The Gomionica Monastery with a church dedicated to the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located 42 km west of Banja Luka, along the upper stream of the eponymous small river, actually its right tributary, the Matavaz creek.
There are several tales about the creation of the monastery, the most realistic being the one that emerged from the pen of the people’s tribune Petar Kočić, according to which this shrine was created in the first half of the 16th century and was founded by the prince Obrad.
The fast and clear mountain waters and woody slopes of Pilipović brdo, Kozijerac and Kika, ornated by pastures, give the secluded environment of Gomionica the vivid and lush beauty of untouched nature.
The picturesque ambiance is complemented by old wooden watermills, whose wheels are still turning, and the monastery, because of its location, is considered to be one of the largest shrines on Zmijanje.
The monastery can be reached by a road leading from Banjaluka to the Bronzani Majdan, from which there is another 12 km of narrow asphalt road which leads to the village of Kmećani whose households are scattered around the monastery.
Monastic life, dedicated to prayer and spiritual endeavors, has always sought for itself a dwelling place in the solitude of pure life and nature, far from noisy roads.
The monastery, while performing its spiritual mission in the Serbian Orthodox People during the centuries of slavery, was repeatedly burned, plundered and desecrated. It has been renewed over and over again, under extremely difficult circumstances, and restored to its original purpose, Republika Srpska Times reports.
