MONASTERY GOMIONICA: DESECRATED 13 TIMES, NOW SHINING ONCE AGAIN

Places of worship are sanctuaries where one should seek and find inner peace.

The Gomionica Monastery, with its church dedicated to the Presentation of the Virgin Mary, is located in the village of Kmećani, 42 kilometers from Banja Luka. Throughout history, this monastery has been rebuilt an astonishing 13 times.

The first written mention of this Orthodox sanctuary dates back to 1540.

A legend ties the monastery's origin to the names of Stefan Nemanja and Saint Sava, but no historical documents confirm this tradition.

The fast-flowing, clear mountain streams and the wooded slopes of Pilipovića Hill, Kozijerac, and Kik, interspersed with pastures, lend the secluded surroundings of Gomionica a vivid and lush beauty of untouched nature.

The charm of the scenery is further enhanced by old wooden watermills, whose wheels are still turned by the stream.

The monastery is accessible via the road from Banja Luka leading to Bronzani Majdan, from where a narrow asphalt road stretches 12 more kilometers to the village of Kmećani. The households of this village are scattered around the monastery.

Monastic life, devoted to prayerful tranquility and spiritual pursuits, has always sought refuge in secluded oases of pristine nature, far removed from the clamor of worldly life and busy roads.

During centuries of oppression, the monastery, while fulfilling its spiritual mission among the Serbian Orthodox people, was repeatedly burned, looted, and desecrated. Yet, it was always rebuilt under extraordinarily difficult circumstances and restored to its original purpose.