Stunning Monasteries: From Kalenic to Studenica

Yesterday Mikica came to pick me up at 8 and after saying goodbye to my very generous and accommodating hosts we hit the road. Myself and Mikica hit it off immediately. She is in her late fifties and is a real larger-than-life character, who is my driver, my problem-solver, my story-teller and now my friend. Our first stop was Topola where we visited the royal mausoleum and saw beautiful replicas of frescoes from monasteries throughout Serbia. In the crypt are buried many important characters from Serbia’s history and from the centre there is true panoramic sound. Whistle and the sound bounces back at you from every direction, it was quite something.

From Topola we drove through beautiful rolling green hills to the lovely picture-postcard village of Boraċ, and found its “hidden church”. The church is nestled between cliffs and its front is hidden by 100 year old lime trees. You don’t see it until you are almost at the door. The church itself is very small, dating from the 14th Century and has some good frescoes though many have been lost.

From Borac we drove on to Ljubostinja which Mikica had visited 40 years previously but not since. From there we drove to Kruševac where we arrived earlier than planned so Mikica looked up a friend of hers from her school days, and after driving around for half an hour, asking and looking we gave up. As we were heading tour hotel, she asked one last person and we were in luck. An hour later we were drinking beer and eating cold cuts with her friend and her family. I learned more about 57-year old, pint-sized Mikica: her year driving prisoners between Kosovo and Serbia during the war, her trips to Africa and Asia, her guitar playing and singing skills, her legendary shooting skills, her experience of having lost 5 babies, as well as her obvious charm and ease. I was made very welcome by the whole family and fed till I could eat no more. Later I went out with the younger half of the family to discover the bars of Kruševac and got their views on Serbia, Tito, Milosovic and anything else I could think of. But mostly we drank beer!

Today we drove to Kalenic monastery in the morning, driving along narrow windy roads through sun-baked fruit-growing country. The scenery was beautiful and the only traffic was an occasional tractor. The guide book described it as the least inaccessible monastery in all of Serbia, which I don’t doubt but getting there was half the fun. The monastery itself is spectacular from the outside and almost as impressive from inside with a particularly stunning fresco depicting a Serbian wedding where Christ seems to be talking to the Virgin mother about the wine while the groom is preparing to prick his bride’s finger for the mixing of the blood, a Serbian tradition that stopped not long ago.

After Kalenic we drove to the UNESCO heritage monastery of Studenica, stopping on the way in a hidden away perfectly preserved restaurant dating from the 1830s that served fantastic fish soup and even better fresh river fish. We checked into our immaculately kept rooms in the monastery guest house and wandered through the monastery grounds. Mass had just started so we caught some of the service and the soothing chants that echoed around the beautiful Church of our Lady, a white marble structure with elaborately sculptured leaves, figures and mythical creatures. The whole monastery radiated serenity, and on that note it’s time for an early night finally!

- Dave