Манастир Горњак

Manastir Gornjak - Ждрело - Ždrelo

Useful Information

Location:	Breznica 105. In the valley of the Mlava River, between Petrovac na Mlava and Žagubica. 65 km southeast of Požarevac. (44.265743, 21.543618)
Open:
Fee:
Classification:	Cave Church
Light:	Incandescent
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	partly allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Manastir Gornjak, Breznica 105, Tel: +381-12-7642231. E-mail: Tourist organization of the Petrovac na Mlavi municipality, Radeta Moskovlića 15, 12300 Petrovac na Mlavi, Tel: +381-12-326-343 E-mail:
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History

1376-1380

monastery built as an endowment of King Lazar of Serbia.

Description

There is a monastery in the valley of the Mlava River, between Petrovac na Mlava and Žagubica. It is named Манастир Горњак or Manastir Gornjak (Gornjak Monastery) and is also known as Ждрело/Ždrelo. The monastery has two churches from the 1320s called Velika Crkva (Big Church) and Mala Crkva (Little Church). But the reason why we list the site is another spectacular chapel, the Пећинска капела Св. Николе/Pećinska kapela Sv. Nikole (Cave chapel of St. Nicholas). A long stone staircase leads up to the chapel. Despite being built into the huge cave opening, the chapel has walls and a roof, probably to avoid dripping water from the ceiling.

The monastery was an endowment by King Lazar of Serbia and was built in the late 14th century, between 1376 and 1380. Patriarch Spyridon I was the archbishop of Peć and Serbian patriarch from 1380 to 1389, so he was also the one who was responsible for the construction. Today it belongs to the Eparchy of Braničevo of the Serbian Orthodox Church. According to the written documents of the monastery, it was continually used as a monastery since its foundation. The main monastery church, dedicated to the Introduction, and the chapel in the cave, dedicated to Saint Nicholas, are medieval buildings which were preserved until today.

Prince Lazar hunted with his entourage in the mountains, under which the monastery is now located. While hunting, they came across the hermit Saint Gregory, one of the famous Sinaiites, in the forest. The prince wanted to talk to the holy man, but he did not want to go to the other side of the Mlava, so the conversation started with a loud shout across the roaring river. When the saint realized that it was a pious man, he silenced the roaring of the river in that place, with the help of God's prayer, and calmly talked with the prince. The prince, wanting to fulfill the wish of the saint to build a place of worship for him here, built the Church of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Ždrel Braničevski.

During the medieval Serbian state, the monastery enjoyed a great reputation. The abbot of the Gornjak monastery ordained Đorđe Branković, grandson of Đurđa and son of Stefan the blind as a monk around 1503 and gave him the name Maxim. But later during the Ottoman occupation, the influence of the monaster vanished. The first census in the early 16th century recorded only six remaining monks in the monastery. The numbers changed, and at the end of the century there were only two monks left. At this time, the monastery was renamed Gornjak. Some say it was named after the west wind which blows strong in the gorge, but actually it was named after the numerous fortification on the cliffs in the gorge. There is little documentation about the monastic life and the names of the inhabitants. Following the Požarevac Peace in 1718, the area became part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At this point only one monk still lived at the monastery and it was degraded. But Maksim Ratković, exarch of the Metropolitan of Belgrade, saw it restored. In 1765 the area was raided by the Turks, valuables stolen, and the monastery damaged and buildings burned down, but it was soon rebuilt by the monk Kyriak. Soon it was again raided and destroyed. It seems the whole 18th century is a cycle of numerous raids, destruction and rebuilt.

Another danger to the monastery was the nearby river. The buildings were damaged numerous times during floods. And there was the Bulgarian occupation during the First World War, when the monastery was plundered. Then the area was occupied by the Germans during the Second World War. The used the buildings for their own purposes instead of destroying them. Nevertheless, a lot of documents including the copy of the charter on the establishment of the monastery were lost at this time. And finally, the monastery was taken over by the Yugoslav Army until 1953. In this year it was finally returned to the Church, to the Eparchy of Braničevska, and sisterhood from Macedonia headed by abbess Nadezhda Lukijanjuk moved into it once again.

There are two monasteries in the valley of the Mlava River, about 1.6 km apart. Due to the numerous caves in the area, both use a cave, and thus both are listed on showcaves.com.