Hercegovačka Gračanica, Trebinje

Hercegovačka Gračanica, the church on Crkvina hill with the grave of poet Jovan Dučić and the finest view over the town.

Herzegovinian Gračanica is the most visited religious site in eastern Herzegovina. It was built to fulfil the will of poet and diplomat Jovan Dučić, who wished to rest on one of the hills around Trebinje in a church resembling Gračanica in Kosovo, King Milutin's endowment of 1321.

The foundation stone was consecrated on the feast of the Annunciation in 1999, the anniversary of Dučić's death, and the complex was completed the following year, when the poet's remains were moved here. The church is one storey smaller than the Kosovo original and was painted in the secco technique; the iconostasis copies the one at Hilandar and was made at Tvrdoš Monastery. At the base of one of its 16 pillars lies a stone brought from Gračanica in Kosovo.

The floor is a mosaic modelled on the Holy Archangels monastery near Prizren: a dragon at the entrance means everyone who comes in symbolically treads on evil. The poet's grave lies to the right of the church, with the plain inscription "Jovan Dučić – poet". The complex also has a bell tower, the bishop's residence, an amphitheatre and a summer restaurant overlooking the town.

Getting there

Crkvina hill rises right above the town, about 1.5 km from the centre.

You can drive up (there is parking by the church) or walk up the gentle climb.

• Come shortly before sunset
• Bring a camera for the view over the town
• Dress modestly for the church