Raca Monastery
Raca Monastery lies on a bank of the Raca River, some 6 kilometres away from the town of Bajina Basta – which is slightly more than an hour’s walk.It was built by Serbian king Dragutin in 1276. Raca Monastery got deserted during the Great Migration of Serbs lead by Arsenije III Carnojevic in 1690, when it was burned down by the Ottoman Turks.
In 1784, monk Melentije Stefanovic (a.k.a. "Haji Melentije") obtained a decree from the Turkish government allowing him to restore the monastery. Eighteen years later, Turks burned down the monastery once again, because Melentije took part in the First Serbian Uprising.
Haji Melentije was buried in the monastery, and the following verses from a Serbian folk poem (supposedly uttered by the Ottoman Sultan) can still be read inscribed in his tombstone:
“Wait till I burn Racha on the Drina and execute Haji Melentije”.
On the southern wall of the monastery there’s a bass-relief dedicated to Haji Melentije Stefanovic, made out of white marble with engraved figure, a work by Mihailo Milovanovic from the year 1924.
The interior of the monastery is decorated with frescoes and icons, and the monastery iconostasis with two icons of Jesus and Holy Virgin is considered to be one of the most beautiful in Serbia.
On the outer wall there is a memorial plaque dedicated to people killed in the Balkan Wars 1912 through 1918.
A bell tower with three bells, 12 meters tall, dominates the surrounding area.
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