Zica Monastery,
an endowment of King Stefan the First Crowned built between 1208 and 1220,
lies in a plain near Kraljevo, at the entrance to the Ibar gorge. Zica was
the first seat of the autonomous Serbian Archbishops and it was there that
almost all medieval Serbian rulers were crowned.
Archictecturally,
Zica belongs to the Raska school, characterized by the Romanesque style
of the Littoral adapted to the needs of the Ortodox religious service. However,
more in keeping with the tradition of the Mount Athos monasteries, Zica
was originally painted red.
Only a few of the old frescoes dating back to the 13th century still remain
in this church. These frescoes can be seen mainly in the lateral choir recesses.
The rest of the wall paintings are from the early 14th century. The fine
frescoes in the south chapel, dedicated to St. Stefan, belong to this period.
