Kom Monastery

Kom Monastery tickets: which one to buy

Kom Monastery stands on a small island in Lake Skadar, the largest lake in the Balkans, on the Montenegrin side, near the village of Žabljak Crnojevića, and it is reached only by boat. Entry to the monastery is free, with donations welcome. Boat trips on Lake Skadar leave from Virpazar and Rijeka Crnojevića and often include a stop at Kom, along with bird watching, swimming and views of the lake's islands and villages;

the lake is a national park and one of the most important bird habitats in Europe, with pelicans and herons. Tours from Budva, Kotor and Podgorica combine a boat trip with wine tasting in the vineyards around the lake. The monastery is active, with a small community of nuns, and visitors should dress modestly. Boats may land only at certain times, so check with the operator before booking. Boat operators in Virpazar offer private and shared trips, and prices are usually per boat rather than per person.

Visiting Kom Monastery: what to see

The monastery was built in the fifteenth century, between 1415 and 1427, by the Crnojević family, the rulers of Zeta, the medieval Montenegrin state, and it served as their burial church. During the Ottoman period, the monastery was damaged and abandoned several times, and it was restored in the twentieth century. The church, dedicated to the Dormition of the Virgin, is small and built of stone, with a single nave and a dome, and its interior is decorated with frescoes from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, including portraits of the founders. The iconostasis holds old icons. The island is covered with pomegranate trees, fig trees and Mediterranean shrubs, and the monastery's wall encloses the church and a few monastic buildings.

From the island, visitors can see the mountains that surround the lake and the small fishing villages on its shore. The frescoes in the church include a rare depiction of the founders' family presenting the church to the Virgin. The monastery's small bell tower rises beside the entrance. The island's stone paths are lined with wild herbs, and pomegranates ripen in late summer. The nuns tend a small garden and keep bees. The monastery was damaged during the wars of the nineteenth century and again in the Second World War. From the island's landing, visitors can see the ruins of the Crnojević fortress of Žabljak on the opposite shore. The lake around the island is shallow and covered with water plants.

Kom Monastery opening hours and the best time to go

Boat trips run mainly from April to October, with the most frequent departures in summer. Summer is hot around the lake, and morning or late afternoon trips are the most comfortable. Spring and autumn are the best seasons for bird watching, when migratory birds visit the lake. The water lilies bloom in early summer. Winter is quiet, and boat trips may not operate. Allow about half an hour at the monastery, and several hours for a boat trip on the lake, combined with lunch of carp or eel in Virpazar. Virpazar, the main village on the lake, has wine cellars offering tastings of the local Vranac red wine.