Kovilje monastery

Kovilje Monastery (Манастир Ковиљe), dedicated to Archangel Gabriel, is a monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church, located in the village of Kovilje, in the municipality of Ivanjica, in south-west Serbia belonging to the Žiča Diocese. It is sited between Golija and Javor mountains, in the Nošnica river valley. The monastery has two churches, one built partly in a cave and dedicated to the Archangel Gabriel, the other, added later, dedicated to St. Nicholas.

The monastery was founded in the 12th century. The first written reference to it is in 1606, in the "Kruševačkom Pomeniku". It was rebuilt in 1644 by Archbishop Gavrilo (Rašković). Records from 1733 mention it as an educational establishment.^[1]

The hegumen of the monastery is the young Serbian Orthodox Hieromonk Amvrosije. He lives there by himself with his tamed animals of two wolves, a fox, an eagle, a snake, raven, rabbit and an owl. The Serb-American community of Libertyville have donated a motorcycle and 4-wheel-drive to the monastery. The life of the monastery has been documented in the Serbian documentary "Monah i vuk".

Architecture

Kovilje Monastery

The monastery consists of two temples: the first is dedicated to the Holy Archangel Gabriel and another, that was later built, is dedicated to St. Nicholas. Church of the Holy Archangel partially rests on the rock, so it can be classified in a group of ascetic cave churches. It is a single building with altar niche. It is believed to have been built in the late 12th or the early 13th century, judging by the remains of frescoes and traditions.

Another temple has a rectangular base and a dome. From frescoes dating from the 13th century, which have survived only in fragments, characters of saints are still well preserved.^[2]

Restoration

The icon of Christ in the Church of Holy Archangel Gabriel

During the year 1644, Metropolitan of Raska, Gavrilo(Rašković), visits the monastery and finds it extremely neglected, in serious condition. Then he restores it and stays in it for a while, and in 1651 he endows the Monastery with a shackled and decorated Holy Gospel for the liturgical needs of the restored church of St. Nicholas, and frees the monastery land, which was returned to the monastery.

From the records of 1733,we find that a spiritualist Filip lives in the monastery, who taught those who wanted to become priests. From all this, the monastery was highly ranked as an important place in both spiritual, as well as in national and political life of the people of this region. One of the oldest schools in Serbia was open here in 1867. There was also a school for future priests. Since 1813, the monastery performed an active function of a regular parochial school.

The monastery was restored in 2005, and the monastery refectory was built during 2007 - 2009.

The interior of the Church of Holy Archangel Gabriel

The interior of the Church of St. Nicholas

References

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Vasilija Ostroškog Tavna Tvrdoš Uspenja Bogorodičinog Veselinje Vozuća Zavala Žitomislić Croatia Dragović Gomirje Komogovina Krka Krupa Lepavina Sv. Lazarica Orahovica Sv. Nedjelje Sv. Petke Sv. Vasilija Ostroškog Others Hilandar (Mount Athos) New Gračanica Monastery (USA) Notes * indicate monasteries in Kosovo, which is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Kosovo. List of Serbian Orthodox monasteries Serbian Orthodox churches Serbia Church of Saint Sava St. Michael's Cathedral St. George, Banovo Brdo Ružica St. Mark's Church St. Basil of Ostrog St. Achillius, Arilje Peter's Church, Ras Cave Church, Lukovo Štava Church Odžaklija Kađenica Lazarica Church Church of St. George, Lukovo Church of Holy Ascension, Krupanj Saint George's Cathedral (Novi Sad) the Assumption, Zrenjanin Our Lady of Ljeviš* Church of the Virgin Hodegetria* Church of St. Elijah, Podujevo* Church of St. Nicholas, Prizren* Mala Gospojina Church* Christ the Saviour Cathedral, Pristina* Montenegro Cathedral of Podgorica Vlah Church Bosnia and Herzegovina Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in Sarajevo Old Orthodox Church in Sarajevo Church of the Holy Transfiguration, Sarajevo Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Banja Luka Church of St. George, Sopotnica Old Church of St. Nicholas, Javorani Croatia Church of the Holy Venerable Mother Parascheva Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Trpinja Church of St. Nicholas, Vukovar Church of Pentecost, Vinkovci Church of St. George, Kneževo Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, Negoslavci Church of Pentecost, Markušica Church of St. George, Bobota Church of St. Stephen, Borovo Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, Srijemske Laze Church of St. Peter and Paul, Bolman Church of St. Stefan Štiljanović, Karanac Church of St. Nicholas, Mirkovci Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Gaboš Church of St. Nicholas, Jagodnjak Church of St. Demetrius, Dalj Serbian Orthodox Cathedral, Zagreb Church of St. George, Grubišno Polje Church of St. Nicholas, Karlovac Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, Drežnica Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Štikada Church of St. George, Varaždin Church of the Holy Annunciation, Dubrovnik Orthodox Church in Knin Church of St. Peter and Paul, Tepljuh St. Spyridon Church, Peroj Church of St. Nicholas, Rijeka Church of St. Nicholas, Vrlika Orthodox church of Holy Salvation, Cetina United States Sts. Constantine and Helen Serbian Orthodox Church, USA Trinity Chapel Complex, USA Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church (Jackson, California), USA Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church (Merrillville, Indiana), USA St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Cathedral (Milwaukee, Wisconsin), USA Other countries St. Archangel Michael Serbian Orthodox Church (Toronto), Canada Sts. Cyril and Methodius Church, Slovenia Serbian Church in Arad, Romania St. Sava Church, Paris, France Church of the Holy Prince Lazar, United Kingdom Serbian Orthodox Church, Halifax, United Kingdom St. Nicholas, West Wycombe, United Kingdom Saint Spyridon Church, Trieste, Italy Annunciation Church, Szentendre, Hungary Transfiguration Church, Szentendre, Hungary Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, Stockholm, Sweden Notes * indicate churches in Kosovo, which is the subject of a territorial dispute between Serbia and Kosovo. Serbian saints St. Angelina St. Basil of Ostrog St. Danilo II St. Helen of Anjou St. Jovan Vladimir St. Prince Lazar / St. Princess Milica St. Makarije Sokolović St. Nikodim I St. Nikolaj Velimirović St. Peter of Cetinje St. Sava St. Sava II St. Simeon the Monk St. Simeon the Myrrh-flowing St. Stefan Lazarević St. Stefan Štiljanović St. Stefan Uroš St. Stefan of Dečani St. Stefan the Blind St. Stefan of Piperi Teodor Komogovinski St. Vladislav St. Vukašin