The Monastery of the Pure Krajina in Ostros, one of the cultural and historical symbols not only of Bar but of Montenegro, has now been digitized, so its 3D model, along with history and all important information, is available online.
It is a step forward towards the tourism valorization of the monastery, but we need to work on its preservation.
This is the result and conclusion of the project "Tourist valorization and digitization of the monastery of Prečista Krajina" which was carried out by the non-governmental organization (NGO) "Montemisija" and financed by the Tourist Organization of Bar (TO Bar).
The funds were allocated through a public call for participation in the allocation of funds for the implementation of the cultural heritage valorization project, related to archaeological research, conservation and restoration works, reconstruction and promotion of cultural assets in the territory of the municipality of Bar for the year 2024.
Magdalena Radunović, conservation advisor of the NGO "Montemisija", said at the presentation of this project that the Prečista Krajina monastery is a pearl of the cultural heritage not only of Bar, but of the whole of Montenegro and beyond because it is protected and declared a national cultural asset.
Although it is one of the symbols of the city of Bar and Montenegrin history, Radunović said, it is in a very bad condition.
"The situation on the ground is very bad. The monastery is in a very bad condition, which is unacceptable. The old conservation has given way, the restoration has only reached the fifth floor, which reminds us, the iron reinforcement is sticking out of the tower, which is simply unimaginable for modern society and shows our relationship according to the cultural assets that we would have to cherish," she said.
According to her, it should at least be preserved in the condition in which they found it so that they could leave it to the next generations. For her, it is unimaginable that such a pearl of cultural heritage is kept in that condition.
In the study they made as part of the project, they drew attention to it and gave guidelines on how to improve the situation. It also contains an educational part, along with a description of the history and potential ideas for restoration and preservation and tourist valorization, because they believe that this monastery is completely unused in terms of tourism.
Dr. Anastazija Miranović, an art historian who participated in the realization of the project, said that the importance of this monastery for the identity and culture of Montenegro is indisputable. She emphasized that they did not do enough to valorize it in the right way.
"The wonderful and, unfortunately, tragic legend of Vladimir and Kosara is associated with him. So, we have an intangible cultural asset in conjunction with a material cultural asset. It is unacceptable that he is in the state he is in today," she assessed.
She made a parallel with Shakespeare's love story about Romeo and Juliet, which had a great impact on tourism and culture in Verona, which could have been done in Bar with the legend of Vladimir and Kosara, but, unfortunately, it was not.
"It is precisely projects like these that, for the benefit of the valorization of cultural resources in the territory of the municipality of Bar, are supported by TO Bar, which are extremely important, even in this way, to point out their value and how much it could be adequately valorized and contribute to the development of collective awareness of its importance, as well as its timely protection. I think that we should really, collectively, turn to this valuable heritage of ours and make efforts to protect it and valorize it in the right way," said Miranović.
Bojan Boljević, civil engineer "Paten Studio", who worked on the digitization of this project, told and explained how the online model of the Prečista Krajinska monastery was created and added that their work was made difficult by the fact that some parts of the monastery were neglected or inaccessible.
Those who visit this monastery now will find a QR code that they will be able to scan and access this 3D model and see the monastery from different angles and perspectives and get information about its history and significance.
Boljević emphasized that this way of promotion and tourism valorization of cultural and historical assets is already an established practice everywhere in the world, and that he thinks that in the near future it would be possible to profit from it by charging for access to such contents.
The presentation of the project was attended by officials of the Municipality of Bar, the Assembly of the Municipality of Bar and the Tourist Organization.
Bonus video:
