Temska Monastery, Serbian Orthodox monastery in Temska, near Pirot, Serbia

Temska Monastery, dedicated to Saint George, stands on the left bank of the Temštica River about 20 km from Pirot. Its church has a compressed inscribed cross plan with an octagonal dome, built in a simplified Morava style. The white-plastered walls and dark overhanging timber roof shelter a narthex added in 1654, fronted by a wooden porch.

The church was built in the 14th century by the Dejanović brothers, relatives of Tsar Dušan, on the foundations of an 11th-century temple whose founder is unknown. The narthex was added and painted in 1654 under hegumen Simeon, and hegumen Partenije restored the church and both old dormitories in 1699, also building the fountain that still stands. In 1876 Circassians looted the monastery, and since 1928, after about forty Russian women arrived following the October Revolution, it has been a women's monastery.

The monastery is an active place of Orthodox worship where services and religious feasts follow traditions passed down over generations. Visitors can see the frescoes inside the church, which depict biblical scenes and are still treated as sacred images by the community.

The monastery sits in a mountain area, so sturdy footwear is a good idea, especially if you plan to walk around the surrounding paths. Having your own transport makes it easier to reach, since the area around Pirot has other places worth visiting on the same trip.

The monastery church stands on the foundations of an 11th-century church whose founder is unknown; the present building was erected in the 14th century by the Dejanović brothers, relatives of Tsar Dušan. The church is a compressed inscribed cross with an octagonal dome on squinches, an early example of this plan built in a simplified Morava style.