Arilje

Arilje Ариље
Town and municipality
Main street in Arilje
Coat of arms
Location of the municipality of Arilje within Serbia
Coordinates: 43°45′N 20°06′E / 43.750°N 20.100°E / 43.750; 20.100Coordinates: 43°45′N 20°06′E / 43.750°N 20.100°E / 43.750; 20.100
Country	Serbia
Region	Šumadija and Western Serbia
District	Zlatibor
Town status	1880
Founded by	Milan Obrenović IV
Settlements	22
Government
• Mayor	Zoran Todorovic (SNS)
Area
• Municipality	349 km2 (135 sq mi)
Elevation	350 m (1,150 ft)
Highest elevation	1,328 m (4,357 ft)
Population (2011 census)
• Town	6,763
• Municipality	18,792
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	31230
Area code	+381(0)31
Car plates	UE
Website	www.arilje.org.rs

Arilje (Serbian Cyrillic: Ариље, pronounced [ǎriːʎɛ]) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of the western Serbia. The population of the town is 6,763, while the municipality has 18,792 inhabitants. The town's coordinates are 43.75°N and 20.10°E. It is famous for having large raspberry plantations in which many locals are employed.

The municipality of Arilje is located in western Serbia in the river basins of the clear mountain rivers of the Rzav and Moravica. The municipality area is 349 km2. This is a hilly-mountainous area at an altitude of 330 to 1382 meters. It is inhabited by 19,784 people (according to the 2002 census), grouped in 22 communities. The town itself numbers 7,000 inhabitants.

The municipality seat is situated at the confluence of the Rzav and Moravica rivers in a region described by many as a heavenly earth. There is numerous material evidence of continuous life in this region, from the prehistoric to contemporary time. There are many interesting facts associated to this place as well. The residents of Thessaly found refuge here in the 11th century, and with great trust they laid the relics of their St. Achileus into the existing temple. The town was named after this saint, and his cult is celebrated to this day as a people’s holiday and patron saint of Arilje.

In 1219 Sava Nemanjić proclaimed the Arilje monastery the seat of the Moravica episcopate that covered the territory of Arilje, Užice, Valjevo and Čačak. The first Serbian Orthodox Archbishop and later Metropolitan held court here. In 1296 king Dragutin Nemanjić erected his own memorial, a beautiful church, also called St. Achileus, and for over seven centuries it has been the symbol and pride of Arilje, as well as the center of spiritual gathering for the people of this region.