Monasteries of Fruška gora are among the most important historical and cultural treasures connected with the duration and suffering of the Serbian people and with their spirituality. Since their inception, the pilgrim flows, and later the tourist flows, have contributed to their fame and survival. Today, monasteries of Fruška gora are unmissable stops, both for hikers, bird and hiking lovers, as well as for student excursions, family outings and foreign visitors. As part of the “Tourist map of Fruška gora” project in 2015, through field research, we visited all the monasteries, and along the way we were guided by the idea and desire to provide equally inspired and even more professional information and suggestions to tourists, regarding monastery tours, in the future. During 2022, our project followed, which was entirely related to the historical, artistic and mythical aspects of the creation and destruction of the monastery, and especially to those values that visitors can see in the monasteries of Fruška gora today. The fieldwork also included discussions with the monastics regarding the ways in which tourist groups are received, as it was shown that there are different levels of openness of the monasteries in relation to non-pilgrimage visitors. That’s why our goal was to make it easier for tourists and visitors, who see the monastery as an important historical, architectural and artistic treasure, both in the organization of the visit and in the content of the visit, stating exactly what they can see and visit in the monastery, but also the information that is usually missing, such as the announcement (if required) and other conditions of the visit (dressing, etc.). The fieldwork took place with the blessing of the bishop of Srem, Mr. Vasilij, which included permission to take photos in and around the monastery temples, and the publication, that is the result of our work, will not only be a very useful tourist guide, but also a photo gallery that presents the monasteries in their full glory.
Written by: Gordana Stojaković
