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Full-Day Eastern Serbia Monasteries and Resava Cave Tour from Belgrade
1 day
Full Day
Instant confirmation
About this activity
Your tour starts from Studentski Trg. Then head towards Pomoravlje District, known as the center of the last Serbian Medieval Kingdom, where monasteries steel keep enormous cultural and historical legacy and wealth.
Your first stop is Ravanica monastery. It was the endowment of Prince Lazar built during the period between 1375 and 1377, with its frescoes painted in the years preceding the Battle of Kosovo. Due to its architectural and artistic features, the Ravanica church can be called the birthplace of the new artistic movement called the Morava school. The church is original in its architectural style, which is a blend of the Mount Athos tradition of the trefoil base and the cross-in-square five-domed model which became standard in the time of King Milutin.
Continue your ride to Manasija monastery. Manasija monastery is one of the last monuments to Serbian medieval culture, raised by Despot Stefan Lazarević, son of Prince Lazar. The construction of the church, an extravagant fortification and large refectory took from 1406 to 1418. The impressive walls with 11 towers, surrounded by a trench, would at that time have been a modern system for the defense of the monastery. The most dominant and most imposing tower – the keep – is known as Despotova Kula (Despot’s Tower).
The Church of the Holy Trinity is considered a prime example of Morava architecture.
The frescoes in Manasija, together with those in Kalenić, are the most beautiful of the Morava properties and are considered among the best in old Serbian art in general. Besides the monumental depictions of warriors in the choir transept, especially beautiful are the prophets pictured in the dome, as well as the idealized depiction of Despot Stefan Lazarević presenting a model of the church to the Holy Trinity. Besides monastery churches and fortifications, Manasija partially preserves the remains of the old refectory and library. The library housed a scriptorium in which numerous books were copied for church use. The so-called 'Resava orthography' was greatly valued and was to influence later scribes for some time to come.
After this extraordinary experience, you will visit the Resava cave, one of the oldest in Serbia, some 80 million years old, with some of the older formations dating back around 45 million years. The interior of the cave abounds in numerous and varied halls, channels, galleries, columns, stalactites, stalagmites, draperies and flowstone waterfalls.
Further on, you will enjoy a traditional Serbian lunch in a unique atmosphere, in a restaurant directly bellow the waterfall.
After an unforgettable day, you will head back to Belgrade
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Your first stop is Ravanica monastery. It was the endowment of Prince Lazar built during the period between 1375 and 1377, with its frescoes painted in the years preceding the Battle of Kosovo. Due to its architectural and artistic features, the Ravanica church can be called the birthplace of the new artistic movement called the Morava school. The church is original in its architectural style, which is a blend of the Mount Athos tradition of the trefoil base and the cross-in-square five-domed model which became standard in the time of King Milutin.
Continue your ride to Manasija monastery. Manasija monastery is one of the last monuments to Serbian medieval culture, raised by Despot Stefan Lazarević, son of Prince Lazar. The construction of the church, an extravagant fortification and large refectory took from 1406 to 1418. The impressive walls with 11 towers, surrounded by a trench, would at that time have been a modern system for the defense of the monastery. The most dominant and most imposing tower – the keep – is known as Despotova Kula (Despot’s Tower).
The Church of the Holy Trinity is considered a prime example of Morava architecture.
The frescoes in Manasija, together with those in Kalenić, are the most beautiful of the Morava properties and are considered among the best in old Serbian art in general. Besides the monumental depictions of warriors in the choir transept, especially beautiful are the prophets pictured in the dome, as well as the idealized depiction of Despot Stefan Lazarević presenting a model of the church to the Holy Trinity. Besides monastery churches and fortifications, Manasija partially preserves the remains of the old refectory and library. The library housed a scriptorium in which numerous books were copied for church use. The so-called 'Resava orthography' was greatly valued and was to influence later scribes for some time to come.
After this extraordinary experience, you will visit the Resava cave, one of the oldest in Serbia, some 80 million years old, with some of the older formations dating back around 45 million years. The interior of the cave abounds in numerous and varied halls, channels, galleries, columns, stalactites, stalagmites, draperies and flowstone waterfalls.
Further on, you will enjoy a traditional Serbian lunch in a unique atmosphere, in a restaurant directly bellow the waterfall.
After an unforgettable day, you will head back to Belgrade
Included
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan or private car
- Professional guide
Not included
- Traditional lunch = 10 EUR per person
- Gratuities
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Child rate applies only when sharing with 2 paying adults
- Even during summer months, it's quite breezy in the cave, so we advise bringing warm clothes and comfortable shoes.
- We never cancel our tours, however, if you are the only person on tour, a supplement of 50% will be applied. At latest 24 hours before the trip, you will be informed in the case that you are the only guest on tour, and we will offer a choice between canceling the tour with no fees applied, or paying the supplement of 50% of the price.
Features
Tourism
90%
Cultural
65%
Reviews
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It was a diversified and great organised tour through fantastic eastern Serbia. Aleksandar was an amazing guide. Thank you! It is worth the money.
We had a fun day with the excursion run by Victor Tours. Mirko was an excellent guide who had endless information about the past and present of Serbia. He was also personable, flexible, and gave us suggestions for dining and nightlife once we were back in Belgrade. The monasteries and caves were beautiful as was the scenery on the drives out. Fully recommend!
We made this trip as a private tour for our group of 4, visiting 2 beautiful monasteries and the fascinating Resava Cave. Our guide Alexander is personable, fluent in English, and well versed in Serbian history. He was also an excellent driver on this snowy day! We highly recommend this tour and this wonderful guide!
If you are interested in the history of Serbia even Balkan, you should not miss this tour!! Nemanja is a perfect tour guide to open your trip!!
We took several tours with Aleksandar, and are happy we did. He was very professional and knowledgeable on all the tours. This tour is well arranged, with visits to two historic monasteries Ravanica and Manasija, the Resava cave and a stop for lunch near the Veliki Buk waterfall. Visiting Ravanica and Manasija will educate you about Serbian history because the founders of the two monasteries, Prince Lazar and his son, Despot Stefan Lazarević, are key figures in medieval Serbian history. Their stories and sacrifices have helped to shape the views of modern-day Serbs.
This was a really wonderful tour with a very helpful, knowledgeable, friendly guide. Alexander picked us up at the Belgrade bus station and kept us entertained during the drive to Ravenica, which is a site not to be missed. Built by St. Lazar, it's in a secluded area hard to reach by car but decorated with incredible frescoes. Then, we got a private tour of the Resava cave, a really fantastic, typical lunch near a cool waterfall, and finally Manasija Monastery but by Despot Stephen, the last great ruler of Serbia. This trip will put you back into the world of Medieval Serbia during the final dynasty before 500 years of Ottoman rule. Following the trip, we were driven back to our hostel in Belgrade. Highly recommend!