Vraćevšnica monastery, Serbian Orthodox monastery in Gornji Milanovac Municipality, Serbia
Vraćevšnica monastery is a Serbian Orthodox monastery in Gornji Milanovac Municipality featuring a church built in the Resava architectural style with traditional Serbian design elements. The complex consists of several interconnected buildings organized around this central church, creating a cohesive religious compound.
Radič Postupović, a magnate in the service of Stefan Lazarević and Đurađ Branković, founded the monastery before 1428, and its frescoes were finished in 1431. Turkish registers of the Smederevo sanjak from the first half of the 16th century record it damaged and abandoned; it was restored before 1579 under the Rudnik metropolitan Diomidije. In 1737, under abbot Mihailo, it received its largest renovation to that date, with the church repainted over damaged older frescoes.
The nuns of Vraćevšnica, a women's monastery since 1935, are known for making excellent honey. The village name recalls the Kosovo Battle: by tradition, all its men returned alive, so Radič Postupović founded the monastery in thanks and named the village Vraćevšnica. In 1818 the monastery hosted the assembly that chose Kragujevac as the capital of the principality.
The monastery lies by the village of Vraćevšnica on the road between Gornji Milanovac and Kragujevac, in the Moravica District. The church stands in the middle of the walled compound, with the konak and its gate tower on the south side and the treasury building with the winter chapel on the west. The nuns' quarters are closed to visitors.
Since 1935 Vraćevšnica has been a women's monastery, and its nuns are known for producing excellent honey. The sisterhood also restored the estate, which had been registered for tax debt before their arrival. Abbesses have included Ana Adžić (1900–1975) and Evdokija Šutić (1996–2014).
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