I visited this WHS in 2022 visiting en route the uninscribed Zica monastery. The latter monastery is red no more, at least at the time of visit, but it still looks good without paint both outside and inside. Likewise, Studenica Monastery's red painted dome had its paint removed, but this seemed quite temporary as I noticed a number of buckets of red paint on the side.

The Studenica Monastery was built between 1186 and 1196 in a once desolate region, on the fertile slopes of the Radocelo mountain. Its founder, Grand Prince Stefan Nemanja, could be compared to Noah from the Old Testament, because with Studenica Nemanja created also the ship of salvation by which he brought his people to the Lord, as glorified in the hymns of praise echoing inside the monastery. Stefan Nemanja abdicated in 1196, took the monastic vows and a new name, Simeon. He is represented really well on the south wall of the church, as a monk with the Studenica church in his hand, a recurring theme I had also noted at the Zica Monastery and at the Gracanica Monastery in Kosovo. The crown on Stefan Nemanja's head reminds believers that he left the earthly treasures of fame, power and wealth, for the skae of a modest monastic life and in that way he became an unrivaled model for his descendants.

Stefan Nemanja built the gorgeous church of Studenica remembering his former imprisonment in Constantinople, and dedicated it to the Virgin Benefactress. Excellent builders and stonecutters for the Grand Prince created an extremely harmonious church of perfect proportions with a striking appearance with white marble. This can especially be appreciated on the rear side of the bigger church. Within the fortified walls with half-timbered towers, there are actually three churches, the main bigger church dedicated to the Virgin, the smaller King's church and the much smaller Church of St. Nicholas. Studenica Monastery is one of the largest and richest Serb Orthodox monasteries and apart from its striking exterior appearance, its highlight are undoubtedly its collection of 13th and 14th century Byzantine style frescoes. Photography isn't allowed inside the church but I seem to have timed my visit with the monks' lunch time, so I was free to visit completely on my own.

In the southwest part of the main church Stefan Nemanja prepared a tomb for himself and surmounted it with a white marble sarcophagus. Since he died in Chilandar Monastery in 1199, his relics were only interred in Studenica in 1207. The first hegumen of Studenica, Dionisije, died on 1st June in an unknown year, and was buried next to the church near the place where Simeon Nemanja is buried inside the church. His grace is marked with an inscription on the south wall of the church. Having parked near the western entrance tower to be far enough from any possible sign prohibiting the use of my drone, I could really appreciate the monastery's fortified walls with an axial east-west axis layout which is really accentuated when viewed from above. Inside there is the newer residence and the great old residence which are stictly out of bounds apart from a small gift shop. There is no UNESCO WHS inscription plaque but only a mere location map with the UNESCO symbol on it.

After a closer look to the white marble, I was really impressed by the frieze of blind arcades under the eaves of the bigger Church of the Virgin, sculpturally embellished with various carved floral and zoomorphic motifs, the most striking being those of human heads and heads of fantastic creatures. Also worth a closer look are the lavish Romanesque portals, especially those on the western facade, the three-light window in the centre of the main apse, and the rich decoration on the doorposts of the southern portal. On the lintel of the western portal, I really liked the double twisted tendrils with two carved birds, one with its wings spread, probably an eagle, and a bird of paradise with a human head and a Phrygian cap, symbolising Stefan Nemanja and Sirin or Alkonost respectively. Another lovely carving in the center of the tympanum is that of a dragon devouring a human figure turned upside down.

Serbia has quite a lot of inscribed and non-inscribed monasteries on the WH list but this probably is the best Serbia has to offer with beautiful highlights both on its exterior as well as inside with its great collection of frescoes.