Pustinja, Serbian Orthodox monastery in Kolubara District, Serbia

Pustinja is a Serbian Orthodox monastery at the entrance to the Pustinja gorge, which the Jablanica river has cut into the slopes of Jablanik (1274 m) near the village of Vujinovača, about ten kilometres from Tubravić above Valjevo. The Church of the Presentation of the Virgin is a single-nave building with a dome on an externally sixteen-sided drum, rectangular choir spaces to the north and south, and a narthex added in 1848 with a two-storey bell tower. Church and narthex together measure 19.5 m long, 7 m wide and 9 m high, and the bell tower rises 16 m.

The monastery was built on foundations from the 11th century, with the current structure completed in 1622. This completion occurred during a period when religious construction was limited under Turkish rule.

The frescoes were painted between 15 March and 25 June 1622 under abbot Janićije Bitojević, as recorded in the ktitor inscription above the west door. Painters Nikola and Jovan signed their work in the proskomidia niche. The exterior north facade shows the Virgin with Christ as the Brzopomoćnica, and the former west wall depicts the Last Judgment.

To reach the monastery, take a bus to Pocuta village followed by a walk on a concrete path to the complex. The route is straightforward but involves hiking on established trails through the valley.

The frescoes were painted in just over three months, from 15 March to 25 June 1622, under abbot Janićije Bitojević, whose donor inscription survives above the west door. The painters Nikola and Jovan signed themselves in the proskomidia niche, on the painted sarcophagus from which the dead Christ rises.