Ostrog Monastery
The Monastery of Ostrog (Serbian Cyrillic: Манастир Острог; Tr. Manastir Ostrog) is a monastery of the Serb Orthodox Church placed against an almost vertical background, high up in the large rock of Ostroška Greda, in Montenegro. It is dedicated to Saint Basil of Ostrog (Sveti Vasilije Ostroški).
From the monastery, a superb view of the Bjelopavlići plain can be seen. Ostrog, monastery is the most popular pilgrimage place in Montenegro. The Monastery was founded by Vasilije, the Metropolitan Bishop of Herzegovina in the 17th century. He died there in 1671 and some years later he was sainted and proclaimed a miracle-worker. His body is enshrined in a reliquary kept in the cave-church dedicated to the Presentation of the Mother of God to the Temple.
The present-day look was given to the Monastery in 1923-1926, after a fire which had destroyed the major part of the complex. Fortunately, the two little cave-churches were spared and they make the essential value of the whole monument. The frescoes in the Church of the Presentation were made towards the end of the 17th century. The other church, dedicated to the Holy Cross, is placed within a cave on the upper level of the monastery and was painted by master Radul, who successfully coped with the natural shapes of the cave and laid the frescoes immediately on the surface of the rock and the south wall. Around the church are the monastic residences, which together with the church building and the beautiful scenery make this monument an agreeable place to stay in.
The Orthodox monastery of Ostrog is one of the most frequently visited on the Balkans. It is visited by believers from all parts of the world, either individually or in groups. It represents the meeting place of all three confessions: the Orthodox, the Catholics and the Muslims, because it is believed that the enshrined body of Saint Basil of Ostrog makes miracles work. According to the stories of pilgrims, by praying by his body, many have been cured and helped in lessening the difficulties in their lives.
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