In monastery under Mt. Javor, a monk tamed a she-wolf: Kovilje keeps watch from inside a cave in a rock

Photo: Ivan Strahinic

At the foot of the mountain Javor near Ivanjica, in the village of Smiljevac, is the Serbian Orthodox monastery of Kovilje, dedicated to the Holy Archangels Gabriel and Michael.

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It was founded in the 12th or 13th century - there is no exact information, while the preserved frescoes testify to the antiquity of the shrine.

It is not known how it got its name, either, but as our people have always attributed miraculous properties to feathergrass (kovilje in Serbian), specifically to basil and feathergrass, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that the monastery was named after this plant.

One of the oldest schools in Serbia was opened here in 1867, as well as a school for future priests.

The monastery consists of two temples - one is dedicated to the Holy Archangels, and the other to Saint Nicholas. The temple dedicated to the Holy Archangels leans on a rock and is partly located inside a cave, which makes it particularly interesting for tourists who visit this part of Serbia.

It can often be heard among the people that this monastery is "older than Studenica" although there is no historical data that could confirm that.

However, what tourists find especially attractive in Kovilje is the desire to feel a special kind of peace that reigns near the shrines, and to feel as one with the nature that surrounds Kovilje. According to believers, the line between what's possible and impossible is being erased here, and to support that claim, they mention the story of monk Amvrosije who has tamed no less than a she-wolf.

The cub, named Alfa, wa first brought to the monk when she was only fifteen days old. He fed her milk every four hours to make her grow stronger. When she grew up, she started following the monk everywhere - towards him, tame and harmless as a dove, grateful that he had saved her.

But the monk said that he never tamed Alfa, but was instead learning from her:

"A wolf teaches you about sacrifice, forgiveness, trust and love. For what you build and create, you must make sacrifices. And we'd want to skip that part. Sacrifice is neither in our hearts nor in our minds. We want to have everything without sacrifice. Well, I'm learning about sacrifice from Alfa. I am deeply convinced that only beauty and love can save the world today. She proves it to me every day..."

Photo: Ivan Strahinic

(Telegraf.rs)