Abbot Joakim, the church was fresco painted. Due to the frequent destructions, frescoes have been partially preserved, and plaster ornaments of vine leaves and rosettes, made in a very shallow relief, can also be seen. Monastery is recognizable by its wooden bell tower set by the facade of the church. The church was reconstructed again in 1990 when the new lodgings were built as well. The ruins of the old lodgings are located in the immediate vicinity of the monastery churchyard. Copied from the table in front of the monastery
Adrian D (6 years ago)
Beautiful orthodox monastery in the middle of Tara reservation. Very close to the road, don’t miss the occasion to visit.
Mark Ponce (6 years ago)
The history in this country is amazing, a great example of the monasterys from the 16th century.
Jiří Dvořák (7 years ago)
Wodnerfull piece place.Worthy for visiting.
Montenegro tours & airport transfers (8 years ago)
Beautiful monastery in green area. All about this place is magnificent.
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