Manastir Nikolje

History of the monastery of St. Nicholas

The Nikolje Monastery is located on the eastern slopes of the Rudnik Mountain. This Orthodox monastery was built in 1425, and Nikola Dorjenović, a respectable lord of the despot Stefan Lazarević, is mentioned as its founder. Unfortunately, the monastery of Nikola was damaged in the middle of the 15th century, after the first invasion of the Ottomans. It was restored at the beginning of the 17th century, when the narthex in the west was erected and painted. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the monastery of Nikola was an important cultural and political center of this part of Serbia. Research and conservation work began in 1979, while the monastery church was last renovated in 1988.

Appearance and characteristics of the monastery of St. Nicholas
The Church of St. Nicholas, which is part of the monastery of St. Nicholas, is located on the left bank of St. Nicholas Stream, at the southern end of the village of Donja Satornja. It is a relatively small building. This church has the basis of a single-nave building with a narthex and a nave, divided into 3 lawns of different dimensions. The octagonal dome rises above the middle lawn. The large bell tower was built in 1817, during one of the renovations. The exterior of the church of St. Nicholas does not contain any decorative elements. There are 3 layers of frescoes in this church. The first has been preserved to a small extent, and dates from the 15th century. The second layer is related to the first decades of the 17th century and you can see parts of it in the narthex. The third layer was done by Zivko Pavlovic Moler and Ilija Stojicevic. It was created in 1850. The throne icons are the work of the icon painter Risto Nikolić, one of the best icon painters in the then Serbia.

How to get to the monastery of St. Nicholas?

If you start by car from Belgrade, you can reach the monastery of St. Nicholas in an hour and a half (via Route 25).
If your starting point is Arandjelovac, you will travel half an hour to this monastery. We recommend that you call one of the following taxi carriers: Yellow taxi 034 714-400 or Happy taxi 0800 20-20-00.

Additional information
The Nikolje Monastery is only ten kilometers away from Topola. If you ever go through this area, take some time and stop by this place and learn more about its history. For any additional information, call the phone number below: 034 837-124.