The Ostrog Monastery is a Serbian orthodox monastery located in a nearly vertical cliff of mountain Ostroska (after which it got its name).

The Ostrog Monastery, Montenegro, foto: Diego Delso, delso.photo, License CC-BY-SAWikimedia

The monastery was found by metropolitan Vasiliy in 1665 and after his death he gained his eternal peace here. He was canonized seven years after his death.

A vine grew from the wall where he died, though there is no solid ground on this place. That is why the fruit of this vine is considered to be healing for infertility. This is just one of the miracles of St Vasiliy.

The Ostrog monastery is a sacred place not only for Christians, but for all the religions, that is why pilgrims from all over the world come here to worship the sacred relics of St Vasiliy in hope for body and soul healing.After the Emty Tomb and Mount Athos Ostrog is the third most important Christian sanctuary.

Richard:”We are not very religious, but we were under great impression from the monastery and its surroundings and also from the number of pilgrims that get here by foot.The history of the monastery is very interesting and the views you get to see are truly stunning”

The monastery consists of the upper and lower monastery.

The upper monastery is situated at the altitude of 900 m on a nearly vertical mountain of Ostrog, from which opens a wonderful view of plain Bjelopavlica. One of its parts is in the hollow of the mountain and is divided into two churches: Virgin Marys appearence and St Christ. In the cave church of Virgin Marys appearence lie the relics of St Vasiliy of Ostrog. The body of the saint lies in a glass coffin without any signs of decay for the last 300 years. The monastery walls are covered with frescoes of the 17 century. The church of St Christ is situated in the upper part of the monastery, the walls were painted by Radul an artist who tried his best to insert the frescoes to the nature looking monastery stone walls.

The Monastery square, The Ostrog Monastery, Montenegro, foto: Gavinevans, Wikimedia

The Lower monastery was built in the 19th century and consists of the church of Holy Trinity, doss-house and an orthodox school, opened in the 18th century. Liturgies, baptism and wedding ceremonies are held in this part of the monastery. There is a 5 km long asphalt road leading from the lower to the upper monastery. The walking path goes through the forest and is shorter – it will take you 25 min to get from one monastery to the other. To get the real magical feel from this sacred place take your time and walk the forest path – you won’t regret it!

Niki:”This isn’t just a touristic destination.This is a magical sacred place where people come to pray to St Vasiliy and his miracles. Even those who came here as tourists will tell you that they felt the incredible energy and peace”

The Ostrog monastery is not only a famous sanctuary it is also a well-known monument of culture and history. It is the silent witness of the past and the present, of the one faith and culture of the people who have lived here for centuries.

St. Basil vine, The Ostrog Monastery, Montenegro, foto: Etan J. Tal, Wikimedia

You can find more information on the history and life of the monastery and also on the miracles of St Vasiliy on the official web-page of the Ostrog monastery – http://manastirostrog.com/

We can begin the excursion to the Ostrog monastery from any point of Montenegro suitable for you.

The trip in our comfortable, modern, air-conditioned cars takes place through Cetinje, Petrovacka mountain and Sutomore ( Sozina tunnel), than Podgorica and on to Niksic. From the main road Podgorica-Niksic we take the curvy mountain road leading us to the Ostrog monastery, from where there is a fanatastic view of the Bjelopavlica plain and the Zeta river. We leave the car on the parking of the lower monastery and than take a walk up the path to the upper monastery. We first visit the church of Virgin Marys appearence with the relics of St Vasiliy and than the rest of the monastery , where we can hear and see many stories and provements of the Ostrog miracles. After visiting the upper monastery we will go down to see the lower one.

Of course we can optimize the route and time of the excursion so that you can use your vacation time at full expend.

Helen:”Incredible place which you should visit inspite of the fact whether you believe in God or not. A special atmosphere full of spirituality supported with stories of the monastery and St Vasiliy miracles. Cheap candles, you also get a bottle of holy water and oil as a gift. Please behave yourself properly and cover your naked shoulders and knees before entering the monastery.”

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