Cetinje tour guide

At the foot of Orlov Krš, in the heart of Cetinje, stands the Cetinje Monastery – the spiritual and historical center of Montenegro. It was founded in 1484 by Ivan Crnojević, ruler of Zeta, as the new seat of the Metropolitanate of Zeta. Originally built at the Ćipur site, the monastery was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times. Its current form dates back to the reconstruction between 1701 and 1704, when Metropolitan Danilo Petrović-Njegoš erected a new complex on the foundations of the old Crnojević court, using stones from the demolished monastery . The monastery is dedicated to the Nativity of the Theotokos but is especially renowned for housing the relics of Saint Peter of Cetinje. Its treasury also holds the right hand of Saint John the Baptist, with which he baptized Jesus Christ, and a particle of the True Cross on which Christ was crucified. The Cetinje Monastery is not merely a religious building – it is a symbol of Montenegrin statehood, a place where metropolitans and rulers resided, and a guardian of the rich cultural and spiritual heritage of the people.