Cetinsky monastery: holy places. Photos and reviews

Cetinsky monastery, perhaps, is the mostknown spiritual relic in Montenegro. Every year, thousands of pilgrims from all over the world seek to its gates. Such popularity is due primarily to the fact that it is here in the repositories of the monastery are the greatest shrines of the Christian world, and, of course, attracts the atmosphere of deep faith and asceticism that has survived to the present day.

From the history of the monastery

The Christian shrine is in the historicalthe capital of the country - the city of Cetinje. Cetinsky monastery, also known as the monastery of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was built by the ruler of the principality of Zeta Ivan I Chernovich. After that the chair of the Zet diocese settled down in it.

The monastery was repeatedly destroyed. For the first time until its foundation, it was demolished as a result of the invasion of the Turks in 1692 and rebuilt by Vladika Danila. The place was chosen a bit away from the original. However, during construction, the stones of the old monastery and the plate with the seal of I. Chernoevich were used.

The second time Cetinsky monastery (Montenegro)The Turks burned in 1714. After that, it was repeatedly restored and rebuilt. The last reconstruction of the temple complex was made in 1927. Now the monastery houses several iconic shrines of Christianity.

The architecture of the monastery

Historians assume that the temple was built athelp of masters from Primorye, which is confirmed by the peculiarities of the architectural style. In the middle of the monastery supposedly stood a church surrounded on three sides by a cannonade. On the perimeter of the site were the monastic buildings and the church of St. Peter. The exterior walls of the complex had loopholes, and behind them was a deep moat and a fence of stakes. The modern Cetinje Monastery (Montenegro) has preserved in part some fragments to date.

Now the central element of the complexstill is the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin. It is built of a hewn natural stone and inside it houses the greatest Montenegrin shrine - the relics of St. Peter of Cetinje, as well as the relics of the Order of the Knights of Malta. In addition, it features a rich carved iconostasis - the work of Greek masters of the 19th century.

The treasury of the monastery collected a unique anda rich collection of ancient printed books and manuscripts, personal belongings of Montenegrin metropolitans, church utensils and much more. Many exhibits were received as a gift from Russia.

The Hand of John the Baptist

For several decades CetinskyMonastery (Montenegro), the photo of which is presented in the article, is the place of keeping the right imperishable hand (the right hand) of the prophet John the Baptist. It is one of the most revered shrines in the Christian Orthodox world. The Bible indicates that John the Baptist placed his right hand on the head of Christ during the rite of baptism.

The hand does not have two fingers: the little finger, which is now kept in the museum of Istanbul, and the nameless, located in the Italian Siena. The shrine is enclosed in an ark of gold, made by the order of Paul I.

The Evangelist Luke moved his right hand to AntiochJohn the Baptist, where it was kept for ten centuries. In the time of Julian the Apostate, the relics of the saints were taken from the graves and burned. The townspeople hid their hand in one of the towers, in the 10th century it was sent to Chalcedon, and then to Constantinople. When the city was captured by the Turks, in 1453 the shrine was sent to the island of Rhodes and further to Malta. In Russia, the right hand came from the Maltese order during the reign of Paul I, when he became their great master.

After the beginning of the revolution, the Ark in order to savehas traveled a long way from our country to Belgrade. How it came to Cetinje monastery in Cetinje is difficult to say, but after many years, during which the shrine was considered lost, it was found there in 1993.

Relics of St. Petra Cetinsky

In the world, Peter I Petrovich Nyogosh was the ruler andMetropolitan of Montenegro, he was canonized under the name of Cetinsky, was canonized by the Serbian Orthodox Church. Born in Negushah in 1748, the priest at the age of 17 became deacon and was sent to Russia for training. After the death of anarchist Arseny Plamenac in 1784, he was elected to the throne by the Montenegrin Council.

The prelate died at the age of 81 and was buriedin the monastery church. Four years later, under the decree of Peter II, the coffin and imperishable relics were opened. At the same time he was ranked as a saint. Now Cetinsky monastery of relics of St. Peter of Cetinsky keeps in the open ark together with the troparion and kontakion made posthumously.

Particles of the Holy Cross

The life-giving, or the Holy Cross, is a cross onwhich, according to the Bible, was crucified Jesus Christ. It refers to the most important Christian relics. There is a whole cycle of legends telling about its creation and subsequent finding by believers. The latter, in particular, speak of him as newly found from the year 326. It is believed that he was found in Jerusalem by Queen Helena during her pilgrimage. In addition to the cross, four nails were also found. In honor of these events, one of the most important church holidays was established - the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord. He has different calendar dates from Catholics and Orthodox.

Particles of the Holy Cross are kept separately. One of them fell into the Cetinsky monastery. History connects all this with the same Order of the Knights of Malta. From them, the particles found themselves in the Russian Empire, where they remained until the revolution of 1917. Then, like the right hand of St. John the Baptist, part of the Holy Cross found themselves in Montenegro.

Crown of King S. Dechansky

Stefan Dechansky was canonized by the Orthodoxthe Church of Serbia as the holy king. During his reign at the expense of the Byzantine Empire, Serbia expanded its borders, flourished and became the strongest state on the Balkan Peninsula.

Concerning his mysterious death, alwaystwo versions are being put forward. According to the first, at the end of his life the king succumbed to the influence of his young wife and decided to transfer the throne to his youngest son from his second marriage. The eldest son made such a decision and did not rebuke, but retired to Constantinople. After some time, the king died in the fortress Zvecan natural death, it is assumed that from a heart attack.

According to the second version, S. Dechansky was strangled by an angry son. It was her who accepted the church, canonizing the king as a martyr. However, there is no documentary evidence of this or that version, each of them could happen with equal probability. The crown of the great King of Serbia still preserves the Cetinje Monastery as one of the sacred relics.

Holy Captain Saint Savva

Epitrachel is a characteristic oforthodox priest and bishop, part of the liturgical vestments. It has the form of a long ribbon that bends around the neck and comes to the front with both ends. She is put on top of a cassock or a pantry. According to the canons of the church, it is impossible to perform religious rites without it.

Cetinje Monastery is a storage placeepitrachili of St. Sava - one of the most revered in the Serbian Orthodox Church of saints, a cultural and religious figure, who lived around 1169-1236. He is considered the patron of schools.

Cetinje

Speaking about the Cetinsky monastery, you can notmention the wonderful city in which it is located. The Constitution of Montenegro equates him with the official capital of Polgorica. The city has the official residence of the President and the Ministry of Culture of the country. It is small in area, the population (according to 2011) is almost 14 thousand people. Located in a picturesque region: intermontane basin, at the foot of the Lovcen mountain massif.

According to the statistics of meteorologists,is one of the rainiest cities in Europe. The history of its existence begins presumably from 1440, after 44 years, the Cetinsky Monastery was founded there, where, as already mentioned, one of the main shrines of the Orthodox Church is located.

A trip to it may be associated with a resortrecreation, because the Adriatic Sea is just 12 km away, and Skadar Lake, the largest on the Balkans, is located 15 km away. The city belongs to a seismically active zone with the possibility of earthquakes with an amplitude of up to 8 points. Visiting this Cetinje will be interesting for everyone. The city for five centuries was the cultural and political center of the country. Annually numerous festivals and festivals are held here, museum doors are open for visitors and the gates of beautiful parks open.

Cetinje Monastery (Montenegro): how to arrive

The city of Cetinje is connected with the rest of the districtsMontenegro is only a highway. Distance to the second Podgorica is 33 km, Budva - 32 km, and Kotor - 35 km. A little more will have to travel to the international airport, called Podgorica, namely 48 km.

The road is a two-lane roadmotorway of national importance. The bus station in the city of Cetinje is not operational, but all the buses that follow the route Podgorica-Budva and back make it stop.

The quality of roads, according to travelers,average, and sometimes it becomes pretty scary, especially when the mountain serpentine and sharp turns begin. But it is at this moment that you can see the stunning natural landscapes beyond the window of a car or bus, from which the heart sinks.

After you get to your destination,find a temple will be easy. If you do not have a map, then it's easiest to ask any city dweller, where the Cetinsky monastery, how to get to it and where to find a house, if you are planning to spend the night. With hotels, hotels and other accommodation options in these places, according to tourists, not everything is smooth.

Rules for visiting the complex

Before you go to this holy place,it is enough to recall one fair proverb about the fact that they do not go to a foreign monastery with its charter. Therefore, you need to prepare in advance. According to the pilgrims, here more demanding attitude to appearance. Polite monks will remind you that you have come to the temple of God and must follow certain rules.

Concerning clothes, remember that the shouldersand the knees should be closed, for women, a skirt and a kerchief are required. If for any reason you could not get dressed appropriately, then do not worry. Monks in the courtyard offer to take everything they need (pareos, scarves and even trousers for men who came in shorts). Provides everything for free, most importantly - do not forget after visiting the monastery to return everything.

Cetinsky monastery: reviews of tourists

Pilgrims and ordinary tourists do not get tiredto emphasize that it is the monastery in Cetina that has the closest and, so to speak, native history for the Russian people, not to mention the sacred relics that the entire country knows about. Many people heard of them before they traveled to Montenegro.

In their reviews on the tourist portalstravelers celebrate not only the amazing atmosphere of the monastery, but also the magnificent nature around. Lost in the mountains, the town is beautiful, peace and tranquility prevail in it.

Pilgrims say that, be it Cetinskymonastery, churches in other cities, it is necessary to observe when they visit the established rules regarding appearance. They were discussed in more detail above.

In the reviews about the Cetinsky monastery it is often mentioneda church shop that is located on its territory. Here pilgrims can buy candles, icons, as it is not difficult to guess, the face of John the Baptist, whose right hand is kept within the walls of the temple, enjoys special popularity. Do not forget to write two notes (for health and peace of soul) and pass them on to the priest. Indicate only the closest people and preferably no more than 5 people.

Travelers who visited the Cetinsky Monasteryin the framework of a tour, it is said that very little time is given to inspect the temple, the tour turns out to be a runaway one. Therefore, if you have the opportunity, come to these places for at least one day. Remember that in the summer time the flow of pilgrims is very large.

The city itself is of great interest. Beautiful architecture, old streets and friendly people - all this has and remains in the memory for a long time. Bright and original Montenegro has always been close to our country, however it is not only a beach holiday on the Adriatic coast. In order to get to know the country closer, you should look at it from the inside, visit small villages in the mountains, rural churches and ancient monasteries, admire the picturesque views and "taste" it. Magnificent Balkan cuisine with an abundance of meat dishes, vegetables and home-made cheeses deserves no less attention than history and culture.