Capital city's monastery is the resting place of two Serbian patriarchs: Rakovica is our spiritual treasure

Serbian bishop Nikolaj, who was canonized at the start of this century, became a monk in Rakovica, a municipality of Belgrade, while the great spiritual figure Father Tadej was ordained to the rank of hieromonk here

Next to the Rakovica Stream, near the hills Strazevica and Pruzevica, is the Rakovica Monastery, as well as a church dedicated to the archangels Michael and Gabriel.

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According to popular belief, the foundation of this shrine is related to the era of Serbian kings Milutin and Dragutin, but modern documents call this information into question. However, what is unquestionable is that the monastery of Rakovica is one of the spiritual treasures of Serbia, for several reasons.

It is known that in medieval times, this monastery was located near Mt. Avala, so it was often targeted by the Turks who would plunder and destroy it. That is why it was in the 16th century moved to its current location.

Thanks to the monk Grigorije, who played an important diplomatic role in concluding the Karlovac Peace Treaty, the monastery received important support from Russia - both money and liturgical books, as well as four icons that were originally intended for the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos.

The Serbian Obrenovic dynasty greatly helped in rebuilding the Rakovica Monastery. Prince Milos was especially attached to it, because his son Todor and later Mihailo were buried there.

Princess Ljubica, as well as Tomanija Obrenovic, the wife of Milos's brother Jevrem, helped rebuild the shrine where a monastery school was later founded and a newspaper printed.

From 1949 to 1958, the seat of the Belgrade Theological Seminary was located in this monastery.

In 1909, on the feast day of St. Nicholas, Bishop Nikolaj Velimirovic became a monk here, and 29 years later, Father Tadej was ordained a hieromonk in the same place.

Two patriarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church are buried in Rakovica - Dimitrije, who died in 1930, and Pavle, who ended his earthly journey in 2009.

Photo: Ivan Strahinic

(Telegraf.rs)