Description of the attraction
The Rezevici Monastery is located near Milocer in Montenegro. It is surrounded on all sides by an old but very beautiful olive grove. Any local resident will tell you how to find this monastery, because it is known not only in Montenegro, but also far beyond its borders. The name of the monastery was given by the nearby river "Rezhevich".
Three small churches are part of the monastery: the Church of the Holy Trinity, the Church of the Holy Archdeacon Stephen and the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but each monastery has its own long history of creation.
Back in 1226, the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos was built by King Stephen the First Crowned. In those ancient times, according to an ancient custom, local feudal lords Pashtrovichi left a jug of wine near the road, with which any traveler could quench his thirst. And once, driving through these parts, King Stephen, having drunk from a jug, ordered to build in this place the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin, as he considered it gracious.
A hundred years later, another king, Dushan, traveling in these parts, gave a decree to build a church to St. Stephen near the temple of the Assumption of the Virgin. And later, already in 1785, the Church of the Holy Trinity appeared here.
The decision to build a new church arose during the restoration of the monastery of St. Stephen. By the way, during the construction of the last church, the evidence of the involvement of Tsar Dushan in the construction of the previous church was destroyed, and also some of the picturesque frescoes have sunk into eternity. There is a legend that the builders, who disrespectfully treated antiquities, began to suffer from terrible ailments, and after the completion of the work, everyone soon died.
Years later, Abbot Maxim Koserevats and local believers restored these three churches, adding small cells to them. He also brought a precious cross from the Koserevac monastery, which was kept here until the Second World War. The cross was lost precisely during these years, as the monastery was vandalized and was looted and partially burned by the enemy invaders.
Today the monastery has been completely restored. Its walls show us many examples of antiquity painting, priceless frescoes and religious shrines. One of them is the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The architectural ensemble of the monastery, all relics and values are the property of the country and are strictly protected by the government of Montenegro.
