Heading towards Kraljevo, we stopped at the Žica Monastery. Constructed in 1209 and finished in 1217, this church is painted in a distinctive rusty red color. Like the churches at Studenica and Mileševa, the architecture is in the Raska style. Here, a church service was also in progress. In the arched entryway, I could see a few frescoes. Sadly, most of the original frescoes were destroyed by Bulgarians in 1290 or later by Turks seeking to obliterate any depiction of the human image. On both sides of this entryway were round windows intricately carved out of stone. On the grounds was a beautiful domed baptistery, reconstructed from some of the original fragments.

For more information, go to http://www.suc.org/culture/history/Serb_History/Monasteries/Zica/index.html