Peace in the silence of Tresije monastery

For years, I have been hearing stories about a great national assembly that takes place on the second of August, on St. Ilija's Day, on the slopes of Mount Kosmaj, in the immediate vicinity of the Tresije Monastery.

I have heard stories about that fair, one of the largest and most visited people's assemblies in the Šumadija region many times, but I never had the desire to attend it.

But I had a desire to visit the Tresije monastery, near which that fair is held.

I did it at the beginning of May, when nature is the most beautiful and the weather is the most pleasant for walking.

Tresije Monastery is a male monastery that belongs to the Šumadija Eparchy of the Serbian Orthodox Church. It is located on the slopes of Mount Kosmaj, about 7 kilometers from Sopot, on the way to the top of the mountain.

According to historical sources and tradition, the monastery was built at the end of the 13th century, during the reign of King Dragutin, and was first renovated during the reign of despot Stefan Lazarevic at the beginning of the 15th century.

It got its name from the Mala Tresija stream that springs in the immediate vicinity and is dedicated to the Assembly of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel.

At the time of Turkish rule, during the 16th century, the Tresije monastery was one of the wealthiest and most numerous monasteries in Belgrade district.

During the Great Migration of Serbs, in 1690, the monastery was devastated and destroyed.
It was restored in 1709, as evidenced by the inscription carved into the stone next to the entrance to the church.
Voljom Oca, uz pomoć Sina i savršenstvom Svetoga Duha, obnovi se ovaj sveti i božanski hram Svetih Arhangela Mihaila i Gavrila, trudom i troškom igumana Jovana Klisarića sa bratijom i žiteljima svetog manastira Tresije, rodom iz Rakovice blizu Beograda, 1711. godine

By the will of the Father, with the help of the Son and the perfection of the Holy Spirit, this holy and divine temple of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel was rebuilt, with the effort and expense of Abbot Jovan Klisarić with the brothers and residents of the holy monastery of Tresije, a native of Rakovica near Belgrade, in 1711

However, he was destroyed again soon after.

A detailed renovation was started in 1930, interrupted during the World War II, and continued in the middle of the 20th century, so that at the end of the 20th century a new monastery dormitory was built and the monastery was completely reconstructed.

The monastery houses a valuable collection of icons from the 19th century brought from the surrounding churches, and the altar from 1827 (the work of a student of the painter Jeremija Mihailović) and the throne icon of Ilija Petrović from 1852/53 stand out for their beauty.

I took advantage of a beautiful spring day and, apart from praying in this old monastery, I enjoyed the monastery courtyard, as well as on the benches in front of the monastery door, in peace, listening to the chirping of birds from the nearby forest - all the things that I would not be able to do if I found myself in this place in 5 days 🙂, when there will be an unimaginable crowd here, pitched tents with restaurant offers, music and a large number of stalls of various producers.