Divljana Monastery, also known as the Monastery of St. Demetrius, is a Serbian Orthodox monastery located near the village of Divljana and Divljana Lake,South-east Serbia: Monastery of St. Demetrius and record , Language: Serbian, accessed 17. 2. 2013. south of Bela Palanka, in the foothills of Suva Planina, above sea level.Srpska.ru: Monastery of St. Demetrius, 28. 7. 2006., Language: Serbian, accessed 17. 2. 2013. It is dedicated to St. Demetrius,The municipality of Bela Palanka: Monastery of St. Demetrius, accessed 17. 2. 2013. who is celebrated on 8 November.Pravoslavlje no. 927: Restoration of the Divljana Monastery, M. Radenković , Language: Serbian, accessed 17. 2. 2013. The monastery was first built in 394 at this location, which became the property of the Mrnjavčević brothers at the end of the 13th century after the destruction of the monastery. In the monastery complex, there are records of ancient burials from the 4th century, some of which can be seen two of the capitals. Around 880, with the revival of Christianization, there were also new eparchies. Based on physical evidence and the Charter of the Byzantine emperor Basil II, archaeologists believe that the site also included an early Christian building from the 9th century related to a renewal of church life in Middle Ponišavlje.
Geography The monastery is located south of Bela Palanka, not far from the ancient road to Skopje and Thessaloniki. Situated above sea level in the foothills of the south-eastern part of Suva Planina, there are wooded slopes around the monastery, offering a unique view of the Svrljig Mountains and Šljivovački vrh.
History Over the years, many churches similar to the medieval church have been demolished and rebuilt in the area. According to some sources, the first Christian church was built in 394.Ž. Jocić, Niketa iz Rameziane, Language: Serbian, Niš, 1998, page 190, 194-198 This church was built on the foundation of a pagan temple dedicated to the sun god Mitras. The place was long considered sacred; thus, when Christianity became the religion of the former state, the monastery complex was built here. The temple dedicated to Mitras was not the first structure. It had been preceded by many other pagan temples.Pirotski zbornik , Language: Serbian, 2004/2005, no. 29-30, UDK 902(497.11), Starija izdanja Divljanskog manastira, page 111
Based on various records and sources, it can be assumed that the site of the present village of Divljana was one of the sacred sites of the Triballi (Thracians) tribe who lived there in ancient times. Only from the current location of the monastery, there was a Bronze Age settlement, Igrište, from around 1200 BC.Pirotski zbornik , 2004/2005, бр. 29-30, УДК 902(497.11), Свето место DIVIANA, страна 111 from location of the monastery, burial pits were discovered with the ashes of the deceased in various ceramic containers. Within a radius of less than around the monastery, there were several settlements in Roman times (Stasovac, Bils, Villa Rustica, Teberna). from the location of the monastery, there was the ancient settlement of Remesiana, or today's Bela Palanka.Pirotski zbornik , Language: Serbian, 2004/2005, no. 29-30, UDK 902(497.11), Sveto mesto DIVIANA, page 112 However, in the village of Divljana, there is little evidence of the various pagan temples. The only indication stems from legends about fairies who were closely related to ancient nymphs.Pirotski zbornik , Language: Serbian, 2004/2005, no. 29-30, UDK 902(497.11), Trački hram kod vrela, page 114 This ancient shrine was closed in 392, just before the founding of the first Christian monastery dedicated to St. Demetrius, in whose interior were placed reliquiae from the old church (marble icons of a nymph and a Thracian horseman).
Temples dedicated to the sun god Mitras were placed close to main roads and sources of water. This was characteristic for the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, especially in the Ponišavlje district. This is based on the presence of two bequeath altars, one in Divljana and another in village of Osmakovo, and of two relief icons, one in village Ragodeš and another in village of Rasnica, within .O nalazima sa lit. Opširno, Lj. Zotović, page 12,40,60,62Pirotski zbornik , Language: Serbian, 2004/2005, no. 29-30, UDK 902(497.11), Trački hram kod vrela, page 116, 2. paragraph Temples of Mitras were built in smaller sizes, usually and generally oriented east–west, as opposed to the later churches, which had the altar on the west side and entrance on the east.Pirotski zbornik , Language: Serbian, 2004/2005, бр. 29-30, UDK 902(497.11), Trački hram kdo vrela, page 116, 3. paragraph There is a wealth of ancient materials at the site, one of the richest in south-eastern Serbia. Other remains include: a large stone impost capital, in height, with a diameter of at the bottom expanding to at the top, bearing the engraving of an old Christian cross within the circle on the front side, and omegas on all the vertical edgesPirotski zbornik , Language: Serbian, 2004/2005, no. 29-30, UDK 902(497.11), Arheološki nalazi, page 122, last paragraph two circular stone-sided base, part of the capitalsŽ. Jocić, Niketa iz Remeziane, Language: Serbian, page 195-196 Three hulls of the ancient stone pillars, in depthPirotski zbornik , Language: Serbian, 2004/2005, no. 29-30, UDK 902(497.11), Arheološki nalazi, page 123, 3. paragraph two ancient stone pillars, square-based with base line and longPirotski zbornik , Language: Serbian, 2004/2005, no. 29-30, UDK 902(497.11), Arheološki nalazi, page 123, 4. paragraph an ancient stone pillar for a fountainPirotski zbornik , Language: Serbian, 2004/2005, no. 29-30, UDK 902(497.11), Arheološki nalazi, page 123, 5. paragraph a fragment of an ancient stone monument with the Latin word: "dici" holy throne made of stone (column of reddish sandstone, in height above the floor holding the stone plate with dimensions )P. Gagulić, Opis manastira Sv. Velikomučenika Dimitrija u Divljani, Language: Serbian, rukopis, Niš, 1957.
The name Divljana is derived from Latin Divus, meaning "divine" or "god". Professor S. Petrović mentions toponyms with the base and root words: giant (Ser. див) and wild (Ser. Дивји). Giants were part of Serbian pre-Christian mythology. The Serbian word div (Ser. див), itself was derived from the word dievo, and related words were used in Indo-European languages for naming gods: Indian Deva, Old-Persian Daeva or Divus, and Latin Deus.S. Petrović, Srpska mitologija 1, Niš, 1999, page 106 However, it is obvious that the present name Divljana comes from the Latin word Divian, which means "land of the gods" (sr. Боговина).Pirotski zbornik , Language: Serbian, 2004/2005, no. 29-30, UDK 902(497.11), Trački hram kod vrela, page 113, paragraph 3-4
The first church at this location was an early Christian three-nave basilica. This can be seen from the period of its construction, from archaeological research and by comparison with other churches of the same type in the area. Christian churches in Remesiana from that era were generally oriented east–west with the altar on the east side, where the dimensions were . Above the main entrance stood a porch which would have been borne by two massive pillars with bases and capitals. On the capitals, there were usually engravings of the early Christian sign of the cross and the letter omega. The floors and wall paneling were made of marble.Đ. Mano-Zisi, Lj. Popović, Bela Palanke (Remeziana) arheološka iskopavanja, Starinar 9-10, Language: Serbian, 1958-1959, Belgrade, page 98-99; S. Gušić, Urbanizam Remeziane od I do IV veka, Saopštenja, Language:Serbian, XIX, 1987, Belgrade, page 21-35 The Church of St. Demetrius in Divljana had dimensions of . The former church in Divljana was very similar to the present-day church which was almost the same size, with the same foundation and at the same location, except that it had a larger western portal. The present church was built in the Romanesque and Renaissance styles. The church had a two-story roof in combination with west facade and thus created the impression of a three-nave church. Here there is no dome but its decorations include 124 blind arcades, pilaster strips and trefoil.Pirotski zbornik , Language: Serbian, 2004/2005, no. 29-30, UDK 902(497.11), Arhitektura crkve, page 122
The founder of this church was Nicetas of Remesiana (338–420). It was built between 392 and 395. Nicetas is well known by his achievements throughout the Roman Empire, where he was an active missionary and writer.Ž. Jocić, Niketa iz Rameziane, Language: Serbian, p. 196 He held the position of bishop in Remesiana (366–420), leaving many of the oldest churches and monasteries in the area. His importance is reflected by the fact that other early monasteries were established at the time: in Milan between 374 and 379 by Bishop Ambrose, in Tugasta in 398 by St. Augustine, and in Marseille in 415 by John Cassian.A. Francen, nav. delo, page 88; Ž. Jocić, nav. delo, Language: Serbian, page 190 However, at the time when the Divljana Monastery was created, the Roman Empire suffered frequent incursions by the Goths across the Danube, and the monastery was frequently destroyed. In these times, bishop Nicetas, who was in touch with senior state and church officials, did his utmost to protect Christianity in the region.Pirotski zbornik , Language: Serbian, 2004/2005, no. 29-30, UDK 902(497.11), Ranohrišćanska crkva, page 119, 2. paragraph
Based on research undertaken by M. Kostić, it is no coincidence that the monastery was located where it stands. Choosing a place to build a monastery dedicated to St. Demetrios was not only due to its extraordinary natural environment, but also because it is very close to the Divljana hot springs.Pirotski zbornik , Language: Serbian, 2004/2005, no. 29-30, UDK 902(497.11), Trački hram kod vrela, page 112 Like other hot springs, these were known for their medicinal composition and their sacred connotations, but over time there were changes to the composition of the water due to demineralization. In the Middle Ages, the function of the holy place resulted in the Divljana monastery.M. Kostić, Turističku centar Divljana, Language: Serbian, glasnik SGD, LII, 2, Belgrade, 1972., page 137 The role of the place "Diviana" becomes clearer when the Thracian Triballi tribe from PonišavljeOpširno o Tribalima u Ponišavlju, Language: Serbian, Ž. Jocić, n.d. page 175-186 began to worship at hot springs and rivers, especially in spas and other sources of healing waters. They developed a cult of the gods of health and vitality. All this led to the founding of a Christian monastery.Pirotski zbornik , Language: Serbian, 2004/2005, no. 29-30, UDK 902(497.11), Trački hram kod vrela, page 113
After the closing of the pagan temple in 392, the monastery was built on the same site between 392 and 395, at a time when Christianity had already been established as the official religion in the Roman Empire. Based on archaeological research, it remains to be proven whether the original church of the Divljana monastery was on the same site as the medieval church.Pirotski zbornik , Language: Serbian, 2004/2005, no. 29-30, UDK 902(497.11), Izbor mesta i patrona, page 120