Crna Reka Monastery

Crna Reka Monastery (meaning “Black River”) is often considered a work of exquisite construction and creativity. The church and the monks’ cells seem to hang from the rock, though they’re actually built into cliffside caves.

The 13th-century Serbian Orthodox monastery is situated in the Crna Reka river canyon.  A narrow wooden footbridge connects the monastery to the earth below. It’s assumed the bridge was once movable, which would have made it nearly impossible to approach or attack the monastery from the ground. 

Crna Reka Monastery monastery includes a church in a cave, which was dedicated to Archangel Michael and covered with frescoes from the 16th century. The monastery is also home to the holy relics of Saint Peter of Koriša, a famous Serbian hermit who lived in the village near Prizren. Today, numerous pilgrims still come to the monastery to seek healing and spiritual consolidation from this saint. In the 15th century, the sanctuary was home to a famous hesychast named St. Ioanichios.