Pustinje i Svete gore srednjovekovne Srbije — pisani izvori, prostorni oblici, graditeljska rešenja
Deserts and Holy Mountains of Medieval Serbia — Written Sources, Spatial Patterns, Architectural Designs

Summary/Abstract: Essential concepts in Christian thought and practice, the desert and holy mountain denote a particular kind of monastic and sacral space. They are secluded from the world, intended for asceticism, and ambivalent in nature: they are inhospitable and menacing zones populated with demons, but also a monastic paradise, places for spiritual conversion and encounter with the divine. From earliest times, deserts and holy mountains had a few distinguishing characteristics. All forms of monastic life, from communal to solitary, were practised side by side there. Monks of a special make-up and distinction known as holy men who were also often founders of illustrious communities, future saints and miracle-workers acted there. Furthermore, these locales were important spiritual and bookmaking centres, and, therefore, strongholds of Orthodoxy.

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