Petkovica

    Petkovica Monastery was built at the south-western part of Fruška Gora Mountain, close to the stream of Remeta, between villages of Divoš and Šišatovac. The most intense life in Petkovica Monastery was carried out at the end of the 16th century. Later due to smaller number of monks it was deserted to be visited only for the feasts of the shrine at the beginning of the 20th century. The monastery church was dedicated to St. Petka /celebrated 14/27. October). According to the legend, Jelena Štiljanović, widow of late Despot Stefan Štiljanović was the founder of the monastery. She spent her last years in Petkovica Monastery as nun. This could be dated to the first quarter of the 16th century. The exact time of construction of the Monastery is not known.

  Petkovica Monastery was first mentioned in Turkish records in 1566-67 but only in regard with the monastery estate. Inscription on the western wall of naos of Petkovica Monastery testify on the completion of fresco decoration in 1588 during the Prior Akakije when the monastic refectory was built. After those documents there are no more historical evidences on this quiet and spiritual monument. Historical fact testiry that at the end of the 17th century Sinan-beg of Mitrovica wanted to destroy the monasteries of Petkovica and Kuveždin to use its stone for construction of his residence but he decided to charge monastery with the summ of 100 groshes per year according to the Mitropolitan Pajsije's requests.

  During the time of the Patriarch Arsenije III Čarnojević Petkovica Monastery was abandoned so the Patriarch adviced the Abbot of the Kuvedzin Monastery to restore Petrovica Monastery. Most of documents about Petkovica Monastery is provided during the church visitation in 1753 in which it is known that the iconostatis date from 1735 by donation of Milinko Vuckovic from the village of Suljam. The iconostasis was destroyed in the Second World War and only woodcarved croos is preserved which is nowadays kept in the Church of St Stefan in Sremska Mitrovica. In the same report the church itself and the dormitories on the western and the southern sides are carefully described. Dormitories west from the Church were built of combination of stone and brick as well as chirch was built while the dormitory on the southern side represents the small structure built of wood and covered with reed roof. First reconstructions on the southern dormitory are described in the "Desription of Fruska Gora Monasteries" from 1771 where it is recorded that this part contains three monastic cells and the structure was built of stone. In this record the Petkovica Monastery is said as the metochian of Šišatovac Monastery and kept that status even during the 19th century.

  Petkovica Monastery was first time rebuilt in 1884 during the reign of Abbot of Sisatovac Monastery Amfilohije Jeremić. Twenty years later dormitories have been destroyed so the Abbot Sergije Popić, asked for help to rebuilt the Monastery. But there is no records on the reconstrution until the year of 1927 when only the church surely was restored. The Church was damaged also in the Second World War.

    Petkovica Monastery Church belongs to the true traditional Serbian architecture and to the type of one-domed structure with the combination of inscribed cross base and the trilateral form. It has cross shape base with the four-sided outside apse and ieght-sided dome and rectangular bell tower over priprata. On the souther wall there are three niches whose construction was operated in the form of the Saracene arch which ir rather unusual style. The basic architectural elements of Petkovica Monastery Church provide evidences that the constructor possibly had found inspiration in the form of Lazarica Church.