"And when he saw the building of the temple of the Most Holy [Mother of God in Studenica], this holy lord of mine, believe me, O gentlemen and brothers, that I saw his mind rise in height like a eagle flying to the sky, held on the ground tied with iron ropes, so he tore himself and ascended to the heights to reach that immortal and holy wellspring and to see the shade of the divine city of the Most High Jerusalem, of which, indeed, he became a citizen."

"Studenica was built to connect Heaven and Earth, to be a Ladder that raises people from Earth to Heaven, to glorify the Triune God in the beauty of the Most High Jerusalem, in the Kingdom of Heaven".

"This, our holy monastery, as is known, was a wasteland, a wild hunting ground. Yet, upon arriving to hunt, our master and consolidator, Stefan Nemanja, who ruled the entire Serbian lands, whilst hunting here, decided to build, on this wasteland, this monastery, for peace and for the multiplication of the monastic order."