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.
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Read moreSuch a lovely place to visit. The monstery is very old and has a beautiful story to it.
But, this is a women's only monastery and tourists do not respect the privacy and rules of the monastery and the noons.
!!! No shorts, no tight clothes, no skirts or dresses above knees! Noons will not allow you to enter the monastery complex without proper dressing and manner! They will not argue, just ask you to leave.
Please, please, do not try to be loud or in any way intimidating. This is a very holly place for Montenegrins and the previous experiences noons had with some strangers were very unpleasant and left bad reputations to strangers.
However, if you are no rule breaker noons will let you in the monastery show you the amazing paintings inside or even invite you to a cup of coffee and a give you a piece of cake.
Such a lovely experience. Noons are sceptic at first but when they see good intentions they will be very...
Read moreI highly recommend any traveler to visit the monastery. The sister who is working there is an incredibly knowledgeable and kind soul. She was very kind to show us the interior of the church and tell us about the history of this place. We had a lovely conversation about the Byzantine art and the Serbian Church, so I'd encourage anyone to ask the sister about the Orthodox artistic tradition. The place itself is absolutely marvelous as it is situated in a deep valley between the mountains that makes you feel as if you are standing at the bottom of the big bowl. The scenery is so idyllic and peaceful that I wish I could stay there for longer. My companions and I loved every moment of it! I really hope that the nuns are doing great and I hope that we...
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