Dubnica Monastery

Dubnica Monastery is located in the village of Bozetici on the slopes of Javor Mountain, only few kilometers from Sjenica Lake. Monastery is also situated in Uvac River Valley close to the griffin vultures’ habitat that settle here and take care of the area. Those unique large birds that are nature-cleaners fly over the lake and mountains as well as over the Monastery. Dubnica Monastery is the shrine of nice architecture and the secret past which provides spiritual relief and the gathering point of Stari Vlah locals. The local historians traditionally sing old song trying to explain the existence of the lonely and secret Monastery of Dubnica with beautifully stone-carved portals, rosettes, windows and altar niches that existed for long time and must have had some royal origin. The latest historical trace testify on the construction of Dubnica Monastery at the very beginning of the 15th century during the epoch of local nobility. This is the period when many Serbian and Bosnian noblemen rebuilt fortified town. Nowadays one can observe only remains of the prior church and the dormitory. On the only one fresco that almost disappears at the top of naos portal there are three or four letters that commemorating the building and fresco-painting of Dubnica Monastery in 1422. After more that two centuries Dubnica Monastery experienced its best revival. It was the time of the reign of Rascian Metropolitan Gavrilo Rajic-Raškovic who later became the Patriarch and was represent of famous family, the Dukes of Raškovic Family.

Nowadays is one of the nicest legend about the connection of Monastery with the oldest Nemanjics’ endowments is still alive and very respected among the local population. It is believed that the monastery of Dubnica was rebuilt by Raskovics as they are linear descendants of well-known Nemanjic Dynasty. Patriarch Arsenije Carnojevic spent the last winter of 1690 in secure ambiance of Dubnica Monastery before the Great Migration to the north carried out by Serbian people and monks over Sava and Danube Rivers. During the Great Migration many people moved from the regions of Stari Vlah and Polimlje lead by Raskovic Family nobility. Turks as the revenge set Dubnica Monastery aflame because of that. Dubnica Monastery was the ever-lasting spiritual flame between Javor Mountain and Uvac Canyon and the legacy of Nemanjic Family during the dark centuries of Turkish conquest. Locals used to gather secretly in Dubnica Monastery to be married and baptized. Candles were lighted for living and passed away and God was begged to bring back beloved from the wars and get out conquerors, to give new birth and to forgive sins.

The new stone church of Saint Trinity of Dubnica Monastery has been built by famous stone-carver Milijan Đoković and his group from Sirogojno after research and conservation works carried out by researches of the Institute for Cultural Monuments protection from Kraljevo. Within the Dubnica churchyard the wooden belfry and the fountain and the entrance gate were built and the church was covered with copper roof. The wooden dormitory was built for monks. The iconostasis of the Church of St. Trinity is wood-carved work of Miroslav Trbusić from Kragujevac while icons are work-of-art of Ivan Kovalček from Novi Sad. All those works are donated to Dubnica Monastery by locals. Nowadays Dubnica Monastery runs a new life on the Plateau of Stari Vlah. Besides vultures that fly over the Monastery of Dubnica there are more and more visitors and travelers who come here with pleasure to discover the secret shrine.