Expedition 2023: Ljubostinja, Rudenica, and Naupare
Besides Kosovo and Metohija, this year's field trip included central Serbia, more precisely, the area surrounding the city of Kruševac. With the blessing of His Grace Bishop David, our small team made complete collections of the Monasteries Ljubostinja, Rudenica, Naupare, and Drenča.
Ljubostinja Monastery is an Orthodox monastery near the town of Trstenik. It is considered one of the most significant monuments of Serbian late medieval architecture and culture. The monastery is a foundation of Princess Milica, the wife of Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović, who acted as a regent to their underaged sons following the death of Prince Lazar at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389.
Monastery Ljubostinja
The monastery church of the Dormition of the Mother of God was built between 1388 and 1405, the year Princess Milica, nun Eugenia at the time, passed away and was buried in the church.
Inside the church of Ljubostinja
The BLAGO team created the complete collection of Ljubostinja, including photographs of the interior, architecture, and surroundings, VR panoramas, and drone footage.
After spending a night in Aleksandrovac, we continued to Monastery Rudenica nearby. It was built by the local nobleman Vukašin and his wife Vukosava at the end of the 14th, the beginning of the 15th century. The monastery church, dedicated to Saint Elijah, was built in the Morava school of architecture style and painted between 1402 and 1405.
Monastery Rudenica
After completing our work in the early afternoon, we continued to the Monastery Naupara.
Monastery Naupare
The Monastery Naupara was built in the 1380s. It also belongs to monuments of the Morava style. However, it suffered severe damage during the Turkish invasion in 1454. It remained in ruins until the restoration efforts of brothers Stojan Simić and Aleksa Simić in 1835.
Monastery Drenca
On returning to Jagodina, we stopped by Drenča, reconstructed a few years ago. Unfortunately, nothing else was saved from medieval times except for the foundation and lower walls.
Participants in this BLAGO expedition: Branko Jovanović, Zoran Jovanović, and Nenad Vukićević.