The Papraća Monastery () is a

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

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

dedicated to the

Annunciation The Annunciation (; ; also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Annunciation of Our Lady, or the Annunciation of the Lord; ) is, according to the Gospel of Luke, the announcement made by the archangel Gabriel to Ma ...

and located in the village of Papraća at the source of the same-named river, near

Šekovići Šekovići ( sr-cyrl, Шековићи) is a town and municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. As of 2013, it has a population of 6,761 inhabitants, while the town of Šekovići has a population of 1,519 inhabitants. History From ...

in eastern

Republika Srpska Republika Srpska ( sr-Cyrl, Република Српска, ; also referred to as the Republic of Srpska or Serb Republic) is one of the two Political divisions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities within Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other bein ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

. The date of its foundation is unknown, but contemporary Ottoman documents give evidence that the monastery existed in the first half of the 16th century. The remains of an older church which is assumed to originate from the period of Nemanjić's rule from the 13th or early 14th century have been excavated under the floor of the existing monastery. The monks of Papraća had contacts with Russian rulers in the 16th and 17th centuries, and they often travelled to Russia to raise funds and donations. In 1551, the monks travelled to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

through

Volhynia Volhynia or Volynia ( ; see #Names and etymology, below) is a historic region in Central and Eastern Europe, between southeastern Poland, southwestern Belarus, and northwestern Ukraine. The borders of the region are not clearly defined, but in ...

in the

Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a sovereign state in northeastern Europe that existed from the 13th century, succeeding the Kingdom of Lithuania, to the late 18th century, when the territory was suppressed during the 1795 Partitions of Poland, ...

, where they received a manuscript

Gospel Book A Gospel Book, Evangelion, or Book of the Gospels ( Greek: , ) is a codex or bound volume containing one or more of the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament – normally all four – centering on the life of Jesus of Nazareth and the roo ...

from Prince Dymitr

Sanguszko The House of Sanguszko is a Polish and Lithuanian noble and aristocratic family of Lithuanian and Ruthenian origin, connected to the Gediminid dynasty. Like other princely houses of Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, its origins are considered m ...

, who was a grandson of

Serbian Despot The Serbian Despotate () was a medieval Serbian state in the first half of the 15th century. Although the Battle of Kosovo in 1389 is mistakenly considered the end of medieval Serbia, the Despotate, a successor of the Serbian Empire and Moravian ...

Jovan Branković Jovan Branković ( sr-Cyrl, Јован Бранковић, ; c. 1465 – 10 December 1502) was the titular Despot of Serbia from 1493 until his death in 1502. The title of Despot (court title), despot was given to him by Hungarian king Vladislas I ...

. Several years later, also in Volhynia, another group of Papraća monks received a

psalter A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the emergence of the book of hours in the Late Middle Ages, psalters were ...

from a man named Nikola the Serb. In 1559, Papraća monks helped build a new church at the Tronoša Monastery in western Serbia. In 1645, Russian Tsar Aleksey Mikhailovich granted a charter permitting the monks of Papraća to collect donations in Russia once every eight years. They managed to travel to Russia even during the

Great Turkish War The Great Turkish War () or The Last Crusade, also called in Ottoman sources The Disaster Years (), was a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Holy League (1684), Holy League consisting of the Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lith ...

(1683–1699). The monastery was abandoned and ruined after the Austro-Turkish War of 1716–18. Its church was rebuilt in 1853, after the construction works were allowed by Ottoman authorities. The rebuilding was helped by funds from

Serbs of Sarajevo Serbs in Sarajevo numbered 157,526 according to the 1991 census, making up more than 30% of the ten pre-war municipalities of the Sarajevo metropolitan area: Centar, Stari Grad, Novo Sarajevo, Novi Grad, Ilidža, Ilijaš, Vogošća, Hadžići, ...

. The church was further refurbished in the following years, and it was consecrated in 1869. Monastic life was restored in Papraća in 1880. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the monastery was ruined and its valuables were stolen. It was partially repaired in 1954, mostly through efforts by nun Varvara Božić from the

Tavna Monastery The Tavna Monastery () is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located south of the city of Bijeljina in north-eastern Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The date of its foundation is unknown. The chronicles of monasteries Tronoša and Peć say ...

. After further renovations, it was consecrated on 21 September 1975. The Papraća Monastery was designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2005.

References

External links

Official website of the Papraća Monastery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Papraca Monastery Serbian Orthodox monasteries in Bosnia and Herzegovina National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina 16th-century Serbian Orthodox church buildings 16th-century establishments in Bosnia and Herzegovina Christian monasteries established in the 16th century Buildings and structures in Republika Srpska