Dajbabe Monastery
The Dajbabe Monastery dedicated to the Ascension of the Holy Virgin is located on the Cemovo Polje Field, between Podgorica and the Cijevna River near the road and railway Podgorica – Plavnica. A nice view to the Zeta field spreads from the Dajbabe Monastery, and also towards the Skadar Lake and the Rumija Mountain, the Krajina Mountains and the high Crmnica Mountains. All around the Dajbabe Monastery is lovely and fragrant vegetation – cypresses, pines and olives.
The Dajbabe Monastery, dedicated to the Holy Virgin, was founded by the monk Simeon Popovic in 1897, short after the liberation of Podgorica from the Turkish rule. According to records of Father Simeon, the Monastery was established on the place of miraculous providence of spiritual power by a shepherd Petko Ivezic from the Zeta area – later monk Platon. On this part of the Dajbabska Gora Hill was a cult place as described by monk Simeon in his records. The underground house of the heavenly Divine Queen – as was recorded by monk Simeon, is dedicated to the feast of the Holy Virgin, in close proximity of Podgorica, on the gentle slopes of the Dajbabska Gora Hill. A holy man with a script appeared to a shepherd who was tending his herd of sheep, and told him he was a saint, and a novice of a holy man – Saint Sava who lived in Kosovo, and was buried by the Turks. The Holy man told to the shepherd as he was a bishop of this place, whom a monastery should be dedicated, and also as the holy relics were located somewhere in the surroundings of the holy place, that would not be excavated and found until the Serb people is liberated. The provident holy man advised shepherd to go to the cult place, and find brethren in the monastery whom a story should be told.
The young shepherd Petko went to the Ostrog Monastery where he had found a literate and insightful monk Simeon from Cetinje. Monk Simeon completed Seminary and the spiritual Academy of Kiev, as well as the Studies of Philosophy at the Sorbonne University, after he lived for some time in Geneva. The young shepherd Petko told his miraculous providence to Father Simeon, who decided to pay a visit to the Dajbabska Gora Hills. When they got there, they started excavations with the help of locals and for some time discovered a holy place as described by the shepherd Petko. It was a cave of a cross shape, deeply hidden under the rocks that are still visible today. Father Simeon realized it was the old holy place miraculously preserved from Turkish devastation by the Gold’s will.
When excavations were finished, the Dajbabe church was consecrated on 22 December 1897. The Father Simeon understood it was the Gold’s sign to make him remains in this holy place. Soon after that, the holy shrine became highly and frequently visited by faithful people from all sides looking for blessing from the vigilant Holy Father Simeon, who provided consolation to visitors when they needed it badly. The Holy Father Simeon died in the Dajbabe Monastery on 01 April 1941, with the presentiment of the future sufferings of the Serbian people during the Second World War. The Father Simeon was buried in the cave in the place he prepared. This place made the Dajbabe Monastery a true pilgrimage spot for numerous faithful people who believe in miraculous healing effects of the holy relics of the Holy Simeon of Dajbabe.
The cave church of the Dajbabe Monastery is set underground the surface and features small size and irregular shape, 21,5 meters long and some average 2,5 meters wide. The rough patches of the cave sides were plastered. In the central part of the Dajbabe church beside the northern wall there is the tomb of the Holy father Simeon. From the main part of the Dajbabe church there are several side parts that created chapels. The most spacious is extension on the southern side of the cave church on the lower level, where father Simeon used to pray for healing. During time, the Dajbabe Monastery became renowned for its features by numerous faithful visitors, so the cave church needed to be extended. In 1908 a vast porch was built in front of the Dajbabe cave church that is so far the only visible part of the monastery along with the dormitory.
The Holy Father Simeon personally painted the interior of his endowment. Due to irregular space of the cave church here are painted figures of saints, prophets and local saints, such are the Saint Peter of Cetinje Saint Sava and Saint Basil, while Christ and the Holy Virgin are depicted on the medallions in the dome. Besides frescoes painted by father Simeon, the cave church of the Dajbabe Monastery is decorated with several icons, as well as with a shroud from the 10th century and the precious icon of the Holy Virgin from Jerusalem…. Dormitory of Dajbabe Monastery built by the Holy father Simeon existed until the terrible earthquake in 1979, on which foundations a new dormitory was built, that is 300 sq meters large …. Since its consecration, the Dajbabe Monastery is visited by a number of faithful people and visitors from all over the world, of different religions, that seek relief for body and soul….. By the blessing of the Bishop Amfilohije, the Mitropolitan of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral, the archimandrite Danilo of the Dajbabe Monastery gifted the decoration of the Holy Tsar Nikolay II Romanov to the icon-painter Aleksandar Ivanovic Caksin who painted the chapel of the Romanov Family, the monastic narthex and the dining room, and the fountain of the Holy Virgin.