People used to hide from Turkish soldiers in this cave, bats live there now

One of the dukes from the era of the First Serbian Uprising One, a participant in the Greek War of Independence, was Prodan Gligorijevic, a native of the village of Nevade, near Takovo. He is historically remembered as the leader of a revolt against the Turkish rule that started in 1814. Although Hadzi Prodan's uprising was not successful, it was significant for the people of that time.

Since he had the opportunity to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, "hadzi" was added to his name, as a kind of honorary title.

The Hadzi Prodan's Cave is located the area of Ivanjica, in the village of Sume, the hamlet of Rascici, and is classified as a monument of nature. It is believed that it was Prodan Gligorijevic who took people there to safety during the fight against the Turks, during the uprising. It is sometimes called the Rascanska cave, since it is located in the valley of the river of the same name.

Archeological site from the Paleolithic period

The Paleolithic age covered to period between 2.6 million years and 10,000 years before Christ. It is believed that Hadzi Prodan's cave dates from that period. The total length of the cave's tunnels is slightly more than 400 meters. Apart from the entrance tunnel and the central hall, there are numerous side tunnesl inside the cave.

There is a church in front of it, dedicated to the Holy Archangel Michael. It is especially interesting that next to the entrance to the so-called Adzija's church, as it is known, there is also a bell, which was donated to the church by King Aleksandar.

Numerous items from the Paleolithic period have been discovered on the plateau in front of the entrance to the cave during protective excavations. Apart from remnants of pottery, the remains of various birds and rodents have also been discovered, as well as of the cave bear and the cave wolf, and specimens of fauna.

A bat habitat

It is no wonder that bats also live in caves. However, unlike other caves in our country, Hadzi Prodan's cave is a habitat for certain species of bats which are considered endangered.

That is why four, out of six species of bat that live here, are officially protected by the Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia, based on the rulebook on declaring and conserving strictly protected wild species of plants, animals and fungi.

(Telegraf.rs)