Cetinje

The small town of Cetinje (around 15,000 population) used to be once and is also the present capital of Montenegro. Actually, Podgorica  is the capital and the administrative centre, while Cetinje is the old Royal Capital and a historical and the secondary capital of Montenegro. Because of its authentic architecture and a great number of historic buildings, monasteries, churches and museums, the place is also called the “Museum Town”. There is also the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church Montenegrin Littoral Metropolitan.

RELIGION AND TRADITION

The Zeta Metropolitan is one of the bishoprics established by St Sava. The first bishop was Ilarion. When in 1484 Ivan Crnojević built a monastery dedicating to the Birth of the Holy Virgin (the Cetinje Monastery), the Metropolitan seat was also moved there. Since then it is known as the Cetinje Metropolitan. The Zeta bishopric is one of those that has lasted in an uninterrupted period from the time the Serbian Orthodox Church gained its autocephaly. Since 1991, Amfilohije (Radović) has been in the Montenegrin Littoral Metropolitan seat.

ART

In 1493, Đurađ Crnojević, Ivan’s son, brought a printing press from Venice to Obod, near Cetinje, which was not only the first one in Serbs, but in the South Slavs as well. The first printed book was a Book of Psalms (Oktoih).

GEOGRAPHY

Cetinje is located in the Cetinje field, east from Lovćen. Although the area is among those in Europe with the most pronounced rainy season, there are no rivers running through Cetinje.

HISTORY

The Cetinje town was founded by Ivan Crnojević, a ruler of Zeta in the 15th century, moving the capital from Žabljak, first to Obod, then to Rijeka Crnojevića, and then to an inaccessible field at the foot of Lovćen. And there, by the monastery, Cetinje was developed, but was later on abandoned. Renewal of Cetinje started in the period of Peter Petrović Njegoš, who built his residence by the monastery and practically restored the town foundations. Near the monastery Njegoš also built his palace, known as Biljarda.