Devič, Serbian Orthodox monastery in Drenica, Kosovo.
Devič is a Serbian Orthodox monastery in a forest 5 km south of Srbica, in the Drenica region of Kosovo. Its church, dedicated to the Entry of the Theotokos, is a single-nave building with a longitudinal barrel vault and a three-sided apse; a small chapel holding the grave of Saint Joanikije leans against its east wall. The monastery also has churches dedicated to Saint Joanikije and Saint George.
Despot Đurađ Branković founded the monastery in 1434 on a site where Saint Joanikije had lived as a hermit before him. Over the centuries it was damaged and rebuilt several times, including after the unrest of 2004.
The monastery church is dedicated to the Entry of the Theotokos, and its frescoes were painted in 1578 under abbot Pahomije and hieromonk Longin, as a fresco inscription records. The oldest layer, from the 15th century, shows Saint Joanikije in the great schema with an inscription calling him the first founder of the site, alongside Saint Akakios and scenes of the Wedding at Cana and the Healing of the Paralytic.
The monastery is active and run by nuns, so visitors should dress modestly and behave quietly out of respect for the community. It is worth checking access conditions in advance, as security arrangements can vary depending on the situation on the ground.
The chapel holding Saint Joanikije's tomb leans against the church's eastern wall and was added when the church was extended north. Its wall paintings, surviving above the grave, include a depiction of his Dormition. The saint lived as a hermit in a hollow beech tree before the monastery was built.
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