Ostrog Monastery - The Miracle of Montenegro

Ostrog Monastery is one of the Historical monuments that certainly draws the attention of believers of all religions. It is one of the most visited monasteries in Southeast Europe. Situated on a vertical rock, with a view of the plain of Bjelopavlić, the monastery was founded by Metropolitan Basil of Herzegovina in the 17th century. The Metropolitan was also buried there and his body rests in a cave church.

The monastery consists of upper and lower parts.

Upper Monastery

The Ostrog Monastery was the temporary centre of the Zahumsko-Raska Diocese until the bishop established his house in Nikšić. The monastery remained part of the Zahumsko-Raska Diocese until 1931. In 1931 this diocese was abolished and annexed to the Montenegrin-Littoral Metropolitan Region.

The hermitic cave of the Reverend Isaiah Onogoski was built into the Church of the Holy Cross, and in the meantime, the old cave church of the Blessed Virgin Mary was restored.

Lower Monastery

St. Basil took care not only of the prayer and worship needs of the fraternity but also provided food and income for the inhabitants of the monastery by buying land from the peasants. There Bishop raised a place for the younger nuns. This way he created the nucleus of the Lower Monastery, with a complex of monastery estates composed of forests and arable land.

The Church of the Holy Trinity, located in the centre of the Lower Monastery Complex, is the endowment of the Ostroh archimandrite Josif Pavicevic from 1824. Parishioners Bjelopavlić and Pesjevac helped in building the church and they got blessings from Peter the First Njegos, the then Metropolitan of Montenegro.

20th and 21st century

In the period from 1923 to 1926, the monastery was rebuilt after the fire. The restoration saved the cave churches.

Today, the Ostrog Monastery represents a major monumental value.

During 2013 and 2014, many construction interventions were made in the port of the Upper Monastery. That refreshed the complex of the monastery with new splendour. At the entrance, the whole courtyard is tiled with mosaic-shaped stone tiles. In the area of both the Upper and Lower Monasteries, there are many mosaics with the figures of saints in various positions.

If you decide to visit Montenegro, regardless of your religious beliefs, come and see this special place. I bet you will not regrate it.