Church of saint Nikola (September 2012) Kursumlija is a town in the south of Serbia in the Toplica district. The monastery of St. Nicholas is the first endowment of Stefan Nemanja until he was proclaimed a great zupan. The monastery was built between 1159 and 1166. on the hill above the mouth of the river Banjska in Toplica.
The church is a single-nave building with a large dome above the central part of the nave. Stefan Prvovenčani added an outer porch as well as two high bell towers, and King Milutin added a chapel on the north side at the beginning of the 14th century. As for the frescoes, it was discovered only in fragments during the reconstruction of the church and indicates compositions close to those created in the 14th century.
During the reign of Stefan Nemanja, there was an important transcription school in the monastery. During the first great migration of Serbs, the monastery was deserted and the lead roof was removed by the Turks, so that a long period of suffering of the shrine began.
Today, the detailed renovation of the church and the entire complex is often mentioned, which certainly deserves it. If you are in the south of Serbia, be sure to visit this shrine, which, although it has largely lost its physical splendor, still represents the first endowment of Stefan Nemanja, and that certainly has great significance.
