Manastir Rujno

Rujno Monastery - the most important information

Rujno Monastery, or Rujan Monastery, located on a hill above Lake Vrutci, 17km from Uzice, is actually a new monastery because the old one disappeared under the lake. It is dedicated to the Holy Great Martyr Djordje, and belongs to the Diocese of Zice of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

History of the Rujno Monastery

The original Rujno monastery was built during the 15th or early 16th century and there are no records of that. In 1529, the first printing press on the territory of today's Serbia started working in it, and in 1537, the first book was printed - the Four Gospels of Rujan. In 1576, the Turks burned it, and the monks fled to the monastery of Raca, which is located on Tara. The remains of the monastery were submerged after the formation of the artificial lake Vrutci in 1980. The new monastery was built from 2004 to 2006, and was consecrated in 2007 and inhabited by monks.

Characteristics of the Rujno Monastery

The new monastery was built in the style of a medieval basilica, so it is unique in the Diocese of Zicka. One supporting pillar was actually located in the old monastery, and a boarding house was built in the lower part of the gate. There is also a bell tower within the monastery, and Bishop Chrysostom is buried in the gate.

How to get to the Rujno monastery?

You can reach the monastery:

by your own transport if you start from Uzice towards Lake Vrutci, you will reach the crossroads on Malica hill where the left turn leads to Vrutci. After a few hundred meters there is a road on the right that leads to the monastery or
by taxi from Uzice (Bravo Taxi 031/554422).

Additional information

The only complete copy of the Four Gospels of Rujan with three hundred pages is kept in the National Library in Prague. The copy that was in Serbia was destroyed during the bombing of the National Library in Belgrade in 1941, and only one fragment of 92 pages is kept in the archives of SANU. Another incomplete copy of 296 pages is in the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg.