Gradsko setaliste bb, 32000 Cacak +381(0) 32 343 721
  |    |    |    |      

Monuments and sites

Cultural and historical monuments and sites

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES


Roman Bath

During the excavations for the foundation of the residential and office building in the centre of Cacak, in the part of the city lying between the street of Gospodar-Jovanova and the City Walk, behind the building of Belgrade Hotel and next to the city Cultural Centre, at a distance of some 200 metres from the National Museum in Cacak, the workers uncovered remains of a structure dating back to the Roman period. The structure came to be known as the ‘Roman Bath’ and this name remained in use both in the scientific circles and the tourist maps of the city and its area. The site of the Roman Bath has a status of a cultural monument.

HISTORICAL MONUMENTS


The memorial of the Hadži-Prodan

The memorial of the Hadži-Prodan rebellion stands in the southern wing of the churchyard in the village of Trnava. Made of white marble, the memorial has the form of a spread-out flag, with a cross at the top and the relief figures depicted in movement. At the head of the relief group is hegumen Pajsije, followed by Hadži-Prodan with the rebels, in a slightly less pronounced relief. The author of the memorial is Leposava Milošević-Sibinović, academic sculptor from Belgrade.

Ossuary memorial of ‘Four Religions’

The memorial dedicated to the warriors of four religions was erected and consecrated in 1934. In the ossuary underneath the memorial are the bones of Serbian warriors, lying side by side with their adversaries whose lives also ended here during the seven years of the war.

In the years following the war, the women’s section within Fidak (association of reserve officers and warriors) came forward with an initiative to erect a common memorial ossuary in the Cacak cemetery, and the initiative came to realization with the help of the Ministry of Justice. The new burial site received the posthumous remains of 918 soldiers, 652 of whom were Serbian warriors, including 109 from the region of Cacak and 96 from the region of Rudnik, while the remaining were from many different parts of Serbia.

Based on the design prepared by Isidor Janjić, engineer from Cacak, the local master stone mason Frančesko Berbelja built a blue stone pyramid above the ossuary. The four sides of the memorial feature four different insignia made of granite stone: the Orthodox cross, the Catholic cross, Islam crescent moon and the six-pronged Jewish star.

Memorial complex on Ljubić hill

The memorial complex on the hill of Ljubić is dedicated to the warriors and the events from the liberation wars of Serbia in 19 th and 20 th centuries. The primary and the oldest monument in this complex was erected bur remained unfinished in 1938, as a dedication to the Battle of Ljubić in 1815, emphasising the brave deed of Tanasko Rajić.

Memorial to field marshal Stepa Stepanović

The memorial to field marshal Stepa Stepanović is located in front of the main post office building in the centre of Cacak. The bronze representation of the standing field marshal is 245cm high and faces the house in which Stepa Stepanović used to live. On the way leading from the house, there are bronze plinths embedded in the pavement, commemorating the battles of the famous army leader. The memorial was erected during the lifetime of the celebrated soldier and the fence encircling the central figure is composed of stone obelisks resembling gun shells, with inscriptions of places of most important victories.

Churches and Monasteries


MOTHER OF GOD OF GRADAC – TEMPLE OF ASCENSION OF JESUS CHRIST

The church is located at the heart of the city of Cacak and is a legacy of Prince Stracimir, brother of Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja. The temple was built in the period between 1180 and 1190. It has a rectangular base, 29.75 metres long. Judging by its architectural plan, the temple was highly spacious, with three-sectional altar space at its eastern side, and the belfries and the tall central dome spanning the arch of almost 12 metres. In the course of history, the temple was partly demolished and converted into a mosque by the Ottoman Turks on several occasions, only to be repeatedly restored by the Serbs.

The first restoration of the temple took place in 1834, which was followed by the next one, much more comprehensive in 1856, when the outer form and the appearance of the temple were radically changed. The conclusion that the baroque style is not really appropriate for the old church of Cacak led to a new renovation, with an aim to restore the original medieval appearance, following the models of the old temples of medieval Raška. During the excavations, old church bells were found at the site of the church. The Old Slavic inscription found on one of those testifies that the bell was a present by Nikifor, the archbishop of Gradac, while the second bears another inscription, commemorating the gift to the Gradac church of Mother of God.The inscription dates the bell to 1454, which makes it one of the oldest preserved church bells in the country.

A number of old manuscript books is kept in the church treasury, the most significant of which is the four-gospel known as the Four-gospel of Cacak in scientific circles.

In the collection of the icons, the most important is the Mother of God Hodegetria with Christ, work of an unknown artist from 16 th century, with a decorative frame. The large and elaborate composition of the iconostasis featuring a wealth of engraved gold and silver plated floral freezes, owes its decorative effect to the capable master wood-cutter Nikola Jankovića.

According to the current knowledge, the central part of the temple once had the standard rectangular base and the traditional special structure, in the form of inscribed cross. The unusually voluminous inner space and the large proportions of the structure are an indicator of its original grandeur, in line with the most beautiful churches of the time.

The Monastery of Ježevica

The Monastery of Ježevica is located at the village of the same name in the vicinity of Cacak. The monastery church is dedicated to Saint Nicholas and the tradition has it that it was a legacy of King Milutin of the Nemanjić dynasty. During the Turkish occupation, the monastery was devastated a number of times, and each time it was renewed by the Serbian people. The first historic record of the existence of the monastery dates back to 1476.

The Monastery of Stjenik

The Monastery of Stjenik is located at the foot of the Jelica mountain and its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages. According to the tradition, it was erected by the Mrnjavčević brothers before the battle of Marica in 1371. The monastery keeps the relics of Saint John of Stjenik, who was slaughtered by the Ottoman Turks in 1802. Close to the monastery is a strong spring of drinking water surfacing underneath a large stone. The spring and the relics have been revered for centuries owing to their supposed healing powers.

Monastery of Trnava

The Trnava monastery is located in the village of Trnava, at the source of the river bearing the same name, at the slopes of the Jelica mountain. It is dedicated to the feast of Annunciation. The old monastery, whose foundations were used for the construction of the new one, was built during the medieval Nemanjić rule. The renovation of the temple took place in 1554. The monastery is a place of special historic value, as the site of the well-known Hadži Prodan rebellion in 1814, actively supported by the monks.

Monatery of Vujan

The Vujan monastery lies at a distance of 6 kilometres from Cacak, on the slopes of the Vujan mountain. Dedicated to Archangel Michael, the monasetry is a protected cultural and historic site. It is supposed to have been built in 14 th century. The narthex of the monastery church is the burial site of the legendary warriors during the First and Second Serbian Risings, Lazar Mutap and Nikola Lunjevica.