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the fortress to move inside the for-
tress unimpeded. Defensive galler-
ies in the towers and ramparts are
another rarity in Serbian military
architecture and an indication of
Byzantine influence.
The monastery itself, dedi-
cated to the Holy Trinity, is part of
the Morava school, the latter-
most style of medieval Serbian
architecture, which originated with
Ravanica, the endowment of Prince
Lazar. The Morava school is dis-
tinguished from its predecessors
by its splendour: its decorative
smoothed-stone style is perhaps
the most original artistic achieve-
ment of medieval Serbian art. The
decorative elements, which are
the defining characteristic of the
Morava school’s artistry, typically
consisted of geometric arabesque
coupled with stylised floral orna-
ments. The smoothed-stone was
then painted, making it more vivid.
The monastery building con-
sists of two separate sections - the
narthex and the nave (antecham-
ber and central part). The nave is
shaped like a rectangular cross
and is adorned with five cupo-
las. It was built with sandstone
blocks - unusual for the Morava
school, which generally featured
alternating stone and brick layers.
The monks’ dormitory and dining
room are also located within the
walls, as well as the ruins of other
buildings from ancient times.
In the interior of Manasija mon-
astery itself, a third of the original
frescoes have survived and can be
viewed by visitors. The frescoes,
which are considered a high point
of fifteenth-century Balkan and Byz-
antine art, depict diverse subjects
and events. They include the an-
nual Christian festivals, the Passion
of the Christ, miracles and parables,
scenes from the life of the Virgin
and Eucharist subjects at the altar,
as well as the prophets in the main,
and seraphs and cherubs in the
small, cupolas. The decorative style
of fresco-painting tended to depict
biblical figures in contemporary
late-medieval garb, with beautiful
but anachronistic results. On the
west nave wall, the Despot himself
is depicted, according to the tradi-
tion for rulers’ endowments: upon
a divine investiture, receiving the
emblems of authority from Christ
himself and the angels, Despot
Stefan Lazarević bestows a model
of his endowment and the St Trinity
Mausoleum to the church patron.
The highlight of Manasija’s artistic
achievement is the Holy Warriors
fresco, with gilded clouds, parts of
clothing and military equipment,
on an azure blue background. It is
particularly valuable as it pro-
vides an insight into what typical
clothing and weapons in fifteenth
century Serbia looked like.
Several years after the Mana-
sija monastery was built as part of
Despot Stefan’s patronage of the
arts, a manuscript copying work-
shop, known as the Resava School
(the same name, Resava, by which
the monastery is also commonly
known), was opened on the prem-
ises, putting the monastery on the
map as an important cultural and
educational centre of medieval
Serbia.
Despot Stefan Lazarević’s biog-
rapher, Konstantin the Philosopher,
wrote that when the Despot was
a young boy, he watched the con-
struction of a church and said ”One
day, I will build one that is even
bigger and more beautiful.” One of
the highlights of Serbian medieval
architecture, the construction of
Manasija was definitely a fulfil-
ment of that promise. Sadly, after
his death, the looming Ottoman
threat materialised and a mere
thirty years after it was built, Mana-
sija fell into their hands. Over the
centuries it suffered pillaging and
burning, and its fortress housed the
Ottoman army. After the Ottoman
Empire fell, as all empires have a
tendency to, Manasija became an
active monastery once again, with
its fortress walls serving a purely
decorative purpose.
Manastirski kompleks
predstavlja jedinstveni
spoj manastira i
utvrđenja
e
The monastery
complex represents a
unique combination of
monastery and fortress
