Radovašnica Monastery

The monastery is located in the village of the same name, twenty-three kilometres from Šabac at the foot of the north side of the mountain Cer.^[5] It is dedicated to the archangels Michael and Gabriel.^[5] The monastery is surrounded by centuries-old oak, beech and linden forests.

The temple of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, mentioned in the oldest records of the river Radovašnica. The monastery occupied a prominent place before Turkish times. It was built in the Raška style from crushed stone and covered with shingles.

The earliest known written mention of the monastery was in the Turkish census of 1548, while local sources indirectly mention it in 1541.^[1][4] The monastery was built before the arrival of the Turks and was endowed by King Dragutin Nemanjić, who ruled from 1282 to 1316.^[5]

Over the course of its history, the monastery was burned down several times by the Turks and again in World War I. It was restored in 1929 then destroyed by the Nazis in October 1941 as part of a punitive operation.^[1]

In Turkish censuses from 1600 and 1624, another name was given for the monastery, Koanik.^[5] This may be related to the old town of Kosana, whose ruins are located at the top of Cer.

In old records, the monastery was also called Temple of the Holy Archangel Michael, or Michael and Gabriel, on the Radovanščica river or Radovantica.