The Cetinje Monastery is the spiritual and historical heart of Montenegro, founded in 1484 by Ivan Crnojevič and rebuilt several times after successive Ottoman destructions. The current building dates primarily from 1786. The monastery contains a remarkable treasury — beyond the disputed relic of St John the Baptist, it holds the hand of St Thomas, a piece of the True Cross, medieval manuscripts, and centuries of ecclesiastical gold and silver.
The Treasury is open to visitors on a limited schedule; check at the monastery gate. The church itself is open most mornings. The crenellated walls, courtyard, and the fig trees growing inside the compound give the monastery an atmosphere of austere permanence. The entire complex is in the centre of Cetinje, a short walk from the National Museum.