Pećina Petrus


Useful Information

Location: Near Zabrega. A1 exit Ćuprija, 160 to Senje, turn right 273 to Popovac. A1 exit Paraćin, 36 to Davidovac, turn left 273 to Popovac. At the cement plant north to Манастир Свети Јован Главосек (Saint John the Glavosek Monastery), 15 min by foot.
(43.9218906, 21.5302518)
Open: no restrictions.
[2024]
Fee: free.
[2024]
Classification: SpeleologyKarst cave
Light: bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours: self guided
Photography: allowed
Accessibility: no
Bibliography:
Address: Pećina Petrus.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
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History


Description

Пећина Петрус or Pećina Petrus (Petrus Cave) which is sometimes also called Pecina kod Petrusa (Cave near Petrus) is located on the hillside below the old city of Petrus. It was named after this city, of which today only a few walls are left. In the 14th century Petrus was the center of the border (Krajija) region of the Serbian state and controlled the connection between Pomerania and the Timok valley. It lords were Prefect Vukoslav and his son Crep. After the lost Battle of Kosovo the fortified cities were occupied and destroyed by the Ottomans. This happened to Petrusa in 1413.

The cave has a huge entrance portal with a great view. It is at the moment freely accessible. According to a report in The British Caver in 1987 the cave was planned to be opened as a show cave. Actually, this never happened, because of the war which broke out two years later. The trail starts at the Манастир Свети Јован Главосек (Saint John the Glavosek Monastery) and is well maintained. The last section is a little steep, good walking shoes are mandatory.

In naher Beziehung zum Petrusakloster steht nach dem Volksglauben eine hoch am Nordabfalle des Cokoce sichtbare Grotte, in der die Mönche die grossen Fasten verlebten. Drei unter ihr an der Crnica liegende riesige Felsstücke trug die hier wieder auftretende, oft genannte Fürstin Jerina in ihrer Schürze auf das Bergplateau, in den weiten Hofraum ihres einstigen Schlosses.
According to popular belief, a grotto high up on the northern slope of the Cokoce, where the monks spent the great fasts, is closely related to St Peter's Monastery. Three huge pieces of rock lying beneath it on the Crnica River were carried in her apron to the mountain plateau, to the wide courtyard of her former castle, by the princess Jerina, who is often mentioned here.
Felix Philipp Kanitz, Bogoljub Jovanovic (1909): Das Königreich Serbien und das Serbenvolk