- Address: Piva Monastery, Plouzhine, Montenegro
- Year of foundation: 1586
- Type: for men
- Condition: active
- Confession: Orthodoxy (Serbian Church)
- Diocese: Budimliansko-Nikshicha
In Montenegro there is a large number of religious shrines, relics and temples. One of the largest monasteries of the country is the Piva Monastery (Piva Monastery or Pivski manastir).
general information
The monastery is located in the northwestern part of the state on the coast of the same reservoir and belongs to the municipality of Plouzhine. The monastery began to erect in 1573 on the initiative of Metropolitan Sheremetyevo Savaatiy Sokolovich. The first service was held here in 1586, and in 1624 the temple was consecrated by Vasily Ostrozhsky.
The monastery was erected during the Turkish rule, so they tried to hide it. The place was chosen successfully - on the bank of the river, along the banks of which grow forests and groves. The church has 3 naves and looks rather modest, and the upper dome is missing.
Fearing that during the construction of the hydroelectric power station in 1982 the temple was not flooded, the authorities decided: to completely transfer the monastery to a new location. The implementation of this process took more than 12 years.
Description of the shrine
The main church of the Orthodox monastery was named after the Virgin and is considered the largest in the country. Its length is 23 m, width - 15 m, and height reaches 13 m. The facade of the building is made of ashlar gray and pink.
When the temple was erected, the builders used large blocks of rocks of different sizes, and sometimes old tombstones were also used. For these reasons, the walls of the building are uneven and in some places are covered with inscriptions.
Inside the monastery are decorated with numerous frescoes, the first layer of which was laid in the beginning of the XVII century by an unknown Greek master. They feature stories from the Holy Scriptures. A little later, local painters (Kozma and Pop Strahinya) began to paint the top and ceiling of the temple. They depicted the faces of the saints and the deeds of the apostles.
The throne and the doors of the temple are made of ivory and wood. Bells are located in a separate part of the courtyard under the roof. Near them there is a spring with curative spring water.
What is famous for the Pivsky Monastery?
One of the main values of the shrine is its iconostasis, which was created in 3 approaches:
- The best master of the time, Longinus painted the first 3 icons.
- In 1605 an oak carved cross with icons of St. John the Theologian and the Blessed Virgin Mary was created here.
- In 1638-1639, Kozma decorated the iconostasis with a rich gilded carvings.
In the monastery vestry there are real treasures: 183 church and liturgical books, 4 manuscript Gospels in a silver setting, Georgy Chernovich's psalter, Savaatiy Sokolovich omophorion, as well as other works of art and ritual objects.
In a separate place is a charter issued by the Russian Emperor Alexander the First for the annual maintenance of the church. The monastery also houses the miraculous relics of the saints, for example, Gregory the Theologian, Gregory the Illuminator of Armenia, King Uros of First Nemanich, martyr Eleftheria and 11 others.
Such a unique set of relics could reach our days thanks to the secret room. To her leads a staircase, hidden in the wall, which was specially built during the erection of the monastery complex.
Visiting the temple
At present, the shrine is a functioning man's monastery. It belongs to the Serbian Orthodox Church of the Budimlian-Nikshich Diocese. Here are services, celebrations are celebrated, newlyweds are married and baptismal rites are held.
Pilgrims from all over the world come here to touch the relics and get acquainted with medieval artifacts. By the way, candles are usually placed in the sand with water.
How to get there?
You can come here with an organized excursion or by car on the road E762, from the capital distance is 110 km.