Gornjak Monastery

About half an hour from Vitovnica, hidden in a forested mountain valley, lies one of the most beautiful and spiritual monasteries in the Balkans. It was founded in the 14th century by the disciples of Gregory of Sinai of Mount Athos, one of the most important mystics of the Theosis tradition, who developed and taught the technique of hesychasm and mental prayer in the 14th century.

Gregory of Sinai received his spiritual education at the Monastery of Saint Catherine in Sinai, as did some of his disciples. The Serbian saint Sava made a journey to Mount Sinai during his visit to Israel in 1229 and spent the 40 days of Lent before Easter around the mountain, where he had an epiphany. From that time on, there was a significant Serbian and Balkan presence on Mount Sinai and a connection between the monasteries on Mount Sinai, Mount Athos, and the Balkans. The Serbian kings Dragutin, Milutin, and Stefan Dušan in the 14th century, and Lazar, Lazarević, and Branković in the 15th century, supported the monasteries on Mount Sinai.

In the 14th century, conditions on Mount Sinai deteriorated, and many of the monks migrated to Mount Athos and the Balkans. Following the Ottoman raids on Mount Athos and the defeat of the Bulgarians at the Battle of Maritsa in the 14th century, many more monks migrated to monasteries in Serbia. Gregory of Sinai found refuge first in the Holy Mountain, but when pirate raids devastated the monasteries there, he left with many of his disciples, sought and found a new home in the Strandzha Mountains of Bulgaria, established a school, and from there, many of his students went out to spread the new mystic teaching all over the Balkans. One of them was Gregory of Sinai the Younger, who founded the Gornjak Monastery following an invitation from Prince Lazar.

The center of the monks from Sinai was the Ravanica Monastery, and in addition to it, the Gornjak Monastery. Serbian folklore features legends about seven holy monks from Sinai who came to Serbia. The monks who came from Sinai and Mount Athos played an important role in strengthening the spirituality of the Serbs and their optimism in the face of the difficulties of the period.

Gornjak Monastery is located in a green gorge by a stream and has cliffs with monks’ cells around it and a cave with a church inside. The beauty of nature, the cliffs, and the architecture of the buildings are reminiscent of Mount Athos.