Climbing Mount Rumia: good advice from an experienced traveler. Elena was here: Rumia

Montenegro is a religious country, and pilgrimage tourism is an important component. If you came for this reason, first visit the Cetinje Monastery and Ostrog; it is better to take a bus tour on Olimpus.me, or an individual tour from me. Well, after that, I advise you to expand your horizons and visit less popular holy places, for example, the Orthodox women’s monastery of Sergei of Radonezh, where 6 Russian nuns serve today 💒 Located on Mount Rumia above the city of Bar, almost 1000 m above sea level. The last 5 km is off-road, so you can use your own two legs. Having climbed into such wilderness, you do not at all expect to see sparkling golden domes. It’s as if a piece of Russia ended up in this region, which is difficult to live in.

Last year we drove a passenger car and turned around at a place where the asphalt ran out; no one wanted to go on a hike 😂 But even a normal road is narrow, in some places it goes near a cliff; it took us half a minute to pass the Niva.


There is a trail to the top of Mount Rumija with a height of 1596 m 👣 As evidenced by the signs of the mountain club. The path is not easy, it leads to the Church of the Holy Trinity at the very top


This temple is associated with the cross and the name of St. Jovan Vladimir, a Slavic martyr. 2016 was the 1000th anniversary of his death. In the city of Bar itself, a temple was built, consecrated in his honor. Today, the cross of Jovan Vladimir is in the hands of the Androvich family, and only on Trinity Day they take it out to the people and make a crusade to the top of Rumia, including Catholics and Muslims.

You can see the schedule from June 22 to 23, and repeat this year. With the first rays of sun, a liturgy is served in the Church of the Holy Trinity. Pilgrims who have overcome such a difficult path receive double joy. Their gaze reveals the beauty of unearthly wondrous landscapes - and the Adriatic Sea.


The church there is not new; it was installed in 2005 using a helicopter. According to legend, before the Turks came to these lands, it was already there. You can listen in more detail to the history of the restoration of the church in this program

And I will return to my impressions of the monastery of Sergei of Radonezh. It began to be built in 2009, the first appearance was completely different. The idea to dedicate it specifically to Sergei of Radonezh, who had not been heard of in Montenegro, was proposed by Metropolitan Amfilohiy. The first idea was to build a house for the person looking after the Church of the Holy Trinity. As a result, they began to build a church named after Alexander Nevsky. But we already have one in Montenegro, so the Montenegrin Metropolitan proposed dedicating the temple to Sergei of Radonezh, who is associated with the Holy Trinity.


The temple and konak have not yet been completed, it is quite cool inside the church, let me remind you that we are on the mountain, it was April 18 on the calendar. The sisters have to heat inside; the walls of the temple were insulated.

The monastery contains particles of the relics of saints, martyrs, and venerables:
particle of the relics of St. Demetrius of Rostov, St. Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky), St. Guria Tauride, St. Elders of Optina, St. Peter of Korishsky, St. Zosima of Sinaita, St. Sofia of Suzdal, prmts. Elizaveta Feodorovna, blessed Paraskeva Diveevskaya


Services in the Sergius Monastery are conducted according to the rules of ancient monasteries. “Our daily cycle of services begins at three o’clock in the morning,- says Mother Theodora, - First, the Midnight Office is served, then the First Hour and, if there is no Divine Liturgy, ends with the Fine Antiphons. Then at 9 o’clock the Third hour is read, at 12.00 o’clock – the Sixth, at 15.00 o’clock – the Ninth. Then at 5:00 p.m. Vespers is celebrated, and at 8:00 p.m. Compline is celebrated.”


There is no decoration inside the temple yet, but there are very elegant decoration elements carved from wood by a Russian craftsman.


The life of the nuns is ascetic, water and electricity are strictly limited. The area is inhabited by wild animals - wild boars, badgers, martens, etc., so you won’t have much to do with farming - a badger will dig up the garden or a marten will kill the chickens. There are strong hurricane winds, which every now and then try to carry away the frame of the gazebo or destroy the greenhouse. But in good weather there is peace and grace here, only the rustle of blossoming apple trees and the monotonous hum of bees (the sisters acquired one single hive).

2 km from the monastery of Sergei of Radonezh there is the monastery of St. Nicholas, with a spring and rock frescoes. For a person who drinks reverently, washes himself, or immerses himself in the spring, this water is holy and healing. The rock depicts the Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan River

They say that at the top is depicted the miraculous face of the Most Holy Theotokos with eyes full of sorrow and tears, I didn’t know - I didn’t look... Every year on the feast of the Holy Trinity, this source is consecrated with the ancient cross of the holy martyr king John Vladimir.


There is also a baptismal font and a bench for rest.


I'll give you some useful coordinates:
42.082814, 19.195592 - source of St. Nicholas
42.094056, 19.182075 - monastery of Sergei of Radonezh
42.095149, 19.180136 - the beginning of the trail to Rumia, next to the monastery


and under my feet there was a natural miracle - thyme, which I collect for tea


The city of Bar and the Adriatic Sea from above on the way back


Old Bar - now an open-air museum


We ended the day at a cheap eatery called Banyaluchki Chevap, where a portion of Chevape with cabbage and bread costs 2.5 euros

Video - Monastery of Sergei of Radonezh in Montenegro

There are many mountains in Montenegro on which ancient churches and monasteries stand, but only one mountain has become an immortal symbol of people's repentance, love of God and the resurrection of the people's soul. This mountain, with a majestic wall, separates the Adriatic Sea and Lake Skadar and bears the unusual name Rumia.

Muslims called Byzantium Rumiya, and this mountain with the ancient temple of the Holy Trinity on its top has long been a symbol of Orthodoxy, a symbol of the greatness of the Orthodox statehood. This mountain was owned by all the great Orthodox powers of the Balkans: Byzantium, Great Bulgaria, Serbia. There was a monastery at the foot of the mountain.

Many perceived the invasion of the Turks as punishment for the sins of the people. At the very beginning of the famous Cetinje Oktoech, it is said that the seizure of the land by the Hagarians (Muslims) occurred “for our sins.” And the destruction of the ancient Orthodox temple on the top of Rumia was perceived by the people as punishment for sins. According to legend, there were wicked people who treated the shrine with disdain, and the Lord took the church to heaven. From then on, every person who climbed this holy mountain had to take a stone with him to the top as a sign of repentance. According to popular belief, when enough stones are collected, the church itself will descend from heaven.

Since then, over the centuries, a whole mountain of stones has been raised to the top, and in 2005 the prophecy finally came true: a metal church was lowered from the sky (by helicopter). It was the idea of ​​Velemir Dragovich, a resident of the city of Bar, who spared nothing to implement it. Since then, this temple has risen above Montenegro. It is also visible from neighboring Albania. But people, according to a long-standing tradition, continue to carry stones to the top as a sign of repentance - both for themselves and for their loved ones. Having lifted the penitential stone to this holy peak, a person feels how a mysterious, grace-filled change has taken place in his soul. From here, not only indescribably beautiful views of the mountains, sea, and lake are revealed to him, but from here the destiny of man is also revealed - holiness. When the church was installed, twelve Montenegrin tribes leaned their stones against its walls.

Velemir Dragovich did not stop there. Together with a Russian friend Vitaly Ivanchikov, who moved from Russia to the city of Bar, they recently built a monastery in the name of St. Sergius of Radonezh at the foot of Rumia. A small temple with a belfry attracts attention with its wonderful, unusual architecture.

The valley of Mount Rumia holds a priceless shrine - the cross of St. John Vladimir. In the depths of the valley there is also an ancient sacred spring. On the wild rock you can see an uncut image of the Most Holy Theotokos with a mournful face and eyes full of tears. Healing water has been oozing from this image of the Blessed Virgin for many centuries. For a person who drinks it with reverence, the water is sweet and healing, like repentance from a pure heart. It is noteworthy that this source never dries up, while the nearby waterfall disappears every summer.

It is no coincidence that only on the top of Rumia does the miraculous herb grow - the legendary hair wool, whose root penetrates stone, heals serious illnesses, and heals the most dangerous wounds.

In general, everything is symbolic and providential in Rumia. For example, at its very top there is a lake with lush green grass. I am reminded of the words of the Psalter that the righteous is like a green tree at the source of water. Behind the lake rises Malaya Rumia, the top of which is like a miraculous bowl. Looking at her, you remember other words: “I will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord”...

Velemir Dragović also found a relic on the top of Rumia. It is possible that this is a stone link from a rosary and evidence that the Church of the Holy Trinity stood here in ancient times - as a monument to the victory of Christianity over paganism. It still reigns over the vast expanses of the Adriatic, like a sacred lighthouse, showing the way even in the waves of the sea of ​​life...

A huge number of different folk beliefs, legends and prophecies are associated with Mount Rumia. For example, local Muslims are convinced that the restoration of the temple in Rumia marks the beginning of the flourishing of Orthodoxy and Orthodox power to the detriment of Islam in the Balkans...

The prospects for the development of Montenegro are felt like nowhere else - its future, consecrated by the most ancient Orthodox shrines. Many believers, who once came here, return again and again or even settle here forever. The depth of religious experiences of people who visited Montenegro is such that some of them even say: whoever was not in Ostrog did not pray, who was not in Rumia did not repent.

Montenegro is for us a spiritual bridge from the first Christians to the current catastrophic era, the source of Slavic Orthodoxy, our Christian roots...

At the top of Rumia, Christians entered into their covenant with God - a covenant of repentance. The holiness of this covenant, together with the stones brought by many generations, makes the soul live in a new way, and the temple revived here in honor of the Holy Trinity helps us to believe, hope, and love with renewed vigor.

Rumia is the soul of Montenegro: a mountain that heals and elevates a person, a mountain of achievement, repentance, holiness...

2 km from the top of Mount Rumia is the convent of St. Sergius of Radonezh.

It was founded in 2009, Russian nuns live here.

It is interesting to come here on the eve of the Holy Trinity - in the evening there is a festive service, and at night there is an ascent to the top of Rumia and a procession of the cross.

We were here on a simple August Sunday morning.

There is a road leading to the monastery (not asphalt, quite bumpy in places, it is better not to drive here in a small car; alternatively, drive to the place where the asphalt ends and walk 5 km).

It is from the monastery that the ascent to the top of Rumia begins.

And here is the beginning of the journey. I won’t go into details; I’ve already talked about the hike to the mountain.

Today I want to show you the monastery.

It is small and is still being completed (after all, it was founded not so long ago).

But its golden domes are visible from afar) They look amazing against the backdrop of the mountains.

I read that the monastery contains particles of the relics of many saints, but unfortunately, on the day that we were there, the entrance to the temple was closed.

We didn't meet any nuns. The only resident of the monastery with whom we managed to communicate was this luxurious dog with a long muzzle. Be sure to cuddle him if you find yourself in these parts.

It’s a shame that our acquaintance with the monastery turned out to be so superficial. And we never got to the holy spring, because we don’t know exactly where it is. But maybe we’ll find it again)

On the way to the top, do not pass by this holy place. “Rumiya” translated from Arabic means “Christian,” which means that visiting one more Christian place will definitely not be out of place. Ciao!

This trip took place on a very solemn occasion. The fact is that my beloved niece Diana and her now legal husband Ilya decided to register their relationship, that is, to get married. And do this not just anywhere, but in Montenegro, on Mount Lovcen.

So. A day after the main event for which everyone gathered here, we decided to take a trip to Mount Rumia.

“Rumia is the mountain of repentance, and there are many beliefs about it. It separates the Adriatic Sea and the Scandinavian lake with a majestic wall. Since ancient times, it was crowned with the Church of the Holy Trinity, but during the invasion of the Turks, the temple was destroyed. According to legend, this was a punishment for the sins of the people - the Lord took the church to heaven and will return it only after atonement for human sins. From then on, everyone who climbed the holy Mount Rumia had to take a stone with them as a sign of repentance, and when a sufficient number of stones were collected at the top, the church itself would descend from heaven.

In 2005, the church truly came down from heaven. Since it was almost impossible to build it on the top, it was decided to cast the temple on the “ground” and lift it into the mountains by helicopter. Since then, the temple of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity has crowned Rumia, towering over all of Montenegro and protecting it from harm.”

In the morning, having loaded our things into two rented cars, taking with us a small bottle of water and the remains of sandwiches from breakfast (just in case), we left Budva and headed towards the city of Bar. According to our calculations, after descending from Rumia we were supposed to visit the city of Stary Bar and have an evening meal. Yes, it should be noted that in resort towns (and in Montenegro almost all of them are such) there are shops, cafes, bars, etc. at every turn. That is, there are no problems with drinking and eating. And therefore, having gone on a trip along one of, as we thought, tourist routes, we were not even going to stock up on provisions for the whole day.

The road was good, the views around were wonderful. Over the previous day, we had almost gotten used to the mountain serpentines, blocked ears and slight dizziness... So everything was going well. Having passed the city of Bar, we began to climb up the mountain. On the sides of the road there were fences, small houses, gardens, all the slopes were buried in greenery. The road was narrow, the asphalt was more or less good. The radio hummed quietly in an unfamiliar Serbian language. We climbed higher and higher, the road became steeper and narrower. We still couldn’t understand how we could pass each other here if someone came towards us. Having driven quite far, that is, having already climbed high up the mountain, Ilya’s car stopped at a fork. One road went forward, and the second was almost vertically upward and the navigator showed that this was exactly where we were going! Ilya and I got out of the cars and went up this road to see what was next... And then there was a 90-degree turn and another road into the sky... Ilya suggested walking from here. There are 6 kilometers left to the top. But after walking these 50 meters up, I realized that I was already tired, and 6 kilometers in these conditions is an unrealistic distance. We decided to ask the local resident whose house we were staying at if there was another way up, thinking that the navigator might have chosen the wrong path. Fortunately, the owner was at home and spoke excellent Russian. He explained that this is the only road up and it’s not bad: a few climbs, a couple of rockfalls, and then it will be better. And we moved on...

First gear... Gas to the floor all the way... One rise, turn, second rise, turn... And now the vertical has become flatter. But this was not very pleasing. Instead of fences and green gardens, a sheer rock wall grew on one side of the road, and on the other, a cliff appeared, looking towards it made you feel dizzy. The road became so narrow that the car could barely fit between the rock and the cliff. There were no fences, as you might guess, anywhere. The situation was aggravated by the fact that the entire road in some sections was strewn with small stones (falling from above) and as soon as you brake sharply or jerk the steering wheel, the car, like beads, could roll down (fortunately there was nothing holding it on the side). The tension in the car grew. The radio hissed treacherously... They tried to defuse the situation with conversations and jokes, they even started singing a couple of times. With what enthusiastic exclamations we greeted the black squirrel that appeared on the road!

Meanwhile, the asphalt ended and turned into a rocky road. Stones began to hit the defense. The road was clearly not designed for low-slung passenger cars... But there was nowhere to turn, there was also no way to go around the stones (there was a cliff on one side, a rock on the other), not to mention parking or turning around. We didn’t see a single place to pass an oncoming car the whole way. But higher powers protected us, and no one was coming towards us from the mountain at that time. Slowly, almost on our bellies, we still moved forward. And finally, the road became flatter and golden domes appeared in the distance...

“The Monastery of Sergius of Radonezh is located at the foot of Mount Rumia, in a quiet mountain gorge between the Adriatic Sea and Lake Skadar. At the request of the Metropolitan of the Montenegrin-Litoval Serbian Orthodox Church - Bishop Amfilohije, this monastery should serve as a place of shelter and rest for pilgrims who go to the Church of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity, which stands at the very top of Mount Rumia.
The monastery was founded quite recently - in 2009. Such a small temple houses a large number of relics, many of which were brought from the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius and the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Women's monastery. Mother Theodora and several other nuns permanently live there. The conditions are quite harsh. In summer there are problems with water - streams dry up, water is imported. Electricity only comes from a few solar panels.”

Having parked the car at the monastery, taking with us the most important thing - a camera, a backpack with a bunch of lenses and a tiny bottle of water, wearing moccasins, shorts and a T-shirt, and some in sandals, a skirt and a handbag at the ready, we set off to conquer the peak.

The monastery is surrounded by a stone fence. At the entrance there is a gate over which hangs a bell. As we passed by, a girl with huge angelic eyes met us behind her. A large beautiful dog (collie) was sitting next to her.

Looking at us and learning that we had neither sneakers nor jeans, she said: “How I feel sorry for you!..” But we did not give this any importance and walked on cheerfully.

The climb started well. All the sides of the road were strewn with blackberries, so large, tasty and sweet that we pounced on them with great pleasure, while slowly moving on.

Looking up and down at the tops of the mountains, we did not see the temple and began to joke that, apparently, we needed to go to the highest peak... Well, as often happens, this joke turned out to be true. But for now, suspecting nothing, nine people (our entire company) were moving along a wide mountain path, eating blackberries!

The path went up and gradually began to narrow. On it, stones and trees were marked with bright red and white dots - symbols of the path for independent ascent.

Our large team was divided. Ilya and two others went forward. The six of us stuck together. It became more and more difficult to walk. The deciduous thickets began to thin out. The rocky slopes turned into steeper cliffs. Screes of stones began to come across more and more often underfoot.

It was later, when we arrived home and read on the Internet, we learned that you need to climb Rumia in full equipment, including special poles, leather gloves and high closed boots (since there are poisonous snakes and many poisonous plants grow here). And the stones in Montenegro are mainly of the shell rock type. Their entire surface is covered with small scars and each of them is sharp as a blade. That’s why they don’t even do mountaineering here—the ropes rub against the rocks. And, of course, in hats and with a good supply of water and food.

Two of our group decided to stay. The climb became steeper and there were no more trees. The sun was hot... The monastery below became smaller and smaller and tried to turn into a point. We walked slowly from mark to mark, the oxygen became less, the stops became longer and longer.

The strength was quickly drained, and there was almost no water left. We looked up, hoping to see the temple at the top and hoping that the goal was already close. And then a group of tourists with a funny white dog came down to meet us.

They looked at us with surprise, asked if we had water, and gave us (oh, happiness!..) a whole one and a half liter bottle of water. Thank them very much!!! From them we learned that we had gone less than half the way.

The water was distributed equally to everyone. The sun was getting hotter and hotter. I took a handkerchief, tied knots around the edges, wet it with water and placed it on the top of my head. It turned out to be a small, but Panama hat. She saved me from sunstroke (and not only me...).

Two more decided not to go further. Diana and I were left alone and continued to climb. The path became steeper. Small stones rolled underfoot. As soon as you straightened up, it began to pull you down with terrible force... (they tried to lean towards the mountain). Finally we reached the saddle of the mountain. It was clear that there had once been a small lake here. It could be read from the clearly visible lush green grass in the center of the saddle. Unfortunately, the lake has dried up.

The slope along which we climbed faced the Adriatic and the city of Bar, located far below. And on the other side there was a magnificent view of the Scandinavian lake, beyond which was distant Albania. Islands rose out of the lake like icebergs.

Because of the haze of clouds, above which we had already risen, the sky merged with the blue waters of the lake and it seemed that the islands were floating in weightlessness. The clouds enveloped us in coolness. And finally, at the top of the mountain we saw a temple.

We had to overcome an almost vertical climb to the crown of the mountain. Ilya was already coming down to meet us. Diana and I took a stone each and slowly “crawled” from mark to mark and finally climbed to the top!

It was the same high peak that we saw from below. 360 degree view! The clouds turned out to be somewhat lower and, to our great regret, obscured these beautiful views.

Read the continuation of the story

Participants in the Russian Balkans motorcycle pilgrimage visited the monastery of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Montenegro.

On October 20, on the feast of the holy martyrs Sergius and Bacchus - the name day and the day of tonsure of St. Sergius of Radonezh, the motorized pilgrims reached Montenegrin Rumia. This was the final day of the Russian Balkans motorcycle rally. Along a multi-kilometer mountain serpentine, passing either along steep cliffs or through a thicket of forests, a small “caravan” literally climbed up Rumia to the small monastery of St. Sergius, abbot of Radonezh.

Muslims called Byzantium Rumiya (from Arabic - “Christian”), and this mountain has long been a symbol of Orthodoxy, a symbol of the greatness of Orthodox statehood. It is at the foot of this mountain, in a quiet secluded place - in a mountain gorge between the Adriatic Sea and Lake Skadar, that the convent of St. Sergius of Radonezh is located, a blessed monastery - a small picturesque temple with a belfry and several residential buildings.

"Night Wolves" together with Hieromonk Gury, a resident of the Holy Trinity Lavra of Sergius, presented the icon of St. Sergius as a gift from the Lavra brethren to Abbess Theodora and her sisters. The icon of the Hegumen of the Russian Land was placed in the middle of the monastery church along with the main shrine of the monastery - a reliquary with a particle of the relics of the Reverend. The motorized pilgrims, together with the sisters of the monastery, sang a solemn prayer service with an akathist, which was performed for the first time in Rumia by a monk of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.

The hospitable sisters greeted the pilgrims from Russia with the ringing of bells. According to the abbess, before the arrival of the “Night Wolves” on Rumia, real wolves howled all night, which usually do not come close to the monastery: “We welcomed the motorized pilgrims,” says Mother Theodora, smiling, “you are the first swallow from the Sergius Lavra!”

This monastery was founded on June 19, 2009 with the blessing of Metropolitan Amfilohije of the Montenegrin-Litoval Serbian Orthodox Church on the site of the ancient church. It was from this moment that the revival of monasticism began in these holy places. Today, the reconstruction of the Sergius Church and monastery buildings continues. Nearby, in a picturesque gorge, a healing spring gushes from the mountain. Montenegrin “Night Wolves” Alexey and Sergey have been studying the history of the monastery for some time and are working on the revival of its shrines - they are clearing the stream with their own hands and equipping a stone font at the source. Still, the main temple is the small Church of the Holy Trinity, built at the very top of the mountain, where the sisters go up for festive services.

Recently, several bells were delivered to the monastery from Russia - this is a small set of small bells cast in Tutaev, Yaroslavl province, by master Nikolai Shuvalov. It was this master who made the bells for the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, which were presented by the “Night Wolves” for the anniversary of the Venerable this summer!

The monastery on Rumia contains particles of the relics of many great saints: St. Demetrius of Rostov, St. Luke of Crimea, St. Gury of Tauride, St. Elders of Optina, St. Peter of Korishsky, St. Zosima of Sinaite, St. Sophia of Suzdal, Venerable Martyr Elizabeth Feodorovna and Blessed Paraskeva of Diveyevo, as well as part of the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh and part of the cover from his shrine from the Trinity Cathedral of the Lavra.

Abbess Theodora (Subbotina) of the monastery originally from the Urals, he has been asceticizing in the monasteries of Montenegro for more than 10 years, having begun his monastic path in the Monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God - Duga. Together with the nuns Sergius, Maria and several other sisters, they perform their feat of prayer in the little-known monastery of St. Sergius of Radonezh - Hegumen of the Russian Land in the land of Montenegro. With love and reverence they conveyed their humble bow to the Great Lavra in distant Sergiev Posad:

Mother Superior, what should I convey to the Lavra brethren? Are you in any need?

Yes, I would like to convey our regards to the Lavra,” mother hands me a small piece of paper with several names, “remember us!”