Studenica
Stefan Nemanja's monastery in the hills south-west of Kraljevo, ringed by a round wall, its white marble church painted inside in 1208 and 1209.
- Arrival
- Belgrade Nikola Tesla · BEG
- To the monastery
- About 39 km south-west of Kraljevo
- Private jets
- Handled at Belgrade, 150 km north
- Best time
- May to October
The city
Marble, frescoes and a founder's tomb.
Stefan Nemanja, who founded the medieval Serbian state, built Studenica in the late twelfth century, soon after giving up his throne. He lies here with his wife Anastasia and his son Stephen the First-Crowned. A wall, almost circular, with two fortified gates, closes round the churches, and the largest of them, the Church of the Virgin, is faced in white marble; the paintings of its naos and sanctuary are from 1208 and 1209.
King Milutin added a smaller church in 1314 and brought Michael and Eutychius from Thessaloniki to paint the life of the Virgin on its walls. UNESCO inscribed the monastery in 1986. In this part of Serbia, summer afternoons are about 25 to 27 degrees and June is usually the wettest month.
- Church of the Virgin Raška-school architecture in white marble, painted inside in 1208 and 1209.
- King's Church Milutin's foundation of 1314, its walls covered by the two painters from Thessaloniki.
- Žiča A monastery three kilometres from Kraljevo, founded by Stephen the First-Crowned, where Serbian kings were by tradition anointed.
Arriving
By road from Belgrade.
Most visitors fly into Belgrade Nikola Tesla, roughly 150 kilometres to the north in a straight line, and drive down through Kraljevo.
- Vienna 1 h 10
- Rome 1 h 15
- Almaty 6 h 05
- Bangkok 10 h 50 long-range jet
- Palm Beach 11 h 40 long-range jet
When to go
May to October.
Averages for Kragujevac, some 65 kilometres north. Afternoons climb to 22 degrees in May and 27 in high summer; June has the most rain, at 91 mm. Winters are cold, with highs of three to six degrees.
- 3° J 54
- 6° F 50
- 12° M 52
- 17° A 62
- 22° M 79
- 25° J 91
- 27° J 65
- 27° A 55
- 23° S 59
- 18° O 53
- 10° N 67
- 5° D 68
Where to stay
In the spa town to the north-east.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Flying to Studenica?
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A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.