Manasija Monastery
Endowment of Despot Stefan Lazarević near Despotovac, built 1407–1418. A fortified monastery with 11 towers, outstanding Morava-school frescoes and the famous Resava school of scribes.
Manasija Monastery, also known as Resava, stands near Despotovac, about 30 km from the Belgrade–Niš motorway. It is the endowment of Despot Stefan Lazarević, one of the most important monuments of Serbian medieval culture and a supreme example of the Morava school.
The endowment of Despot Stefan
Despot Stefan Lazarević, son of Prince Lazar and known as Stefan the Tall, began construction in 1407 and completed it in 1418. The complex included the church, a large refectory, service buildings, towers and ramparts. The church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and was consecrated on the feast of the Holy Spirit.
In the early 21st century, remains found in the church were confirmed by DNA analysis, with 99.9378% accuracy, to be those of a son of Prince Lazar — the despot himself.
A fortress with eleven towers
Manasija is a monastery and a fortress alike. The complex is enclosed by ramparts with eleven towers, some 12 m high and about 3.20 m thick. The keep, known as the Despot's Tower, has a square plan with sides of about 14.5 m. The outer walls of the church are built of precisely cut sandstone blocks, and a twelve-sided dome rises above the central space on four pillars.
The frescoes
The church originally held around 2,000 m² of frescoes; roughly a third survives today. Despite the damage, the painting of Manasija ranks among the highest achievements of Serbian medieval art. The most remarkable scenes are:
- the warrior saints on the northern and southern walls
- the composition of Despot Stefan holding the charter and the model of the monastery
- the Communion of the Apostles
- the procession of the Church Fathers
Much of the painting was lost after the lead roof was removed and the frescoes were left exposed to the weather.
The Resava school
From its founding the monastery was a centre of learning, home to the Resava school — a scriptorium that copied and translated manuscripts throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, and even after the fall of the Serbian Despotate. Its copies and spelling rules shaped literacy across the Serbian and wider Orthodox world.
Destruction and restoration
The monastery suffered repeatedly under Ottoman rule: a fire is recorded in 1456, followed by occupation. In the 18th century an explosion badly damaged the western part with the narthex. It was restored in 1735, 1806, 1810 and 1844/1845, and comprehensive conservation work was carried out between 1956 and 1964.
Protection
Manasija has been a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance since 1979 and was added to the UNESCO Tentative List in 2010.
Around Despotovac
The Resava Cave and the Veliki Buk waterfall at Lisine lie close to Despotovac, so a visit to Manasija combines easily into a full day out.