The Ovčarsko-Kablarska Gorge: Where nature meets faith

The Ovčarsko-Kablarska Gorge: Where nature meets faith

The twenty kilometers long gorge created by Zapadna Morava passing between the Ovčar (986m) and the Kablar (885m) Mountain and connecting the basins of Požega and Čačak is one of the most scenic regions in Serbia. The river’s meanders and rising cliffs, along with several caves, fresh woods, vibrant springs and ten monasteries scattered along its course make it a unique and interesting travel route. The monasteries were built up in 15^th and 16^th century, in the dark ages of Serbian history, when many monks looked for more secluded places out of the main roads and far from Turkish towns. There are five monasteries on each side of the river, but most of them are of little or none historic value as they have been never attracted much wealth or were reconstructed in the past two centuries. The monastery of Nikolje is the oldest of all, probably from the middle of the 15^th century. It is a modest edifice with preserved wall paintings from 1587 that have lost most of their colors in a fire. It was renewed in 1817 with the aid of Prince Miloš Obrenović. A pleasant iconostasis by J. Mihailović and a fine structure for monastic dwellings, an example of folk architecture, were added in 1826. Blagoveštenje is certainly the best-looking of the ten monasteries. It was built on the foundations of an older monastery in 1601 as a small but proportional building with a wooden porch in front of the entrance that protects the painting on the outer wall. The frescoes were painted in 1632 by a local artist who applied soothing colors and simplified figures. The iconostasis that was made about the same time with icons and carvings. The Ovčar Spa (Ovčar Banja) is close by. A hotel and a motel are the most common stops on the route along the gorge.

The Sveta Trojica monastery was built at the very end of the 16^th century although the antique shapes, proportions, as well as narthex with a blind calotte and stone portals make it look much older. It possesses an iconostasis beautifully carved and painted by Nikola Marković in 1868, as well as exquisite dwellings.

Sretenje lies just beneath the top of Ovčar Mountain. It also dates back to the end of the 16^th century and what is peculiar about this structure is that the first record that refers to it (1623) mentions its destruction. It remained in ruins until 1818, when a one-nave church with a deep apse and a tall belfry was constructed in its place, owing to the efforts of Abbot Nićifor Maksimović. The frescoes were painted in 1844 in a conservative zoographic tradition of the previous centuries under the influence of the deeply religious abbot. At is narrowest point the gorge is only a hundred meters wide. Along its entire course the gorge is densely wooded, with Oak dominating the lower and Birch the upper stratum. The Ovčarsko-Kablarska gorge is widely known for a large number of bird species (104) populating its natural habitat and for its medical and aromatic herbs.

West Morava River is blocked in two places by damns that welled-up two artificial lakes, offering a great site for fishing. The of one of these lakes, the Medjuvršje, has been developed for fishermen and is among the most favored fishing sites in Serbia.

Source: www.serbiainyourhands.com