Sava’s spring in Odmenje is known since ancient times. The first written document about it is back in the 12th century in the writings of Studenica Monastery where it says that in the first Serbian hospital founded in 1208 in the monastery the water from the spring was used for healing wounds and preparing balms for the treatment of various diseases.
Centuries later people are still going in the mountains to the spring of healing water which is popularly known as Sava’s spring. The legend says that as Saint Sava was passing through these lands, he stopped to rest and when he touched the stone the water started flowing out of it.
Odmenje is a village in the southwestern part of the municipality of Kraljevo, 6 km from Usce on the river Ibar. It lies on the slopes of Čemerno mountain, at about 900m above sea level. In the past there were a lot of people in the village, but many of them moved out in the 60s and 70s of the 20th century.
A legend says that once upon a time the village was called Drlupa, and that it got the name Odmenje in the age of Nemanjići. Odmenje is certainly an ancient settlement, proof of that are the tombstones in the village cemetery and the remains of the so-called Greek Church. Nevertheless, it can’t be precisely determined how old is the village.
In the past few years, the village has become known for the healing water, which was recently bottled and named “Odmenjska”. The springs of this water are not far from the village, in a place called Mocila, at about 700m above sea level. The locals used to dip hemp (hence the name) which was later used for weaving, and they began using the healing water when one man from Odmenje left his sick horse besides the spring and later the horse returned in the barn completely healthy. Legend says that the source was consecrated by Saint Sava.
The water is rich with minerals, and it’s used for diseases of the gastro-vascular system (stomach ulcers, heartburn …), secretion system (E. coli and general bacteria in the urine), for skin wounds and many other diseases. Due to its low level of sodium it can be consumed by people who are not allowed to take salt and persons with high blood pressure.
Except for therapeutic and preventive purposes, the water from Sava’s spring is used as an excellent drinking water because it is very refreshing and helps in restoring body vitality.
Translation to English : Biljana Vidoevska