
Underneath the fortress, there is a cave monastery with a church which preserves the remains of 13th century frescoes and 16th and 18th century records. It is believed that the famous Vukan’s Gospel, an illustrated manuscript and one of the oldest monuments of Serbian documentation science, was written here.
The remains of settlements dated to two different periods have been found not far from Stari Ras, in Pazarište. The older remains, dated to the 14th century, were mainly log houses, while the newer remains have been traced to the 17th century when many stone structures were built in the settlement under the Ottoman rule. The remains of some of these structures can still be seen on site. The remains of a church, a necropolis and other structures suggest that the area of Pazarište was already an important spiritual centre in the 12th century.
Stari Ras fortress, together with the medieval monasteries of Sopoćani and Đurđevi stupovi and Saint Peter’s church, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a monument under the joint name of Stari Ras with Sopoćani.