Rakovica Monastery

Rakovica Monastery, with its church dedicated to the Holy Archangels, was built not far from Belgrade, in the valley of the river called Rakovicka Reka. It dates from the 16th century and was made in the place of an older cult structure. Throughout history, it was destroyed and rebuilt many times, and owes its form today mostly to the Obrenović family, especially Prince Miloš and Tomanija, the wife of his brother Jevrem, who financed and supervised its restoration between 1861 and 1865. The monastic church has a trefoil layout, with two octagonal domes without drums above the naos and the narthex. At the beginning of the 20th century, the iconostasis was replaced by a new one, the work of the gifted painter Rafailo Momčilović. The family tomb of Jevrem Obrenović and the grave of General Milivoje Blaznavac are found in the narthex. Vasa Čarapić, a commander from the First Serbian Uprising, was buried outside beside the northern wall of the narthex. His tombstone, commissioned by King Petar I, was designed by arch. Kosta J. Jovanović. Tombs of other important historical figures are also found in the churchyard, which testifies about the monastery’s reputation and its significant role in the history of the Serbian Renewal. In 1888, a drink fountain designed by arch. Jovan Ilkić was set up in front of the churchyard. The church was restored in 2004–06.