Lovćen

- 3194

Njegoš’s Mausoleum is situated on the very top of Jezerski Peak of the Lovcen Massif, 1675 m above sea level. Its foundations were built into six-metre deep mountain rock.

A path from Cetinje, about 20 km long, leads to this magnificent monument. In order to reach the mausoleum one still needs to climb up 461 steps. The chapel is the most impressive part of the mausoleum. It is a roofed facility with six sides and one central niche, built with the finest Boka and Brac marble. At a height of 9 metres, the ceiling is covered with fascinating mosaic with over 200,000 gilded tiles.

A grandiose sculpture of Njegoš, the work of the famous sculptor Ivan Meštrović is dominant in front the central niche where there also is the sarcophagus bearing his remains. The sarcophagus is reminiscent of traditional Montenegrin graves, with the national coat of arms and the cross engraved in the stone, as the symbol of Njegoš’s state and spiritual roles.