Gracanica Monastery

About

One of King Milutin's final monumental endowments, the monastery was built on the ruins of an older 13th-century church, which itself stood on the site of a 6th-century Christian basilica. However of the complex, only the church still remains. Representing the pinnacle of Serbian Byzantine architecture, the church is filled with artwork spanning centuries. The earliest frescoes were painted in 1321-22, and are regarded as some of the highest artistic achievements of Milutin's era, executed in a luxurious style called the ‘Paleologan Renaissance’. Upholding the noble tradition, Patriarch Makarije Sokolovic commissioned additional frescoes in 1570. In the treasury, visitors will find a number of valuable icons and liturgical objects from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Please note: this is an active church, so visitors must dress respectably - no shorts or sleeveless tops for anyone, and headscarves for women.