ThePapraća Monastery (Serbian:Манастир Папраћа,romanized: Manastir Papraća) is aSerbian Orthodoxmonastery dedicated to theAnnunciation and located in the village of Papraća at the source of the same-named river, nearŠekovići in easternRepublika Srpska,Bosnia and Herzegovina. The date of its foundation is unknown, but contemporaryOttoman documents give evidence that the monastery existed in the first half of the 16th century.[1]
The monks of Papraća had contacts with Russian rulers in the 16th and 17th centuries, and they often travelled to Russia to raise funds and donations.[1] In 1551, the monks travelled toMoscow throughVolhynia in theGrand Duchy of Lithuania, where they received a manuscriptGospel Book from Prince DymitrSanguszko, who was a grandson ofSerbian DespotJovan Branković. Several years later, also in Volhynia, another group of Papraća monks received apsalter from a man named Nikola the Serb.[2] In 1559, Papraća monks helped build a new church at theTronoša Monastery in western Serbia. In 1645, Russian TsarAleksey Mikhailovich granted a charter permitting the monks of Papraća to collect donations in Russia once every eight years. They managed to travel to Russia even during theGreat Turkish War (1683–1699).[1]
The monastery was abandoned and ruined after theAustro-Turkish War of 1716–18. Its church was rebuilt in 1853, after the construction works were allowed by Ottoman authorities. The rebuilding was helped by funds fromSerbs of Sarajevo. The church was further refurbished in the following years, and it was consecrated in 1869. Monastic life was restored in Papraća in 1880. DuringWorld War II, the monastery was ruined and its valuables were stolen. It was partially repaired in 1954, mostly through efforts by nun Varvara Božić from theTavna Monastery. After further renovations, it was consecrated on 21 September 1975. The Papraća Monastery was designated as aNational Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina byKONS in 2005.[1]
44°20′08″N18°56′55″E / 44.335533°N 18.948604°E /44.335533; 18.948604
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| Notes | * indicate monasteries inKosovo, which is the subject of a territorial dispute between theRepublic of Serbia and theRepublic of Kosovo. | |
