Visiting Manastir Manasija in Despotovac, Serbia

jana meerman manastir manasija serbia-22

A spontaneous trip through the Balkans saw me enter my 63rd country of Serbia. Having just arrived from the peaceful Lake Balaton in Hungary, I was looking forward to a few days based in the busy capital of Belgrade and exploring some of the surrounding country.

On my first full day in Serbia, I joined a tour of Eastern Serbia with Get Your Guide. We made four stops throughout eastern Serbia, designed to give us a taste of all the variety of this part of the country.

→ Check out my complete guide to exploring eastern Serbia!

The first stop was a visit to the Manasija Monastery or Manastir near Despotovac.

How to Get to Manastir Manasija

How to Visit Manastir Manasija

Founded by Despot Stefan Lazarević between 1406 and 1418 this beautiful and idyllic monastery is considered one of the most important places of medieval Serbian culture. Lazarević's final resting place is inside the church.

Many well-known manuscripts and translations were produced in its Schoolf of Resava and the inside of the church is home to some stunning frescoes, notably including the non-reproducable Byzantine blue.

"…across hills and fields and deserts he went looking for a place on which to build the desired family, the silent home. Having found the most suitable and the best site to build the home and having said a prayer, he approached the task and laid the foundations in the name of the Holy Trinity, universal Divinity…" - Constantine the Philosopher, 1433

Entrance to visit the monastery is free.

→ Check out all my guides from Serbia!

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Jana Meerman

Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.

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