A new gate now adorns the Banjska Monastery

Today, a new gate was installed at the entrance of Banjska Monastery, replacing the one destroyed during the unfortunate events of September 24, 2023. The gate was crafted thanks to the brotherly love and solidarity of the Hilandar Monastery brotherhood, with support from the Monastery Foundation.

The historical connection between Hilandar Monastery and Banjska Monastery dates back to Saint Archbishop Danilo II (1270-1330), who served as the abbot of Hilandar during the reign of King Milutin before becoming the first abbot of Banjska Monastery (1313-1317).

The Banjska Monastery, with its church dedicated to Saint Stephen, was constructed between 1313 and 1317 as an endowment of the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin. Milutin, one of the most powerful rulers of the Nemanjić dynasty and a prominent Balkan monarch of his era, intended Banjska as his burial church, where he was initially burried. However, following the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, his body was moved to Trepča, and then in 1460, to the Gorna Banja Monastery. After several relocations, the relics of Saint King Milutin finally found their resting place in 1867, in the Church of Saint Kyriake (Sv. Nedelja) in Sofia, Bulgaria.