A visit to the monastery known as the House of the Living

Hello everyone. The past weekend was non-working in my country due to public holidays, so I took the opportunity to travel with my husband to a destination where we could first relax, but also do some sightseeing. This time, we left the kids with their grandmother and spent some time alone.

We headed north and made our first break in a small place Kovilj in the Vojvodina, province of Serbia. There, we visited the Ortodox monastery of the Saint Archangel Michael and Gabriel.

This monastery is located on a large area in a beautiful natural environment.

It is not known exactly when it was built, but there is evidence that it was built on foundations from the 13th century.

What is known for sure is that the temple as it exists today was built in the 18th century.

When we entered the gate, we did not expect to see such a spacious yard.

In addition to the church, there were also monastery quarters and a bell tower.

And a big garden.

This monastery is known for the food that the monks make themselves, mostly from the plants they grow. They make medicinal salves and their green walnut liqueur is also famous.

The church has preserved an almost authentic appearance from the outside, and it has been renovated inside.

We went inside.

The walls are painted with frescoes.

The floor is marble, but despite the fact that it seems cold inside, you feel some warmth, protection, but also isolation.

What's interesting is that this monastery serves more than just a religious purpose. It also offers free education for recovering drug addicts to help them break free from their vices.

That is why it is also called the "House of the Living". It helps people start a new life, free from vices.

We spent some more time in the landscaped yard, but it was very cold, so soon, we continued on our way...

Thank you very much for reading.

Jelena