“Montenegro 🇲🇪 ~Ostrog Monastery”
We finally made it to the monastery built into the cliff!
We have been trying to get to this amazing site for days, but we’ve had so many wonderful distractions, exploring many other places on our way to Ostrog. There is so much beauty to take in, while in beautiful Montenegro.
Ostrog Monastery was as amazing as I thought it would be. The drive from the capital City of Podgorica took about an hour and a half. It would normally have been less time, but there was a rock slide, that had the road down to one lane.
The last 15 minutes of the drive to the top of the cliff hugging Monastery was quite twisty and curvy. Best to go slow, as not everybody does, nor do they stay on their side of the roadway.
The day was hot; almost 100 degrees! In a normal summer tourist year, we would have never been able to drive up to the monastery, itself, as there is limited parking. So, we were overjoyed for the lesser crowds once again. There are stairs all the way up, but not in this heat!
Can you see the Monastery, yet?
There she is!
Built high into the face of a mountain in central Montenegro, the Ostrog Monastery is situated near heaven. Depending on the weather and resulting cloud formations, the Serbian Orthodox monastery can be in or above the clouds. Regardless of the temporal conditions, it is a beautiful, sacred spot that is unequaled in importance for Montenegrins and Serbians.
It is one of the most visited Orthodox sites in the world, and for good reason.
It is beautiful because of the monastery itself, as well as the nature all around it. The two can’t be separated. The cliff with the monastery structure is breathtaking. The valley below with more mountains jutting up on the other side are are also gorgeous. It is a surreal place to visit, enjoy spiritual reflection, solitude, or prayer.
The monastery of Ostrog is a monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church situated against an almost vertical background, high up in the large rock of Ostroška Greda. It is dedicated to Saint Basil of Ostrog (Sveti Vasilije Ostroški), who is buried here.
The frescoes in the Church of the Presentation were created towards the end of the 17th century. The other church, dedicated to the Holy Cross, is placed within a cave on the upper level of the monastery and was painted by master Radul, who successfully coped with the natural shapes of the cave and laid the frescoes immediately on the surface of the rock and the south wall.
Around the church are the monastic residences, which together with the church building and the scenery make this monument outstandingly beautiful.
Today, Saint Vasilije’s remains are in one of the cave churches. The Orthodox faithful cross themselves and kiss the blanket-wrapped bones of St. Vasilije. Known as the Saint of Miracles, St. Vasilije is also regarded by many as the patron Saint of Montenegro. Many come to Ostrog to pray and have others pray for their healing. It is not uncommon to see the sick, blind, and lame coming here hoping and praying for a miracle.
Also of interest is the vine which grows out of the rock. It’s said that it’s a miracle because nothing should be able to grow out of the sheer rock face.
This Monastery was founded by Vasilije, the Metropolitan Bishop of Herzegovina in the 17th century. He died there in 1671 and some years later he was glorified. His body is enshrined in a reliquary kept in the cave-church dedicated to the Presentation of the Mother of God to the Temple.
Looking out from the Ostrog Monastery, the mountain across the Zeta Valley and skies above are both visible. This superb view of the Bjelopavlići plain can be seen as well. This adds to the feeling that this is a unique place of beauty where heaven and earth meet in a special way.
An Orthodox Priest
The present-day look was given to the Monastery in 1923-1926, after a fire which had destroyed the major part of the complex. Fortunately, the two upper little cave-churches were spared and they are the key areas of the monument.
The Orthodox monastery of Ostrog is one of the most frequently visited on the Balkans. It attracts over 100,000 visitors a year. It is visited by believers from all parts of the world, either individually or in groups. It represents the meeting place of all confessions: the Orthodox, the Catholics and the Muslims. According to the stories of pilgrims, by praying by his body, many have been cured and helped in lessening the difficulties in their lives.
The lower monastery centers around the Church of the Holy Trinity that was built in 1824. It also makes up most of the monk residences. There are dorm rooms available for pilgrims here too.
Here are some views of the drive up and back down the mountain to visit the Monastery
It looked like a fire has broken out, across from the Monastery
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Hello and Welcome to our Travel Blog Website, We enjoy writing about our experiences and taking photos of our adventuring along the way. Our names are: Daryl and Pen, but Daryl calls me “Bunny.” We met, quite randomly, whilst both… Read More
Wonderful words and images as always! I miss being able to comment as I go but that’s probably for the best, LOL!! I did find it a bit “unorthodox” to see the priest on a cell phone. 😀
I know, we miss it too. I don’t think there is a sophisticated program for this, as the programs must be huge. Thanks for being part of this blog. Its so surprising when we learned how to check on if anybody was looking, we learned (a that first check…over 5,000 were! Its a bit mind-boggling to have taken this on, and its still not done. Im glad I did not know how difficult this was all going to be, or I wouldn’t have done it. But, once I start something, Im a bit of a bulldog with a bone. I will finish this! Our new web designer revamped our website, and as soon as he gets all the details just right, we will launch the new face lift. It won’t change anything for you at all. Easy-peasy. I know,,,being in an ancient place, and seeing the cellphone convo going on was funny to me, too. Unorthodox…good one!
Wow…this is such a special place!!! I love learning of new places through your travels!
You are welcome, Franny! Thanks for commenting. We love to share our experiences and we are learning all the time, too.