Zlatibor Favorites

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Favorite thing: One of the historical monuments and nature preserve that you cannot miss is Uvac monastery in the Valley of Uvac River from beginning of 17 century.
From the southern slopes of Zlatibor (near Tornik, Zlatibor highest peak 1.396 m) down by canyon road is the Uvac monastery in the valley near the river Uvac. I front of the monastery is the old grapevine dating from medieval times of Serbia. Having a grapevine in this very difficult climate is unusual, almost phenomenal and it’s just because of micro climate specific for this valley.

Fondest memory: We drive down the canyon by SUV car and it was a really adventure. The other way is walking or horse/donkey ridding. Don't ever try some nice elegant car. Also, you need an experienced driver. The valley is beautiful as well as river of Uvac which is clean and clear, full of fishes, living shells, cancers, snakes... Many of its limestone caves are occasionally flooded and can be reached only by boat.
Text: Dragisa Milosavljevic, historian of arts, director of the National Museum in Uzice / Translation: prof. Ljiljana Kovacevic / One of the most unaccessible medieval monasteries in our country, a real empire of stones and snakes is Uvac Monastery or Vuvac, the name which could be met in some scanty sources. It is situated on the river having the same name, at the foot of the Priboj's Crni Vrh (Black Peak) on the southwestern side and below the slopes of the mountain Zlatibor on the northeast. It is quite certain that a very long time ago a small church was erected on the border between despotism and medieval Bosnia, representing a special barrier against Bogomil heresy and penetrating Islam. Later, economically strengthened fraternity started to restore and widen the modest temple. Therefore, in the first decades of the 17th century, at the time of patriarch Pajsije, it represented the monumental monastery complex with all accessories, lodging houses and good economy. Enlarged and widened temple with rectangular choirs must certainly have found its models in the imperial lauras to which Vuvac was direcltly connected.
More information about Uvac Monastery: http://www.uzice.net/uvac/uvace.htm