Krka monastery

The Krka Monastery (Croatian: Samostan Krka; Serbian: Manastir Krka, Serbian Cyrillic: Манастир Крка) is a Serbian Orthodox monastery dedicated to the Archangel Michael, located near the river Krka, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) east of Kistanje, in central Dalmatia, Croatia. It is the best known monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Croatia and it is officially protected as part of the Krka National Park. It dates back to 1577.[1]

Krka
Krka monastery
Monastery information
Full nameManastir Krka, Манастир Крка
OrderSerbian Orthodox
Established1577
People
Founder(s)Jelena Nemanjić Šubić
Site
Locationnear Kistanje, Croatia
Public accessYes

History

In mid-17th century monks were forced to flee from the Ottomans and found shelter in Zadar, where pope Innocent X in 1655 gave them two churches, that had previously been in possession of Franciscans of the Third Order, named "Glagolitians" (glagoljaši) . In a subsequent agreement with the Franciscans, the monks declared that they "live in the service of the Greek Church, the old illyrian language."[2]

After Operation Storm in 1995 the monastery was looted, but not significantly, as it was protected by the Croatian authorities, abandoned, and the seminary shut down and relocated to Divčibare and, later, Foča. The monks returned in 1998, however, and the seminary reopened in 2001.[3]

Architectural features
Iconostasis of the monastery

The belltower of this monastery was built in the Romanesque style.[2][4] The complex also includes a chapel of Saint Sava built in the 19th century, under the tutelage of the Serbian Orthodox Bishop of Dalmatia Stefan Knežević, as well as a new building of the seminary and an additional dormitory building. The monastery has its archives and a library with a variety of ancient books and valuable items from the 16th to the 20th century, a collection of wooden icons (St. John the Baptist from the 14th or 15th century, work by the so-called Master of the Tkon Crucifix), silverware and embroideries.

See also

Literature
  • dr. Marko Japundžić: Tragom hrvatskoga glagolizma, KS, Zagreb, 1995., p. 51-54, 978-953-151-060-1

References
  1. Ante Jurić, "Gradovi, utvrde i sakralni spomenici uz Krku i Čikolu", Matica hrvatska, Skradin, 2004. str. 100.; Krka Monastery was established in 1577 ("Zaključimo: manastir Krka osnovan je 1577. godine, vjerojatno »na mjestu gdje je, moguće, bilo ranijih oblika kultnog života«, na što upućuju i same katakombe ispod crkve i manastira.").
  2. (in Croatian)Vjesnik In one contract with the Franciscans, the monks of the Krka monastery declared "that they live in the service of the Greek Church of the old Illyrian language" ("žive u službi grčke Crkve staroga ilirskoga jezika").
  3. "Manastir Krka".
  4. Enciklopedija likovnih umjetnosti, 3, Zagreb, 1964., p. 251

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