Sopoćani Monastery

A forerunner of the Renaissance

Sopoćani Monastery, an endowment of King Stefan Uroš I, was built around 1260 near the source of the Raška River. It takes its name from the Old Slavonic word “sopot”, meaning a spring.

What sets Sopoćani apart on a world scale are its frescoes. Painted in 1265, they represent the pinnacle of Byzantine art of that age. The figures in the frescoes are not ascetically dry, but beautiful, harmonious in an antique manner and full of life. Many art historians consider that Sopoćani painting anticipated the Italian Renaissance, which would come only a century later.

The Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God

The most famous fresco is the monumental “Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God”, which was proclaimed the most beautiful fresco of the Middle Ages at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1961. Since 1979 the monastery has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List.