Piva Monastery Montenegro

The monastery Piva is located in Pluzine and is considered to be one of the most important Orthodox monasteries in Montenegro.
Long time ago it was located at the spring of the River Piva, in order for it to be moved later to another location because of the construction of a dam and accumulation lake for the needs of hydro - electrical power station. The movement of the church lasted for about 12 years and what is characteristic for this monastery is that the old church has been transferred stone by stone (the old church was un-built, and from that same stone a new church in another place was built), two kilometers away from Pluzine. Work on relocating the church lasted from 1970 to 1982. From the church walls 1,260 square metres of frescoes were removed and then relocated.
The monastery Church of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God was built between 1573 and 1586 through the efforts of Herzeg Metropolitan Savatija, who later on became the Serbian patriarch. During Turkish occupation, construction became possible due to Savatij’s uncle Mehmed-Pasha Sokolovic, one of the Constantinopolitan viziers.
The church is a three-nave construction with a taller middle nave, without a cupola. In addition to the architecture, its value is represented in the fresco paintings. The main part of the church was decorated by anonymous Greek painters between 1604 and 1605. The upper parts of the porch were painted by a local painter - the priest Strahinja from Budimlje, who painted Akatist to the Mother of God, on the most prominent part of the church. On the lower parts there are works by the refined painter Kozma, dating from 1626. He also painted most of the icons on the gilded, richly carved iconostasis. The throne icons of the Mother of God, Christ and Assumption of the Mother of God were painted by the artist Longin.
The monastery owns a great treasury: Psalter of Djuradj Crnojevic from 1495, “omofor” of Savtije Sokolovic from 1568, personal belongings of Bajo Pivljanin - national hero, and many other things. The Monastery's Treasury is well known for the abundance of ritual objects and liturgical books, part of which has been exhibited in Monastery's Museum.
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