Krupa Monastery

Obrovac, Croatia

Krupa monastery is the oldest Orthodox monastery in Croatia. It is located on the southern slopes of the Velebit mountain, halfway between the towns of Obrovac and Knin.

The monastery was built in 1317 by monks from Bosnia, with the financial support from the Serbian king Milutin. During their reigns, King Stefan Dečanski and Emperor Dušan renovated the monastery. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the monastery was endowed by Saint Angelina of Serbia. Georgije Mitrofanović painted the walls in 1620–22. In the 1760s, Serbian writer and educator, Dositej Obradović, lived and worked in Krupa, while in the 1860s, major Serbian realist author, Simo Matavulj, lived and was educated in the monastery. Gerasim Zelić also lived there in the 18th century. It was completely renovated in 1855.

The surrounding konaks were burnt to the ground by the Ustaše during the World War II, who also destroyed the interior of the monastery turning it into their military post. In the 1950s the construction of the large belfry began but was never finished. After the outbreak of the Yugoslav wars in 1991, the well-known monastery treasury was displaced from Krupa. During the Operation Storm the monastery sustained damages in September 1995 and the local Orthodox Serbs, so as the priests, went into exile in Serbia. The belfry and the bells were damaged, so as the chapel while the interior was looted and partially demolished. Since 2000, partial reconstruction of Krupa began. It included numerous works, such as the construction and painting of the small additional church (paraklis) and the partial adaptation of the unfinished belfry. Some of the artifacts were returned in 2010. Since the mid-2010s, the government of the Republic of Croatia also helped with the renovation of the monastery.

The church of the Krupa monastery is dedicated to the Feast of the Dormition of Theotokos. In the monastery there are beautiful frescoes, a valuable collection of icons and parts of iconostasis and the collection of the several centuries old books.

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Address

Unnamed Road, Obrovac, Croatia
See all sites in Obrovac

Details

Founded: 1317
Category: Religious sites in Croatia

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

suzanasusuzana susu (2 years ago)
Beautiful place, amazing nature, very old buildings and I cannot wait to be back again :)
Ondřej Pekárek (2 years ago)
Old serbian monastery. Nice rest place in the monastery garden. In monastery there is a souvenir shop, small museum and possibility of drink water.
Suzana Gusa (3 years ago)
Beyond peaceful and serene. This is a monastery, not a tourist destination, please remember to wear appropriate clothing, be respectful and talk quietly or not at all.
Kamil Kovar (4 years ago)
Very nice place, not much to see but important historical place. Recommend to walk to nearby bridge Kudin most, about 90 min walking along the river with some difficult parts on rocks but very rewarding experience.
Fila “Fila2mad” 2mad (4 years ago)
Beautiful, but lacking some kind of tour inside of buildings.
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The Church of the Holy Cross

The church of the former Franciscan monastery was built probably between 1515 and 1520. It is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Old Rauma. The church stands by the small stream of Raumanjoki (Rauma river).

The exact age of the Church of the Holy Cross is unknown, but it was built to serve as the monastery church of the Rauma Franciscan Friary. The monastery had been established in the early 15th century and a wooden church was built on this location around the year 1420.

The Church of the Holy Cross served the monastery until 1538, when it was abandoned for a hundred years as the Franciscan friary was disbanded in the Swedish Reformation. The church was re-established as a Lutheran church in 1640, when the nearby Church of the Holy Trinity was destroyed by fire.

The choir of the two-aisle grey granite church features medieval murals and frescoes. The white steeple of the church was built in 1816 and has served as a landmark for seafarers.