MONASTERY MOŠTANICA CAPTURED FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE

Aerial photographer Mladen Trivunić, widely known for his breathtaking shots from above, recently visited the Moštanica Monastery on the slopes of Mount Kozara, bringing back stunning images of this Orthodox sanctuary.

Moštanica Monastery holds an important place among the monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church. It is one of the largest Serbian monasteries in the Republic of Srpska, situated at 202 meters above sea level in the valley of the Moštanica River, on the northern slopes of Kozara. Throughout its many centuries of existence, it has endured significant destruction.

It is believed that the monastery was originally built in 1111. Historical records show that when the Ottomans captured Kostajnica in 1556 and took control of the entire Pounje region, they settled a number of Orthodox Christians as their subjects. These settlers quickly rebuilt—or perhaps restored—the Moštanica Monastery. While the date of the first burning of the monastery is unknown, the first documented restoration took place in 1557 during the era of Serbian Patriarch Makarije Sokolović.

According to local tradition, the foundation or restoration of the monastery is linked to the Bosnian vizier Hasan-paša Predojević. Moštanica Monastery is first mentioned in written records in 1579. Over the course of its turbulent history, it was burned down nine times.

The ninth destruction occurred in 1941, when the monastery was set on fire by the Ustaše. In July 1942, during the heavy fascist offensive on Kozara, the monastery was bombed by German forces. It was later restored in 1947, and in 1953 the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia placed Moštanica under state protection as a cultural and historical monument.

Today, thanks to artists like Trivunić, the beauty and resilience of Moštanica Monastery continue to be preserved—not only in history, but also through remarkable images captured from an entirely new angle.