Tvrdoš Monastery (near Trebinje, Republica Srbska, Bosnia and Herzegovina)


I stayed just across the Trebisnjica "River" from Tvrdoš Monastery, and was expecting to do some wine tasting there, as it was widely publicised in the tourist guides as a vineyard.
I don't now remember why I didn't taste the wine: I think it was because I was too early in the morning (visiting on my last day, the same day I needed to get to Dubrovnik Port in the evening to catch the ferry to Bari in Italy).

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When I got inside the church (the grounds are extensive and beautifully tended, going down to the river bank, and including vines growing alongside the monastery buildings) there was an overwhelming feeling of crowded-ness: there were icons standing in front of each other on the windowsills, and the chandeliers seemed to add to the feeling.
In other churches I had visited, the plethora of icons and decoration often produce a feeling of awe and amazement, but it feels like Tvrdoš is about the grounds, and the church has been allowed to just get "out of hand"!!
One amusing aspect was that, at tje gatehouse to the building complex, there were gowns hanging for people (mostly men in shorts ... or kilts) to cover their exposed flesh.  As I recall they were rather like long scrubs in a hospital.

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gallery from http://lokeshdhakar.com/projects/lightbox2/