It was built in 1260 by King Uroš I Nemanjić as a church which would serve as his burial place, and was extended and renovated in the mid-14th century by his great-grandson Dušan.

Of the former larger monastery complex, which comprised numerous structures (dining rooms, residential buildings and others), today only the Church of the Holy Trinity remains.

In Sopoćani a decorative plan was carried out which was formed throughout the thirteenth century - in the chancel there are liturgical scenes, in the nave Christ's salvation work is shown through a cycle of the Great Feasts, in the narthex the Old Testament, dogmatic and eschatological themes are presented.

The brotherhood escaped with some important relics to Kosovo - but did not return to Sopoćani; it remained deserted for over two hundred years, until the 20th century.

The church slowly decayed: its vaults caved in, its dome fell down, and the remains of the surrounding buildings were covered with rubble and earth.

[4] The period following iconoclasm brought upon a resurgence in these art styles moving forward into the 13th century, at the time of the construction of the monastery.

Notably, the color and clarity of the paintings were restored, but much of the gold-leaf outlines remain difficult to discern in the frescoes of the church.

[4] Some of the more prominent frescoes in the church had gold-sheet tesserae applied in their outlines, a decision that was made by Stefan Uroš I to provide a greater sense of visual grandeur.

[11] The icons in Sopoćani largely represent a matriarchal ideology, depicting the life and death of the Virgin Mary, among others.

[9] The portraits of these icons incorporated techniques and symbolism from Byzantine, and earlier Roman style, which emphasizes the positioning of the head, as well as male and female qualities of the hands.

[13] Sopoćani, two episodes of the documentary series "Witnesses of Times" produced by the broadcasting service RTB in 1999-2000 was created by Petar Savkovića, directed by Stevan Stanić and Radoslav Moskovlović, music was composed by Zoran Hristić.