Church & monasteryDalmatia

Krupa Monastery: an Orthodox monastery beneath Velebit

Krupa Monastery is a Serbian Orthodox monastery on the right bank of the Krupa river, on the southern slopes of the Velebit mountain, halfway between Obrovac and Knin in northern Dalmatia. It is one of the most important Orthodox spiritual centres in Dalmatia, known for its frescoes, icons and old books, and for a history of destruction and patient rebuilding.

Nobody can say for certain when Krupa Monastery was founded: tradition names the year 1317, while a modern reading of its Gothic-style windows points to around 1642. Either way, it has outlived fires, wars and exile.

WhereOn the Krupa river, southern slopes of Velebit, halfway between Obrovac and Knin, Dalmatia

TypeSerbian Orthodox monastery, church of the Dormition of the Theotokos

Best forSacred art, frescoes, quiet landscapes and history of the Dalmatian hinterland

Getting thereBy road, roughly midway between the towns of Obrovac and Knin

The history of Krupa Monastery

Folk tradition holds that the monastery was built in 1317 by monks from Bosnia, with money from the Serbian king Milutin, that it was later restored by King Stefan Dečanski and Emperor Dušan, and that Saint Angelina of Serbia endowed it in the 15th and 16th centuries. Historians are more cautious. The Gothic-style windows are unusual for an Orthodox church, which has led to the suggestion that immigrating monks built it around 1642. Croatian Wikipedia adds that the 1317 date was introduced by a 19th-century author who cited sources that apparently do not exist, and that continuous use as a church since the Middle Ages cannot be confirmed because of the Ottoman conquest and the great population changes of the 16th and 17th centuries.

The early written trail is richer in art than in dates. The Cretan priest Ioannis Apakas painted four throne icons for the iconostasis around 1600, and Georgije Mitrofanović painted the walls between 1620 and 1622. The history of the monastery was set down in the 18th-century chronicles of Bishop Simeon Končarević, and Gerasim Zelić lived here in the same century. In the 1760s the writer and educator Dositej Obradović lived and worked at Krupa, and in the 1860s the novelist Simo Matavulj was educated here. A major renovation in 1855, supported by Austria, Russia and Serbia, gave the monastery its present appearance.

The twentieth century was harsh. During the Second World War the surrounding residential buildings were burnt down, and the interior of the monastery was destroyed when it was turned into a military post. In the 1950s work began on a large belfry, which was never completed. After the outbreak of the Croatian War of Independence in 1991 the well-known monastery treasury was moved away from Krupa. During Operation Storm the monastery was damaged, the belfry, the bells and the chapel suffered, the interior was looted, and the local Orthodox population and the priests went into exile in Serbia.

Partial reconstruction began in 2000. It included building and painting a small additional church, a paraklis, and partly adapting the unfinished belfry. Some of the artefacts were returned in 2010, and since the mid-2010s the Croatian government has also contributed to the renovation. Today the complex is restored and is counted, together with the Krka and Dragović monasteries, among the three most important Orthodox centres in Dalmatia.

Curiosities about Krupa Monastery

Two dates compete for its foundation: the traditional 1317 and a probable construction around 1642, which is also the year Wikidata gives as the start of construction.
The main façade has twelve window axes with neo-Gothic features, an unusual look for an Orthodox monastery.
The church has the plan of an inscribed Greek cross with a dome in the centre and a semicircular apse.
The author and educator Dositej Obradović lived at Krupa in the 1760s, and the novelist Simo Matavulj studied here in the 1860s.
The large belfry begun in the 1950s was never finished; since 2000 it has been partly adapted.
Two cemeteries lie by the monastery: a larger one used by the villagers of Krupa and Golubić, and a smaller one inside the complex where monks are buried.

Tours near Krupa Monastery

Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:

Experience Zadar Archipelago with Antares sailing shared tour

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Etnoland MULTIMEDIA EXPERIENCE Skip-the-line

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Private Boat Tour To Pakleni Islands and Red Rocks

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Full Day Sailing Tour

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Visiting Krupa Monastery

The buildings surround an inner courtyard with a portico on three sides, with the church of the Dormition of the Theotokos at its heart.
Inside the church, look for the frescoes by Georgije Mitrofanović from the early 17th century and the 18th-century iconostasis in front of the altar.
The monastery has a treasury, a collection of icons and a collection of books several centuries old; whether these can be seen depends on the day, so check the current opening hours before you go.
This is an active Orthodox religious site, so modest dress and a quiet manner are appropriate.
The monastery lies on the Krupa river in a quiet corner of northern Dalmatia, and it can be combined with Krka Monastery, about 27 km away, and the Roman site of Burnum, about 22 km away.

Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.

Map: where Krupa Monastery is

Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors

Photos of Krupa Monastery

Questions

Where is Krupa Monastery?

Krupa Monastery stands on the right bank of the Krupa river, on the southern slopes of Velebit, halfway between the towns of Obrovac and Knin in Dalmatia.

When was Krupa Monastery built?

Tradition says 1317, but this is disputed. Other readings point to construction by immigrating monks around 1642, and the exact origin remains uncertain.

What can you see at Krupa Monastery?

The main attractions are the church with frescoes by Georgije Mitrofanović, a collection of icons and parts of an iconostasis, a collection of old books and a monastery treasury.

Which famous writers lived at Krupa Monastery?

Dositej Obradović lived and worked at Krupa in the 1760s, and Simo Matavulj was educated at the monastery in the 1860s.

Was Krupa Monastery damaged in war?

Yes. It was burnt and its interior destroyed during the Second World War, and it was damaged again during Operation Storm in 1995. Reconstruction began in 2000.

Is Krupa Monastery worth a detour?

For visitors interested in sacred art and the history of the Dalmatian hinterland, it is a rewarding stop, and it fits well into a trip that also takes in Krka Monastery or Burnum.