MILEŠEVA MONASTERY

With a typical Raška archictecture, following a rectangular plan and topped by two Byzantine-style bell towers, the church and monastery of Mileševa were founded around 1235 by King Vladislav to house the remains of St. Sava, the founder of the Orthodox Church and a member of the Nemanjić royal family.
The Turks took St. Sava's remains to Belgrade, where they burned them. The monastery was repeatedly burned and looted by the Ottomans, so that it was still in ruins almost a century ago. Today, after several restorations, the church houses the tombs of King Vladislav and St. Sava: it is easy to understand why this monastery is so dear to the hearts of the Serbs!
The great wealth of Mileševa lies in its remarkable wall paintings executed between 1235 and 1240. The Mileševa school developed a naturalistic style, relying on the use of bright white and blue colors. After the exonarthex with the relics of St. Sava, you enter the narthex, which is completely covered with murals. On your left are depicted the first kings of the Nemanjić dynasty: one will recognize, in order, the founder of the dynasty, Vladislav, his brother Radoslav, Stefan Prvovenćani and St. Sava, Stefan's brother, finally Stefan Nemanja, their father. Among the remarkable elements, look for the white angel on the tomb of Christ, splendid in his immaculate tunic, and the Dormition of the Virgin, all dressed in black, visible at the back right on the second floor.