Monastère de Gornji Matejevac, Serbian Orthodox monastery near Niš, Serbia.
Gornji Matejevac is a Serbian Orthodox monastery featuring a church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. The complex sits north of its namesake village and remains accessible by paved roads.
Records first document the monastery in Ottoman documents from 1489. Archaeological findings indicate religious activity occurred at the site much earlier, potentially from the era of Constantine the Great.
The interior displays religious artwork following Orthodox Christian traditions that still guide the spiritual life of visitors and worshippers. These visual elements frame the experience of those who enter the church to pray.
The monastery welcomes visitors throughout the year and holds regular religious services. Visitors should plan for the customs of sacred spaces, including respectful behavior and modest dress.
Russian nuns fleeing the October Revolution settled on the monastery grounds in the 1920s and opened a school for blind children. This unexpected connection between Russian refugees and a Serbian monastery left a lasting mark on the community.
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