Voljavča ( sr-cyr, Вољавча) is a

Serbian Orthodox The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. The majority of the population in ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

situated in a dense forest near the Voljavča creek on the northeastern slope of the Rudnik, near the village of

Stragari Stragari ( sr-cyr, Страгари) is a rural settlement within the City of Kragujevac. Geography Located at 250 m above sea level, it lies 30 km northwest of Kragujevac and about 120 km south of state capital, Belgrade. It lie ...

in central Serbia. The monastery church, dedicated to saints Michael and Gabriel, was an endowment of Mihailo Končinović, a nobleman of Despot

Stefan Lazarević Stefan Lazarević ( sr-Cyrl, Стефан Лазаревић, 1377 – 19 July 1427), also known as Stefan the Tall ( sr, Стефан Високи / ''Stefan Visoki''), was the ruler of Serbia as prince (1389–1402) and despot (1402–1427), ...

(r. 1402–27), reconstructed at the beginning of the 15th century on the ruins of an older church dating to 1050. The monastery is of great historical importance due to its role during the

First Serbian Uprising The First Serbian Uprising ( sr, Prvi srpski ustanak, italics=yes, sr-Cyrl, Први српски устанак; tr, Birinci Sırp Ayaklanması) was an uprising of Serbs in the Sanjak of Smederevo against the Ottoman Empire from 14 February 18 ...

, when the Upspring leader,

Karađorđe Đorđe Petrović ( sr-Cyrl, Ђорђе Петровић, ), better known by the sobriquet Karađorđe ( sr-Cyrl, Карађорђе, lit=Black George, ; – ), was a Serbian revolutionary who led the struggle for his country's independ ...

often hid there. In the residential part of the monastery, built in 1765. was held the first meeting of the Serbian Minister Council ( sr-cyr, Правитељствујушчи совјет сербски), first executive governing organ in the History of modern Serbia.

Notable people

Hadži-Ruvim Hadži-Ruvim ( sr-cyr, Хаџи-Рувим; 19 April 1752 – 29 January 1804), born Rafailo Nenadović ( sr-Cyrl, Рафаило Ненадовић), was a Serbian Orthodox ''archimandrite'' (superior abbot) of the Bogovađa Monastery, near Lajko ...

References

Sources

* * {{coord, 44.1256, N, 20.6342, E, source:wikidata, display=title 15th-century Serbian Orthodox church buildings Medieval Serbian Orthodox monasteries Serbian Orthodox monasteries in Serbia Kragujevac Cultural Monuments of Great Importance (Serbia)