Studenica Off The Beaten Path

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Something about the life of qeen Helen...
Helen of Anjou or Hélène d'Anjou (Serbian: Jelena Anzujska; about 1236-8 February 1314) was a Serbian queen consort, wife of Serbian king Stefan Uros I and mother of kings Dragutin and Milutin.
elen married Uroš I around 1245. She descended from the side branch of the Byzantine emperor's family and the Hungarian royal house. It is also known that she was a cousin of Charles I of Naples.
For some time, she was a ruler of Zeta, Travunia, Plav and Poibarje. During that time, Serbia was divided into three parts, and the rulers of the other two parts were Dragutin and Milutin. Helen became a nun at the Church of St. Nicholas in Skadar/Shkodër/Scutari, where she died on 8 February 1314.
She founded the first girl's school in medieval Serbia. Helen's palace was in the town of Brnjaci, on Mokra Gora mountain in hte Kosovo region, where the school was located. Other than this palace, she possessed the town of Jelac. She built the Gradac monastery, where she was buried, and the Church of St. Nicholas in Shkoder where she died.
Helen of Anjou was canonized by the Serbian Orthodox Church. Her feast day is 12 November.

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Gradac monastery is one of my favourite of Serbian Orthodox monasteries. It lies on the elevated plateau above the river Gradacka, at the edge of the forested slopes of mount Golija. It is 21 km northwest of Raska and 12.5 km west of Brvenik. Monastery is somehow overlooked and there you could feel and experience all that peacefulness and quietness.
Church is dedicated to Virgin Mary.

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Monastery complex has some other buildings on its ground as well. There are remains of medieval defense walls and gates and some other buildings and there were archeological team when we visited monastery. Other buildings are of more recent date and are fine example of the Serbian-Balkan style. Nuns that serve tehre keeps it really well maintained and flowers are everywhere.

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Gradac monastery is also constructed in unique Raska school style and is also included in Transromanica project (The Romanesque Routes of European heritage). The architectural plastic carries the properties of the mature and late Romanesque art, like some early Gothic, all being reflected primarily in the finishing of the portal capitol, mostly marble framed windows and a series of blind arcades of the roof corona. This church is one of the few structures in Serbian Orthodox churc that have gothic elements (the best known and fully gothic is Serbian Orhodox church in Hungarian village of Rackevi) and that makes this church really special.
Monastery was founded in 13th century and monastery founder is Helen of Anjou, queen consort of Serbia.

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Landscape of this part of Ibar valley is really stunning. With mount Kopaonik (National Park) on the east and mount Golija (UNESCO biosphere reserve) on the west and with clean Ibar river in the middle... everything looks perfect. Ideal place for relaxing holiday!

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Nobody knows when this church was erected but it is sure that church is very old. First mention of this church is from 13th century but it is believed that church could be even older. Architecture of this structure is quite different than other serbian churches from that period (with very strong romanesque influence) and is very similar with greek ones (byzantine style).
Only part of the church survived during the centuries but it is still very impressive, positioned high on the hill and overlooking Ibar valley.

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Architecture of the church is simplified "moravian school" style and one of the first buildings erected in that style. Unlike other monuments built in that style (Monasteries of Kalenic, Ljubostinja (check my off the beaten path Vrnjacka Banja page), Ravanica and Manasija (Despotovac page)) Nova Pavlica is not so richly decorated outside, but still preserve some great medieval frescoes inside. Church is dedicated to The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.