On the out­skirts of Stari Ras, the first cap­i­tal of Ser­bia, there is an impres­sive group of medieval mon­u­ments con­sist­ing of fortress­es, church­es and monas­ter­ies. The monastery at Sopocani is a reminder of the con­tacts between West­ern civ­i­liza­tion and the Byzan­tine world.