Cetinje Monastery guide: the relic of St John the Baptist, a fragment of the True Cross, dress code and what else to see in Montenegro's old royal capital.
Cetinje Monastery, founded in 1484 and rebuilt in 1701, was the seat of the Montenegrin prince-bishops and effectively the country's seat of government for centuries.
It holds two of the most venerated relics in Orthodox Christianity: the right hand of St John the Baptist and a fragment of the True Cross.
Cetinje was Montenegro's capital from 1482 until 1918. The 19th-century embassy buildings of Russia, Britain, France and Italy still line the main street, most now museums or faculties. King Nikola's Palace and Njegoš's Biljarda residence are both open to visitors.
The relics are shown by a monk in a side chapel; queues form on weekends and feast days. Photography inside is not allowed, and shoulders and knees must be covered.
Cetinje pairs naturally with Lovćen — they are twenty minutes apart and almost every day tour from the coast covers both, with a prosciutto stop in Njeguši on the way.
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The right hand of St John the Baptist and a fragment believed to be from the True Cross, along with the remains of St Peter of Cetinje.
Easily — they are twenty minutes apart. A standard day tour from Kotor covers the serpentine road, Njeguši, the Njegoš Mausoleum and Cetinje.
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