According to Shoe Frantics, Cetinje lies on a small karst plain surrounded by limestone mountains. The name of the city was given by the small river Cetinje, which flows through it. The Lovcen mountain rangeis the largest in the area, and it protects the interior of the country from the influence of the Adriatic Sea. The climate in this place is very humid. Here, the maximum average annual rainfall was recorded, which amounted to 3927 mm per year. Many tourists are attracted by the harsh beauty of the Lovcen mountain range, on which the national park is located, despite the poor flora. The surroundings of Cetinje are good for hiking. Of the extreme types of recreation, you can go rock climbing or paragliding (landing on the coast in Kotor).
Cetinje is the historical capital of Montenegro, a symbol of the struggle of the Montenegrin people for independence. The city was founded in 1482, when the prince of Zeta Ivan Chernoevich, oppressed by the Turks, was forced to move the courtyard and the capital of Zeta to the impenetrable forests on Mount Lovcen. Two years later, in 1484, the Cetinje Monastery was built, which, along with the city, is considered a symbol of the glory and independence of the country. Soon, the Cetinje Monastery became not only a stronghold of the struggle against the Turks in the Balkans, and only the surroundings of Mount Lovcen remained from the lands that were not under them, but also an important cultural center. Here in 1492 – 1496. The first books were printed in the Balkans.
After the death of the last of the Chernoevich dynasty, the government of the country passes to the Orthodox Church, that is, to the lord who was chosen. In 1692, during the next war with the Ottoman Empire, the Cetinje Monastery was completely destroyed. Only in 1701-1704. The new Bishop Danila Petrovich brought the Cetinje Monastery back to life and built it in a new place, on the slope of Mount Eagle Cross. The surviving parts of the old monastery were largely used to build a new one. For a long time, the history of Montenegro becomes associated with the Petrovich-Negosh dynasty, whose power was interrupted only in 1918. Then Montenegro became part of Yugoslavia, and Cetinje ceased to be the capital.
The main monastery church is dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Here are the main shrines of the monastery: the relics of St. Peter of Cetinje, the incorruptible right hand of St. John the Baptist, as well as a part of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. The iconostasis in the church is carved from wood. According to some sources, the icons were painted by Nicholas Aspioti from the island of Corfu, and according to others, by the Dzhinovski brothers from Macedonia. By mistake, it is often written that the church is dedicated to St. Peter of Cetinje, because his icon is located in the place of the altar image. The Montenegrin prince Danila I Petrovich Negush and his brother, governor Mirko, are buried in the church, nicknamed the “sword of Montenegro” for their outstanding victories over the Turks. The well-preserved cell of St. Peter in the Cetinje Monastery Cetinski, which contains a particle of the relics of St. Theodore Stratilates.
The oldest building in Cetinje is considered to be the Vlaška Church (from Vlaša – shepherds), built in 1450. The city flourished in the second half of the 19th century, when the international recognition of Montenegro ‘s independence finally took place. At this time, under the control of Prince Nikola Petrovich, foreign embassies, palaces, hotels, a hospital, schools, a theater and even an institute for noble maidens appeared here. Now Cetinje is known as a museum city. The National Museum of Montenegro combines city, ethnographic, historical museums, an art gallery and a memorial to Peter Petrovich Negush. In addition, there is also a museum of the Cetinje Monastery and a museum of the electrical industry. An indoor pavilion with a relief map of Montenegro (1917) can be interesting for studying the history of the country.
At the highest point of the Lovcen mountain range, on the lake top mountain, there is a mausoleum, which was built on the site of the tomb-church of St. Peter of Cetinje (Peter Petrovich Negush). The burial itself is located below the hall, here is a sculpture of Peter Petrovich Negush with an eagle on his shoulder. The legend says that Negush ordered to bury himself on the top of this mountain in order to admire the whole of Montenegro from there. From there you really have a breathtaking view of the mountains and the Bay of Kotor. The subjects offered to bury Peter Petrovich Negush on the highest mountain of Montenegro, but he refused, explaining that suddenly in the future there would be a lord who would do more for Montenegro than him, then let him be buried on the highest mountain.
