CETINJE religious monuments
Cetinje Monastery
In the period 1701-1704, Metropolitan Danilo, the first ruler of the Petrovic-Njegos dynasty, erected a new monastery on the site of the demolished Crnojevic court, which later became the political and spiritual centre of Montenegro.
The newly built monastery inherited the tradition of the ancient Cipur Monastery—parts of the plaques with the Crnojevic coat of arms and the cathedral inscription are incorporated into its architecture. In the difficult times that followed the constant battles with the Ottoman invaders, the Cetinje Monastery was repeatedly destroyed and burned—in 1712, 1714, and 1785—but was continually renovated and expanded by the metropolitan and faithful people of Cetinje. Its current appearance, for the most part, dates from 1786, completed with a final restoration in 1927.
In the monastery church with a beautiful iconostasis - the work of 19th-century Greek masters - are the tombs of Prince Danilo and Grand Duke Bozo Petrovic.
The church houses exceptional relics of world fame;
Holy remains of Metropolitan Peter I - Saint Peter of Cetinje ,
statesman, priest, writer, conciliator of the Montenegrin tribes and founder of the state of Montenegro in the new century.
The fist of St. John the Baptist.
Fragment of the True Cross.
Everything is displayed in golden coffins studded with precious stones.
Created over hundreds of years, the Cetinje Monastery Treasury represents one of the richest and most significant sacral museum collections in the Balkans. This precious historical and artistic collection, which can be traced chronologically from the 13th to the 20th century, consists of old manuscripts and printed books, icon works, ecclesiastical embroidery, ancient goldsmiths, sculptures, etc. It is not always possible to visit the monastery's extraordinary treasury,
and above all, when visiting the monastery, appropriate clothing is mandatory, and taking photos is not permitted.
In front of the entrance to the Monastery there is a large "guvno" (threshing floor),
which played an important role in the history and culture of Montenegro: it was used by Montenegrin rulers as a place for making political and judicial decisions.
Wallachian Church (Vlaska crkva)
The oldest temple, also the oldest building in Cetinje, was built around 1450 by shepherds - Vlachs who, according to legend, erected it in the shape of a mud hut.
The church has been expanded and rebuilt several times. Sometime in the 16th and 17th centuries, a third of a smaller stone building was constructed than the existing one, which was likely painted in fresco. The current architectural form—a finely crafted single-nave structure with a bell-shaped bell tower—dates back to the last major renovation in 1864. Legend has it that the famous Montenegrin hero Bajo Pivljanin and his wife are buried beneath the two old tombstones in front of the church; the tombstones date back to the 14th century. The fence surrounding the Vlach church was made from the barrels of 1,550 Turkish rifles captured during battles with the Ottoman Empire.
Remains of the ancient Crnojevic Monastery
The reason for the construction of this monastery is curious.
During his temporary exile in Italy in 1479, the Montenegrin lord Ivan Crnojevic visited the town of Loreto and the famous pilgrimage church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In Loreto, he vowed to the Blessed Virgin Mary that, if he ever returned to his homeland, he would build a monastery for her and her glory. Upon his return, he built the monastery in 1784, which was consecrated the following year. Ivan Crnojevic, a lover of writing and books, began working towards the end of his life on the construction of the first printing press in the Balkans. His idea was put into practice by his successor, and in 1490 he was given a printing press. Between 1494 and 1496, it served the monk Makaria and his collaborators for the first publication of the book "Oktoih," the first ever written in Cyrillic by the South Slavs. This was followed by four more books, which became the model for all Cyrillic printed works.
Until its destruction by the Turks in 1692, the Crnojevic Monastery was the main religious center of Montenegro: it housed Montenegrin metropolitans, political decisions were made there, and it was the time of great development and expansion of the First Principality of Montenegro.
Church of Cipur, the Royal Chapel
Today, on the site of the ancient monastery stands a splendid domed church, built in 1886 by Montenegrin Prince Nikola I, a kind of memorial temple of the court, as evidenced by the part of the cathedral inscription, above the western entrance door, which mentions the earlier building of Duke Ivan Crnojevic.
The interior of the temple is dominated by the sumptuous gilded iconostasis, the work of iconographers from St. Petersburg, created at the end of the 19th century.
In 1989, the remains of King Nicholas I and Queen Milena and their two daughters, who died in exile, were transferred from Sanremo and preserved in marble tombs in the church.
Another tombstone was placed in front of the iconostasis to house the relics of Duke Ivan Crnojevic.
So today they stand face to face, the founders of the city of Cetinje, the lords of Montenegro, Duke Ivan Crnojevic and King Nikola I Petrovic, under whose rule the city and the small principality, which later became the kingdom, flourished.
Next to the Cetinje Monastery, there's a small road that runs alongside Vladicinu bastu, the monastery garden, and leads to Orlov Krs, or Eagle Stone. A short hike through the greenery leads to the small mausoleum dedicated to Prince-Bishop Danilo I. This lookout offers a splendid panorama of the entire Cetinje Valley and towards Lovćen Mountain.
Today Cetinje has become one of the most important destinations for Orthodox pilgrimages in all of Eastern Europe.
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