[Текст на српском] Tuesday, Aug 7, 2018, around 10:30 we have crossed to Montenegro. Next stop on your way to destination, will be Morača monastery…

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But before we get to the monastery, we still have to pass some of the beautiful landscapes in the municipality of Rožaje…

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…overlooking at the spectacular mountain massif and a national park Prokletije, seen here from Montenegro.

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Two hours after crossing the border, we can have a refreshment in the Tara river, near Kolašin. We’ll be back here in return.

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Morača monastery

Another monument to the Nemanjic Dynasty on our route, from XIII Century. Before the age of Nemanjic, churches were made very small — 3 to 6 meters long and 2 to 4 meters wide. After uniting Serbian lands into one, powerful empire under Stephen Nemanja, we can see greater churches and monasteries. We are coming to one such place…

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It was founded in 1252 by Stefan Vukanović, son of Vukan and grandson of Stephen Nemanja. It was built by the likes of the earlier monarchical foundations: Studenica, Žiča and Mileševa. The founding history is engraved above the western portal.

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The Church inside the monastery complex is devoted to the Assumption of Holy Mother of God. Its length is 22.70 meters, it is 6.36 meters wide and its height to the cross on the dome about 23 meters.

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A water faucet inside the monastery has a mosaic of Holy Mother of God with a baby Christ.

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Monastery mansion is, as usual, very well maintained.

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Inside the monastery complex there is a monument to all those who fell fighting for freedom since 1825.

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That is a good reminder to the turbulent history of this region. Monastery was burned by the Ottomans for the first time in 1505, and then, thanks to moderate political climate established by Mehmed Pasha Sokolović, was rebuiled until 1580. But some frescoes were damaged beyond repair… Photographing inside the church was forbidden, so this time no inside photos.

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Here is preserved library of the former Serbian Patriarch, Dr. Gavrilo Dožić.

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Monastery has to have bells. These are in active use…

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And these are the old bells.

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Just outside the monastery walls there is a strong well of fresh cold water, very suitable for a favorite sport of some members of our team — Beer Hunting!

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But there’s more than meets the eye here. This is not just a creek…

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It is also a mini hydroelectric plant that powers ancient monastery.

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After the rest in monastery, we are on the road again. And suddenly… We see massive cement pillars that tower above Montenegro’s picturesque Morača river canyon. It’s a Chinese project, state-of-the-art highway through some of the roughest terrain in southern Europe. It’s spectacular design is intended to link the largest Montenegrin port of Bar at the Adriatic coast to landlocked neighbor Serbia…

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When it is finished, this bridge will be a part of Bar—Boljare route, and it will greatly facilitate the movement of goods and people to the Montenegro coast. But now we have to use the old road to Podgorica. We have at least three more hours to the seaside…

^{Fujifilm X-T20, Canon EFs 18–135mm, f/3.5-5.6 IS STM, @35mm, ISO200, 1/3800 sec, f4.5}