Godspeed to Olympos, Tue, 05 Sep 2023 | written by Simon
Simon at a Temple, UNESCO site in Europe, Serbia

Today did not start the way I was hoping it to. I slept by the Resavska Pecina cave, planning to visit it as it opens at 9am. But it turned out that it’s closed and they won’t open until enough people show up to get a tour group. Hell knows how long that would take on a Tuesday morning, so I just decided to go. I mean, it’s okay, it’s only a cave. But it is wasted time, because I could have driven to my next destination last night. At least I got to wake up and a nice spot with a good view.

Fortunately, things started picking up soon. The first monastery I visited today was Sveri Sisoje, a male convent placed by a main road. The church itself was interesting but the whole place didn’t have the charm of the others.

The Ravanica Monastery was one of the bigger ones, with huge walls, though this time’s mostly in ruin. When I got there, a bunch of workers were putting new slate on one of the main buildings, but the main gate was closed. A couple with a son were also trying to get in. It should have been open from 6am, but apparently somebody forgot. We called on them to open and the guy cutting the grass even tried to call someone for us, but nobody came. Eventually, I just jumped over the fence and met someone who was just coming with the keys. Anyway, the church was definitely quite spectacular – very tall central dome and great frescos!

My next stop, Namasija Monastery, is a complete ruin. It’s also the most beautifully placed of them all. I had to drive through a very pretty little mountain village that looks like it’s completely lost in time. The monastery was not easy to find – no wonder, as it’s not been used for centuries! I had to park in the village, cross a little river and take a path up the stream. Set right next to a wide waterfall, the ruin looks absolutely stunning. The raw stone church is very, very tiny, but at the same time very, very peaceful. It is nothing like the much more renovated and decorated churches of the other monasteries I’ve seen. A small path led a bit further up and I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t follow it. There, I found another little water cascade and, well, I did need to wash… Swimming naked is becoming a thing.

After another couple hours drive, I made an unplanned stop by the Manastir Žiča. This large complex of churches and buildings was beautifully landscaped and in the process of renovation. It seems that Serbia is pouring a fair bit of money into those monasteries!

Finally, about 4pm, I made it to Studenica Monastery. This is a UNESCO world heritage site, as it has managed to escape most of all the war turmoils and still houses 12th century frescos. Only the bigger church was open – the smaller was full of scaffolding. Apparently I got lucky, because until last year both were. Yet another example of how much work is being put into keeping those cultural heritage monuments and shape.

It was 4:30 when I was ready to move to my next stop: St Sava’s Hermitage. The guy at the monastery said it’s too late to go because it takes 80 minutes to do the four kilometre climb. ‘Challenge accepted!’ – I thought. It took me a while to actually find the spot from which the track starts – it’s a barely visible path going of the main road with no car park or anything next to it. As I started hiking, I realised why – over the next two hours I didn’t meet a single other person.

There are two hermitages here – the lower you’re meant to reach in 30 minutes, the upper in 80. I told myself that I’ll see how I get on with the lower one and decide if I want to go further. After I got there in 15 minutes, I was confident I can do the whole route and indeed – I was all the way up in 40 with plenty of time to spare before the sunset. I sat there for a while taking in the view and using the opportunity to meditate and think about my life and future plans.

Like a good pilgrim, I completely forgot to eat all day, so found a roadside diner and had a massive super with traditional Serbian mince skewers and salad.

Finally, the day ended with a minor disappointment. I drove up to the Kosovo border hoping to visit a couple spots on the way to Macedonia. Alas, it turned out that my car insurance is not valid and I’d have to pay nearly 140€ for it here. So I just turned back and decided to drive around. The path is very mountainous and I am now about to fall asleep by a small church with, hopefully, a great view for tomorrow morning.