Church of the Holy Trinity on Mount Rumia. Russian monastery in Montenegro and the mountain of repentance. Video - Monastery of Sergei of Radonezh in Montenegro
There are many mountains in Montenegro on which ancient churches and monasteries stand, but only one of them has become an immortal symbol of people's repentance, love of God and the resurrection of the people's soul. This mountain has the unusual name Rumia.
Muslims called Byzantium Rumiya (from Arabic: Christian), and this mountain has long been a symbol of Orthodoxy, a symbol of the greatness of Orthodox statehood. It is precisely at the foot of this mountain, in a quiet secluded place, in a mountain gorge between the Adriatic Sea and Lake Skadar, that the convent of St. Sergius of Radonezh is located, a quiet monastery - a small picturesque temple with a belfry.
This monastery was founded on June 19, 2009 with the blessing of the Metropolitan of Montenegro-Litaria of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Bishop Amfilohije. It is from this moment that the revival of monasticism in these holy places begins.
The abbess of the monastery, nun Theodora (Subbotina), originally from the Urals (she has been asceticizing in the monasteries of Montenegro for more than 10 years, having begun her monastic path in the monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God - Duga), together with nun Sergius, are obedient in the construction of the monastery of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the abbot of the Russian land.
The monastery contains particles of the relics of saints, martyrs, Venerables: St. Demetrius of Rostov, St. Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky), St. Guria of Tauride, Rev. Elders of Optina, Venerable Peter of Korishsky, Venerable. Zosima Sinaita, Rev. Sophia of Suzdal, Rev. Martyr. Elizaveta Fedorovna and Blazh. Paraskeva Diveevskaya.
Church of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity
Since ancient times, the top of Rumia, this mountain of repentance, was crowned with the temple of the Most Holy Life-Giving Trinity. But during the invasion of the Turks, the Orthodox shrine was destroyed. According to legend, this was punishment for the sins of the people. The Lord took the church back to heaven. From then on, every person climbing the holy mountain had to take a stone with him as a sign of repentance. And when on the top of Rumia people collect a sufficient number of repentance stones, the church itself will descend from heaven.
Over many centuries, a whole mountain of stones was raised on Rumia, and in 2005 the prophecy came true. With the Blessing of Metropolitan Chernomyr Amphilochius, through the labors and help of the believers of the city of Bar, a metal structure of the temple was made and lifted by helicopter to the top of the mountain.
But pilgrims, according to the established centuries-old tradition, continue to carry stones of repentance to the top as a sign of repentance - both for themselves and for their loved ones. People do not lose hope of returning Rumiya to her former shrine and erecting a stone temple.
From the top of this repentant mountain, a person not only has a beautiful view of the majestic mountains, sea, lakes, but, first of all, it reveals to his soul the true purpose of man on earth - holiness.
These holy places are consecrated by the life and martyrdom of St. John Vladimir.
The Life of the Holy Martyr King John Vladimir
Saint John Vladimir belonged to a pious royal family that owned several principalities. He took control of Serbia in the second half of the 10th century and ruled Zeta and other areas in Illyria and Dalmatia.
From childhood, Saint John Vladimir was endowed with spiritual gifts: meekness, humility, and prudent silence. He studied military affairs and became an outstanding commander, but continued to be distinguished by exemplary piety, knew the Holy Scriptures well, and was merciful to the poor. Thanks to these qualities, he managed to return many heretics to Orthodoxy. As a monarch, he enjoyed universal love, which he acquired through wisdom and kindness. During his reign, many hospitals, hospice houses and monasteries were opened.
Leading such a godly lifestyle, King John Vladimir was forced to constantly fight his enemies. One day, the Bulgarian Tsar Samuil attacked the Serbs with a large army. King John Vladimir avoided the battle and settled with his squad on the high Mount Oblik. Here his people began to suffer from poisonous snake bites. Saint John Vladimir began to pray to God for help with tears, and the Lord heeded his prayer.
For some time, Tsar Samuel could not defeat the besieged Serbs, but the local prince turned out to be a traitor. When the Serbs realized that defeat was inevitable, Saint John Vladimir gathered his people and told them: “It will be better if I lay down my soul for you and voluntarily surrender my body to death, than for you to perish from hunger and the sword.” Having said this, he said goodbye to everyone and gave himself into the hands of King Samuel, who imprisoned him in the dungeon of the city of Presna.
Saint John Vladimir prayed incessantly in prison, and an angel of God was sent to him, who strengthened his spirit and predicted liberation, and subsequently the crown of martyrdom.
The daughter of King Samuel Kosar, Theodora, a monk, was distinguished by her mercy and often went around prisons. She fell in love with the young, handsome captive and begged her father, who could refuse her nothing, to let him go. Tsar Samuel married Saint John-Vladimir to his daughter and returned the throne to him.
Returning home, King John Vladimir invited Kosara to live chastely, in fulfillment of the commandment of Christ. Kosara listened to him, and so they lived, loving God and ruling their people with the fear of God.
Meanwhile, changes took place in the Bulgarian kingdom. King Samuel died, his son Gabriel was killed; Vladislav, an ill-wisher of St. John Vladimir, ascended the throne. The saint had a vision: he saw an eagle carrying a cross. The bird hovered over the forest, then descended and laid a cross on the ground. The blessed king bowed to the cross and erected a temple on this place, in which he prayed day and night, awaiting his martyrdom.
Tsar Vladislav planned to annex the state of St. John Vladimir to his possessions and for this purpose called him to him, as if to conclude some kind of agreement. In vain Kosara, sensing evil, convinced her husband not to go. Saint John Vladimir arrived in Presna. Seeing the approaching king, Vladislav pulled out his sword and struck Saint John Vladimir, but could not harm him. The saint told him: “You want to kill me, brother, but you can’t!” And, taking out his sword, he gave it to him, saying: “Take me and kill me, I am ready to die, like Isaac and Abel.” Vladislav, darkened in mind, grabbed a sword and cut off the head of the martyr. The beheaded John-Vladimir took his severed head, rode up to the temple on horseback and died at the church door. The killer fled in terror. This is how Blessed John Vladimir suffered martyrdom on May 22, Old Style, 1015. On icons the saint is often depicted with his head in his hands.
On the first night after the burial of Saint John Vladimir, a wonderful light was visible over his grave. This frightened the Bulgarian king so much that he gave the body of the saint to his wife Kosara and allowed him to be buried wherever she wished. The widow laid her husband's body in the temple in the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kraina; Having become a monk, she spent the rest of her life near the tomb of her beloved husband and was subsequently buried next to him.
Tsar Vladislav died during the siege of the Serbian city of Draca at the beginning of 1018. A warrior with the face of Saint John Vladimir suddenly appeared to him, and when he ran away in horror, an angel of God struck him.
The holy relics of King John Vladimir were transferred to the city of Drach around 1215, then to the monastery of St. John in Albania. In this monastery, dedicated to the martyr king, many miracles were performed. The memory of the holy martyr John Vladimir was honored by Serbs, Albanians and Greeks, calling him a miracle worker. In 1925, a temple was erected to the holy martyr John Vladimir in the monastery in the name of St. Naum on Lake Ohrid.
Cross of the Holy Martyr King John Vladimir
The valley of Mount Rumia also preserves the priceless shrine of Montenegro - the cross of the holy martyr king John Vladimir.
Cross of the Holy Martyr Vladimir is kept in the Androvich brotherhood as the greatest relic. The place where it is stored is known only to them.
Every year, on the day of the Holy Trinity, during the procession to the top of the penitential mountain of Rumia, this cross is carried to the temple of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity. Then, in a procession of the cross, pilgrims descend to the holy spring, which is consecrated by this ancient cross.
Holy spring
Deep in the valley of the mountain there is an ancient and sacred spring. The miraculous face of the Blessed Virgin Mary is depicted on the rock. The face of the Blessed Virgin is filled with sorrow, there are tears in her eyes. 
From this source, from this image, healing water has been oozing for many centuries. For a person who drinks reverently, washes himself, or immerses himself in the spring, this water is holy and healing. The spring never runs dry, unlike the nearby waterfall, which disappears during dry summers.
Every year on the feast of the Holy Trinity, this source is consecrated with the ancient cross of the holy martyr king John Vladimir.
Feast of the Holy Trinity at the Monastery of St. Sergius of Radonezh
Despite its small age, in the monastery of St. Sergius of Radonezh
traditions have already developed. The Feast of the Holy Trinity and patronal feasts are celebrated here with love.
The tradition of the holiday of the Holy Trinity came to the monastery from the 15th century, from those times when the temple on the top of Mount Rumia was destroyed. There was always a religious procession for the Holy Trinity; pilgrims with the cross of the martyr King John Vladimir climbed with prayer and with stones of repentance to the very top of the mountain - 1600 m above sea level.
So today, like many centuries ago, the holiday begins at the foot of the mountain.
In the monastery, on the eve of the Holy Trinity, an evening vigil is served at 22.00. And at 2.00 am the ascent to the mountain begins, pilgrims go to the temple in a procession of the cross.
With the first rays of sun, a liturgy is served in the Church of the Holy Trinity. Pilgrims who have overcome such a difficult path receive double joy and consolation of our Lord Jesus Christ - the beauty of unearthly wondrous landscapes opens to their eyes, and their soul rejoices with the joy of the holy holiday of the Life-Giving Trinity.
The way back to the monastery is much easier, especially since it ends with a common festive meal.
After the meal, another consolation awaits the pilgrims; in a procession of the cross they go to the holy spring, which on this holiday is consecrated with the cross of the martyr King John Vladimir.
Pilgrims here can admire the miraculous face of the Most Holy Theotokos on the rock, drink blessed water, and plunge into the healing waters of the holy spring.
Despite the fact that the Montenegrin climate is considered mild, Mediterranean, life in the monastery in the mountains is harsh. The monastery needs your support and help.
Mother Theodora says that in their small monastery they always welcome guests and strive to welcome everyone. But the monastery does not yet have the conditions for receiving guests that it would like to have.
It is necessary to build a nursing building and a refectory in the near future.
The refectory is extremely necessary for the monastery of St. Sergius of Radonezh, so that pilgrims can eat on the Feast of the Holy Trinity and other holidays not under the open sky, so that they have a roof over their heads.
And the nursing corps is needed for all those who would like to come, live in the monastery, help Mother Theodora and nun Sergius in their difficult monastic everyday life, pray, and work for the Glory of God.
The monastery is still open to all winds; it does not have its own fence. We need to start building the fence. Everything requires money.
Brothers and sisters!
For those who are not indifferent to the fate of a small monastery, located far from Russia, but connected with it in heart and prayer, let there be a response in your soul.
81250 Montenegro, Bar, Mikulichi village
monastery of St. Sergius of Radonezh
Abbess of the monastery, nun Theodora (Subbotina): +382 692 55 146
Bank details for transfers and donations:
KOMERCIJALNA BANKA AD BUDVA
(posrednicka banka)
INTERMEDIARY:
COMMERZBANK AG
Frankfurm/M, FR Germany
SWIFT CODE: COBADEFF
BLZ 50040000
(banka korisnika)
ACCOUNT WITH: / 400 87 68 293 00 EUR, USD, GBR, CHF
KOMERCIJALNA BANKA AD BUDVA
Podkosljun bb
85310 Budva
MONTENEGRO
SWIFT CODE: KOBBMEP2
BENEFICIARY CUSTOMER:
IBAN: ME25525007090000058617
PMCP-MANASTIR PREPODOBNOG SERGIJA RADONJESKOG MIKULICI
REPUBLICACRNAGORA
Monastery account for transfers within Montenegro.
I spent Tuesday and Wednesday with friends in the mountains above Bar, where at the foot of Mount Rumia there is the monastery of St. Sergius of Radonezh. The place is difficult to access and can only be reached by SUV. Women's monastery. Mother Theodora and several other nuns permanently live there. The conditions are quite harsh. In summer there are problems with water - streams dry up. Electricity is only from a few solar panels. The monastery was founded quite recently - in 2009. I was there a few years ago, everything was different - a small church and a house - a cell building. Now the temple is being expanded and the cell building is being rebuilt. That's why there is some confusion in the photo. But the nuns and their volunteer assistants actively try to make everything neat and beautiful.
2. The temple is not completely ready yet. It needs to be plastered and painted with frescoes on the inside. The domes, however, have already been installed. This is one of the few churches in Montenegro with pleasing golden domes.
3. I didn’t ask if the project included a bell tower, but most likely there will be a separate small belfry. Now temporary from scaffolding.
4. The weather let us down a little; in the evening, when we got to the camera, it started to rain. That photo turned out a little gloomy. But I will definitely visit there again and make new ones.
5. Monastery dog. Very kind and cheerful - loves to play. Not exactly a watchdog, but at least it will warn of danger - the place is wild, as I already said: wolves can come, and packs of feral dogs.
6. There are a lot of cats at the monastery, they constantly fight.
The nuns make wonderful teas, bake pies, make their own sweet candied fruits, like the lemon drops we ate in childhood, only natural ones, grow plum trees, strawberries and much more. Always very friendly and happy to have guests. If anyone can, please help them as much as possible - with food or just housework. There is a lot of work there - there is enough to do for everyone, especially now when construction is underway.
7. At first we wanted to set up a camp near the monastery, but because of heavy rain we decided to go down and spend the night lower, where it rained less heavily.
8. We get back up early in the morning.
9. View of the Bar. The weather is changeable again, forecasts cannot be trusted. We are not sure whether it will rain, but we are going up anyway.
10. Two kilometers further from the monastery there is a source - a waterfall with rock bas-relief icons and a baptismal font. Someone with the best intentions started some reconstruction here, as a result, the water began to flow past the font, and, as you can see, the stone was placed carelessly. All this will need to be corrected.
11. The rock icons are beautifully made. I don’t know who made them, but they are a real masterpiece!
12. They simply smell of bygone Byzantium! Just look how beautiful it is!
13. We return to the monastery and climb on foot to the mountain of repentance - Rumia. I'll tell you about it now. In the meantime, the general view of the monastery is a temple, a cell building, where only one floor has been built so far, a gazebo and a greenhouse. As I understand it, the cell building also has a small golden dome. While the project is being approved. But you can already imagine how wonderful everything will be here - gold among the mountains! It’s still winter, so the mountains around are grayish, without greenery. In summer it will be a completely different look.
14. Usually there is snow here at this time, but this year the winter is warm, so there is no snow. But the crocuses have already risen.
15. We are heading there up the path to the top of Rumia - the mountain of repentance.
On the Internet you will find information that Rumiya means “Christian” in Arabic. In the Middle Ages, its top was crowned with a small church. The Turks who captured these places destroyed the church. Tradition says that this happened as punishment for the sins of people. Everyone must repent and bring a stone to the top, when enough stones are collected, the Lord will return the church, it must descend straight from heaven. Over hundreds of years, a great many stones were carried upward. And in 2005, through the efforts of local residents, a small iron church was delivered to the top of Rumia by helicopter. The prophecy came true.
16. While we were climbing, the weather changed several times. The path there is not very difficult, it took about two hours, the elevation difference was about 600 meters. The monastery is barely visible below, and even lower is the Bar and the sea. Still, in the mountains, distances are deceptive.
This trip took place on a very solemn occasion. The fact is that my beloved niece Diana and her now legal husband Ilya decided to register their relationship, that is, to get married. And do this not just anywhere, but in Montenegro, on Mount Lovcen.
So. A day after the main event for which everyone gathered here, we decided to take a trip to Mount Rumia.
“Rumia is the mountain of repentance, and there are many beliefs about it. It separates the Adriatic Sea and the Scandinavian lake with a majestic wall. Since ancient times, it was crowned with the Church of the Holy Trinity, but during the invasion of the Turks, the temple was destroyed. According to legend, this was a punishment for the sins of the people - the Lord took the church to heaven and will return it only after atonement for human sins. From then on, everyone who climbed the holy Mount Rumia had to take a stone with them as a sign of repentance, and when a sufficient number of stones were collected at the top, the church itself would descend from heaven.
In 2005, the church truly came down from heaven. Since it was almost impossible to build it on the top, it was decided to cast the temple on the “ground” and lift it into the mountains by helicopter. Since then, the temple of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity has crowned Rumia, towering over all of Montenegro and protecting it from harm.”
In the morning, having loaded our things into two rented cars, taking with us a small bottle of water and the remains of sandwiches from breakfast (just in case), we left Budva and headed towards the city of Bar. According to our calculations, after descending from Rumia we were supposed to visit the city of Stary Bar and have an evening meal. Yes, it should be noted that in resort towns (and in Montenegro almost all of them are such) there are shops, cafes, bars, etc. at every turn. That is, there are no problems with drinking and eating. And therefore, having gone on a trip along one of, as we thought, tourist routes, we were not even going to stock up on provisions for the whole day.
The road was good, the views around were wonderful. Over the previous day, we had almost gotten used to the mountain serpentines, blocked ears and slight dizziness... So everything was going well. Having passed the city of Bar, we began to climb up the mountain. On the sides of the road there were fences, small houses, gardens, all the slopes were buried in greenery. The road was narrow, the asphalt was more or less good. The radio hummed quietly in an unfamiliar Serbian language. We climbed higher and higher, the road became steeper and narrower. We still couldn’t understand how we could pass each other here if someone came towards us. Having driven quite far, that is, having already climbed high up the mountain, Ilya’s car stopped at a fork. One road went forward, and the second was almost vertically upward and the navigator showed that this was exactly where we were going! Ilya and I got out of the cars and went up this road to see what was next... And then there was a 90-degree turn and another road into the sky... Ilya suggested walking from here. There are 6 kilometers left to the top. But after walking these 50 meters up, I realized that I was already tired, and 6 kilometers in these conditions is an unrealistic distance. We decided to ask the local resident whose house we were staying at if there was another way up, thinking that the navigator might have chosen the wrong path. Fortunately, the owner was at home and spoke excellent Russian. He explained that this is the only road up and it’s not bad: a few climbs, a couple of rockfalls, and then it will be better. And we moved on...
First gear... Gas to the floor all the way... One rise, turn, second rise, turn... And now the vertical has become flatter. But this was not very pleasing. Instead of fences and green gardens, a sheer rock wall grew on one side of the road, and on the other, a cliff appeared, looking towards it made you feel dizzy. The road became so narrow that the car could barely fit between the rock and the cliff. There were no fences, as you might guess, anywhere. The situation was aggravated by the fact that the entire road in some sections was strewn with small stones (falling from above) and as soon as you brake sharply or jerk the steering wheel, the car, like beads, could roll down (fortunately there was nothing holding it on the side). The tension in the car grew. The radio hissed treacherously... They tried to defuse the situation with conversations and jokes, they even started singing a couple of times. With what enthusiastic exclamations we greeted the black squirrel that appeared on the road!
Meanwhile, the asphalt ended and turned into a rocky road. Stones began to hit the defense. The road was clearly not designed for low-slung passenger cars... But there was nowhere to turn, there was also no way to go around the stones (there was a cliff on one side, a rock on the other), not to mention parking or turning around. We didn’t see a single place to pass an oncoming car the whole way. But higher powers protected us, and no one was coming towards us from the mountain at that time. Slowly, almost on our bellies, we still moved forward. And finally, the road became flatter and golden domes appeared in the distance...
“The Monastery of Sergius of Radonezh is located at the foot of Mount Rumia, in a quiet mountain gorge between the Adriatic Sea and Lake Skadar. At the request of the Metropolitan of the Montenegrin-Litoval Serbian Orthodox Church - Bishop Amfilohije, this monastery should serve as a place of shelter and rest for pilgrims who go to the Church of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity, which stands at the very top of Mount Rumia.
The monastery was founded quite recently - in 2009. Such a small temple houses a large number of relics, many of which were brought from the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius and the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Women's monastery. Mother Theodora and several other nuns permanently live there. The conditions are quite harsh. In summer there are problems with water - streams dry up, water is imported. Electricity only comes from a few solar panels.”
Having parked the car at the monastery, taking with us the most important thing - a camera, a backpack with a bunch of lenses and a tiny bottle of water, in moccasins, shorts and a T-shirt, and some in sandals, a skirt and a handbag at the ready, we set off to conquer the peak.
The monastery is surrounded by a stone fence. At the entrance there is a gate over which hangs a bell. As we passed by, a girl with huge angelic eyes met us behind her. A large beautiful dog (collie) was sitting next to her.
Looking at us and learning that we had neither sneakers nor jeans, she said: “How I feel sorry for you!..” But we did not give this any importance and walked on cheerfully.
The climb started well. All the sides of the road were strewn with blackberries, so large, tasty and sweet that we pounced on them with great pleasure, while slowly moving further.
Looking up and down at the tops of the mountains, we did not see the temple and began to joke that, apparently, we needed to go to the highest peak... Well, as often happens, this joke turned out to be true. But for now, suspecting nothing, nine people (our entire company) were moving along a wide mountain path, eating blackberries!
The path went up and gradually began to narrow. On it, stones and trees were marked with bright red and white dots - symbols of the path for independent ascent.
Our large team was divided. Ilya and two others went forward. The six of us stuck together. It became more and more difficult to walk. The deciduous thickets began to thin out. The rocky slopes turned into steeper cliffs. Screes of stones began to appear more and more often underfoot.
It was later, when we arrived home and read on the Internet, we learned that you need to climb Rumia in full equipment, including special poles, leather gloves and high closed boots (since there are poisonous snakes and many poisonous plants grow here). And the stones in Montenegro are mainly of the shell rock type. Their entire surface is covered with small scars and each of them is sharp as a blade. That’s why they don’t even do mountaineering here—the ropes rub against the rocks. And, of course, in hats and with a good supply of water and food.
Two of our group decided to stay. The climb became steeper and there were no more trees. The sun was hot... The monastery below became smaller and smaller and tried to turn into a point. We walked slowly from mark to mark, the oxygen became less, the stops became longer and longer.
The strength was quickly drained, and there was almost no water left. We looked up, hoping to see the temple at the top and hoping that the goal was already close. And then a group of tourists with a funny white dog came down to meet us.
They looked at us with surprise, asked if we had water, and gave us (oh, happiness!..) a whole one and a half liter bottle of water. Thank them very much!!! From them we learned that we had gone less than half the way.
The water was distributed equally to everyone. The sun was getting hotter and hotter. I took a handkerchief, tied knots around the edges, wet it with water and placed it on the top of my head. It turned out to be a small, but Panama hat. She saved me from sunstroke (and not only me...).
Two more decided not to go further. Diana and I were left alone and continued to climb. The path became steeper. Small stones rolled underfoot. As soon as you straightened up, it began to pull you down with terrible force... (they tried to lean towards the mountain). Finally we reached the saddle of the mountain. It was clear that there had once been a small lake here. It could be read from the clearly visible lush green grass in the center of the saddle. Unfortunately, the lake has dried up.
The slope along which we climbed faced the Adriatic and the city of Bar, located far below. And on the other side there was a magnificent view of the Scandinavian lake, beyond which was distant Albania. Islands rose out of the lake like icebergs.
Because of the haze of clouds, above which we had already risen, the sky merged with the blue waters of the lake and it seemed that the islands were floating in weightlessness. The clouds enveloped us in coolness. And finally, at the top of the mountain we saw a temple.
We had to overcome an almost vertical climb to the crown of the mountain. Ilya was already coming down to meet us. Diana and I took a stone each and slowly “crawled” from mark to mark and finally climbed to the top!
This was the same high peak that we saw from below. 360 degree view! The clouds turned out to be somewhat lower and, to our great regret, obscured these beautiful views.
Read the continuation of the story
Told to How to go to the mountains correctly and safely, so as not to spoil the climbing experience for yourself and others.
I heard that if there is no way to save you from depression, and you urgently need to clear your head, it is highly recommended to go to the mountains. But don’t forget to follow the basic rules if you don’t want to ruin the climbing experience for yourself and others.
Do not go to the mountains alone, do not go to the mountains in the rain, be sure to use a stick, because... This is not only an additional point of support, but also a warning to the snakes that someone is coming. So, I still advise you to go with a company. You never know.
In general, to climb you only need good weather, and only if it is important for you to admire the panoramic view. But attitude and character are also important factors...
It is best to get from the city of Bar to the Monastery of St. Sergius of Radonezh (900 m) early in the morning on something with high ground clearance. It will take an hour and a half due to the gravel at the end of the road. But then you can rest with compassionate nuns, drink tea on mountain herbs and catch your breath.
And then, if the weather permits, from the monastery, as from the base camp, you can move further, following the signs and route markers (red circle, white dot inside). Well, the nuns will show you the way.
The climb will take an ordinary “homebody” about three hours one way, and it’s not in a hurry. The prize from such an ascent is a unique view from the top of Rumia of the Adriatic Sea, the city of Bar and Lake Skadar. But you’re unlikely to see Italy, don’t trust anyone.
An additional bonus is the unique white Church of the Holy Trinity, standing at the very top of Rumia. According to legend, it was erected by Montenegrins on the site of an old Orthodox church destroyed by the Ottomans.
Well, there’s no need to talk about mushrooms and berries along the way, it’s natural, that’s what we’re going for. There are especially many berries in the “saddle”, just before the top. On the “saddle” I came across strawberries, a lot of strawberries. Spent about 30 minutes collecting it.
Stay there longer, take a break before the final rush to Rumia, pamper yourself, your beloved and brave one. And don’t forget that only a few walkers follow the results – the rest are behind the process. It's always more pleasant to follow the process.
And so that your ascent does not end in the early approaches, do not forget to wear good shoes. The sole should be rubberized and, of course, dress warmly. It blows there, at altitude, with all the winds.
TO THE HOLY MOUNTAIN RUMIIA: 1595 m above sea level
Once upon a time, on the top of the mountain stood an ancient temple (VI century), destroyed during the invasion of the Turks in the 15th century. The Orthodox believed that this was a punishment for the sins of people, and therefore it was necessary to repent and bring a stone to the very top of the mountain. According to legend, one day, when there are enough stones, the church will return straight from heaven. Over the past centuries, local residents have raised many stones to the top. And then the church really appeared on the top of the mountain. But not in the usual way: she actually came down from the sky - by helicopter. This was done by one of the residents of the city of Bar, located at the foot of Rumia. An instructive story, isn't it?
We we start from Bar, turn off at the “roundabout” leading to Old Bar , to the left, and after ten minutes the main thing is not to miss the right turn up the mountain. The narrow asphalt road will first rise higher and higher in a serpentine path, and then go along a mountain canyon with breathtaking views of the Bar Riviera:
The asphalt ends halfway and the rubble begins, on which you will be shaking for at least half an hour. The road ends at the convent of St. Sergius of Radonezh, hidden in a gorge on the slope of Mount Rumia. The monastery church shines cheerfully in the sun with golden domes, which, by the way, is generally rare for Montenegro (such domes). From here, from a point 781 meters above sea level, the hiking route we need starts to the top of Rumia. By the way, before Until now, those who go to the top, according to tradition, take with them a pebble.
They say that the valley of Mount Rumia contains many relics, including the cross of St. John Vladimir (Prince Vladimir), which is kept in the Androvich brotherhood and passed on from generation to generation. Every year, on the day of the Holy Trinity, the Androvich family carries this cross to the top of Rumia (religious procession). By the way, Muslims called Byzantium “rumia” (from Arabic - “Christian”), and this mountain has long been a symbol of Orthodoxy.
We climb the goat path (marked for tourists) higher and higher into the mountain, overcome the mountain range and at the top of the plateau we are greeted by a gusty wind from Lake Skadar.
There are mysterious alpine “bilki” (plants) around, among which I can only identify “shipurak” (rose hips). For herbalists, this is a real treat! "Planina" (mountain) herbs in Montenegro can be bought in every pharmacy and supermarket for brewing infusion or tea. By the way, according to Montenegrins, only sick people drink tea: in Montenegro they don’t even know black tea, which has long been traditional for Russia. Here tea means herbal or berry tea, and such a drink is drunk for health, to treat something. Cafe (coffee) - here traditional drink for Montenegrins , not counting rakia. ;) Coffee mania was instilled here by the Turks, and since then it has been a centuries-old tradition: people here really know how to brew and drink coffee (this is a special conversation...
And here is the last stop before climbing to the top itself:
The wind almost subsides, you take off your jacket again and take sunbathing along the way. And then the top of the temple appeared, everyone let go: the last push - and you are at the top.
And then the wind knocks you down again...
By the way, the church on the top of Rumia was installed on the initiative of the Serbian Orthodox Church and with the help of a Serbian Air Force helicopter, without the approval of the Montenegrin authorities. The use of an Air Force helicopter was seen by some as a provocation in the year of the Montenegrin independence referendum (2006).
Tourists simply enter their name, Orthodox believers leave impressions: they mostly write about how they overcame this difficult path to the holy place with God’s help.