CETINJE MONASTERY (CETINJSKI MANASTIR)

This monastery is characteristic of Montenegrin religious architecture. It was built at the very beginning of the ^18th century by order of Prince-Bishop Danilo ^I, on the site of the former palace of Ivan Crnojević, the founder of the city. The original monastery (built by Ivan Crnojević in the ^15th century) was located nearby, but completely destroyed by the Turks in 1692. Several fragments of this older monastery were used in the construction of the new church building. We refer to the six capitals in the gallery on the first floor of the lodge and a parapet plate on the apse of the monastic church.

In the center of the monastic complex, the small chapel dedicated to the birth of the Virgin contains two major relics: the right hand of St. John the Baptist and a fragment of the cross of Christ. The building, decorated with an iconostasis painted by Greek artists, also houses the tombs of Prince Danilo and the great voivode Mirko Petrović. In the church courtyard lie Darinka and Olga, respectively the wife and daughter of Prince Danilo ^I. In the residence of the metropolitan, two treasures of Orthodox religious art: the seal of Ivan Crnojević, founder of the city, crosses, mitres adorned with jewels, numerous icons, very old chasubles, as well as a remarkable collection of old books.

These riches of Orthodox art explain the popularity of pilgrims from all over the region, and even from Russia.