The Sopoćani Monastery, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, is an endowment of Serbian king Stefan Uroš I (1243-1276). The monastery was built around the year 1260 near the source of the river Raška, 17 kilometers from the town of Novi Pazar. The church has a form of the Romanesque three-nave basilica with a massive semicircular apse in the central part of the nave. Its vast frescoes, done before 1264–65 and painted in the Byzantine manner, portraying the Gospels, are considered by many to be the finest in Europe from this period. The most famous fresco is the Dormition of the Virgin that covers over 30 square meters and is located in the central nave of the church. The Sopoćani monastery was abandoned after Turks destroyed it and were left in ruins for more than two and a half centuries. The monastery was renovated in the early 20th century. The monastery—along with a number of sites on the outskirts of the medieval city of Stari Ras—was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Parking location – Sopoćani: 43.116417N 20.373262E (💦, 🚻)