Naupara Monastery

Some 30 km south of town of Kruševac, at the foot of Jastrebac Mountain, lies Naupara village with the Monastery of the same name. The church of Naupara Monastery is dedicated to the Nativity of the Mother of God. Construction of the Monastery church was completed in 1381. Naupara Monastery is the endowment of Chilandari monk Dorotej and his son Danilo /who later become the Serb Patriarch/ which was built with the help of Despot Stefan Lazarevic. The first written records on Naupara Monastery are found in the Charter of Prince Lazar from 1382 when it was given as present to Drenča Monastery as the “Court and the Church”. Monastery is the true example of “Morava – Moravian school of architecture” and similar to Lazarica Church which was built several years before. Naupara Monastery was severely destroyed by Turks in 1454. The present day appearance of the Monastery comes from the reconstruction in 1835 operated by Simić brothers who left their written sign by the entrance of the church.

The church of Naupara Monastery copies the structure of Lazarica church, it is the trefoil base with the central part covered by dome laying on the pillars. Narthex has the strong tower on the floor which was probably used as the bell tower. It was built at the same time when the church was constructed but is divided from naos by the wall. Naupara Monastery church was built of the layers of stone enlivened with two rows of sculpture decoration. Monastery has rich facade decoration and its most interesting and stunning details are two large stone rosettes above the western entrance that are considered the most beautiful Medieval rosettes. There are also 25 smaller ones on the sides of walls of Naupara Monastery. Rosettes has unique reliefs of Medieval motifs of twelve months in year. The wall paintings and the iconostasis of Naupara Monastery date from the 19th century since the fresco decoration was ruined in reconstructions. Today Monastery is nunnery with few nuns who cultivate the small land of prior vast properties that monastery possessed.