Church of St. Petka in Staničenje

The Church of St. Petka in Staničenje is the oldest church in Staničenje, Serbia. In the Middle Ages it was known as the Church of St. Nikola, a Bulgarian monument dating from the beginning of the rule of Tsar Ivan Alexander in the 1330s. The church is located near Pirot, about 10 kilometers west at the foot of Belava Mountain. It was built on an elevated plateau above the river coast of Nišava, near Staničenje village and the confluence of Temštica, near the main road from Sofia to Niš. A fresco notes that the church was built in 1331-1332. In 1967, the church was declared a Cultural Monument of Exceptional Importance in Serbia.