The Studenica Monastery was established in the late 12th century by
Stevan Nemanja, founder of the medieval Serb state, shortly after his
abdication. It is the largest and richest of Serbia’s Orthodox
monasteries. Its two principal monuments, the Church of the Virgin and
the Church of the King, both built of white marble, enshrine priceless
collections of 13th- and 14th-century Byzantine painting.