NOVO HOPOVO MONASTERY – Irig

NOVO HOPOVO MONASTERY – Irig

NOVO HOPOVO MONASTERY, with its Church of St. Nicholas, represents the most significant sacred building of its era in this region in terms of architectural value. The first written mention of the monastery dates back to 1451. The present church was built in 1575–1576, and the bell tower with a small chapel on the upper floor, dedicated to St. Stephen, was constructed between 1751 and 1758.

The monastery residential buildings (konaks) were gradually built from 1728 to 1771, surrounding the church on all four sides. The Hopovo fresco painting is among the most important in the Balkan artistic region. The icons on the iconostasis were painted by the most prominent Serbian Baroque painter, Teodor Kračun.

The monastery is renowned for its monumental architecture, fresco decoration, and its cultural, educational, and ecclesiastical role. During the 17th century, fresco decorations were added to the interior walls. At that time, there were significant and frequent connections between the Hopovo Monastery and Russia, as well as Mount Athos. During their retreat in 1688, the Turks set the church on fire, but it was restored the following year.

Stefan Gerlach, a Protestant preacher, recorded between 1753 and 1578 that Serbs in Belgrade, lacking schools, came to Hopovo to learn reading and writing. Since the restoration of the Patriarchate of Peć in 1554, Hopovo has been the second residence of the Belgrade-Srem Metropolitan. Therefore, the Srem Eparchy in the 18th century was also called the Hopovo Eparchy. Already in the 16th century, the relics of Saint Theodore Tyron were transferred here.

At the beginning of the 18th century, a painting school operated in Hopovo, led by Arsenije Zograf and Nil. From July 1, 1757, to November 1, 1760, Dimitrije Obradović stayed here, where he was tonsured and took the monastic name Dositej.

The monastery, with its rich library and treasury, suffered significant damage during World War II. Restoration work on the church began in 1949. Major adaptation work on the monastery took place from 1952 to 1962. However, it was only through the program for the adaptation and restoration of Fruška Gora monasteries that the Provincial Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments carried out the necessary restoration and adaptation work at Novo Hopovo during 1987–1988. In 1998, a new bell tower was built, significantly restoring the monastery’s former grandeur.

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