The birth of Serbia is tied to a royal family with religious inclinations, therefore some monasteries in the country are crucial not only from spiritual, but also from historic standpoint. The founder of Serbian dynasty was Stefan Nemanja, a warrior and ruler who abdicated to become a monk together with his wife (in different convents). Nemanja founded Studenica Monastery in the 12 century and used it for a while.
The second generation of his dynasty chose as a central religious point Zica Monastery, built in the beginning of the next century and found not far away. Two of the sons of Stefan Nemanja became of great importance for Serbia and used this place. The one who would later be known as St Sava became the first archbishop of Serbia and a patron saint of the country. It was him who crowned his brother, Stefan Nemanic (Stefan II) as the first king of Serbia right in the church of Zica, which he had founded. Starting then, all kings of Serbia had to be crowned at Zica to be recognized as legitimate.
Like Studenica, the church of Zica is rather of modest dimensions, far from what one would expect from a royal cathedral. However, it is very balanced and harmonious, tributary to the Greek architectural style. Like most Orthodox traditional churches it is a perpetuation of Byzantine art – the frescoes and mosaics of Zica especially preserve this teaching.