MONASTÈRE DE ZAVALA

Founded in 1271, this Serbian Orthodox monastery (Manastir Zavala/Манастир Завала) is located at the northern entrance to the village of Zavala, which has about 180 inhabitants (77% Bosnian-Croats and 23% Bosnian-Serbs). It houses precious frescoes made in 1619 by the great Serbian painter and monk Georgije Mitrofanović (c. 1550-1630) trained in Mount Athos, Greece. Leaning against the slopes of Mount Ostrog (710 m above sea level), the complex is built on a terrace, offering beautiful views over the valley of Popovo Polje. It is made up of recent buildings: it was ravaged by the oustachis in 1942 and only the old church dedicated to the Presentation of the Holy Mother of God (where the frescoes are) was spared. With the monasteries of Žitomislić (in Buna, near Mostar) and Tvrdoš (in Trebinje), it is one of the three high places of Serbian Orthodoxy in Herzegovina. It was here that the Serbian saint Basil of Ostrog, a native of the area, began his monastic life at the age of 7, in 1617. According to local tradition, the complex was founded in the 4th century by Constantine, the first Roman emperor who was considered Christian and the founder of the Byzantine Empire. Since 2004, the monastery and the nearby Vjetrenica cave have been included together on the Unesco Tentative List for World Heritage Listing.

Church and frescoes. Built of ashlar and covered with slate, this modest 13th century single nave church evokes an ascetic's chapel. This impression is reinforced by the north and west walls which are supported by the rocks of Mount Ostrog. One enters the narthex, to the south, separated from the naos by a three-bay wall. A fairly recent stone iconostasis delimits the altar reserved for the communicating clergy. On the west side, the vault is lower: it supports the secret room where the monastery's treasure was kept. Faithful to the archaic style of the fourteenth century (the golden age of the Serbian Church), the frescoes retain the bright colors that Mitrofanović liked. Most notable are the four portraits of Christ at the top of the vault. The painter placed them in circles inscribed in squares to create the illusion of four domes on pendants. Jesus appears as a child (Christ Emmanuel), with wings (Angel of the Great Council), as a middle-aged man and as an old man (Ancient of Days, a Byzantine tradition). Also noteworthy is the beautiful composition of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple (the dedication of the church) and the scene of the Flagellation among the Passion cycle.