About ten kilometers from Kragujevac, on the left bank of the Dračka River, lies the Drača Monastery with the Church of St. Nicholas. According to the founder's inscription above the entrance doors in the nave, the church was built by the Kragujevac oberkapetan (captain), Staniša Marković Mlaštishuma, in 1734-1735, and was painted the following year. However, other sources suggest that the monastery was established much earlier, with only renovations taking place in the early 18th century. The monastery is also associated with the Athonite monk Jovan, who allegedly passed away at Drača on his return from Hilandar to the Prekopreča Monastery. He was buried at the spot where the church was later built. Additionally, the priest Josif from Rakovica and the abbot Leontije are mentioned as having lived in the monastery before Saviša Mlaštishuma. This is supported by various layers of frescoes from different periods and the remains of an older building's foundations discovered during archaeological excavations in the church in 2007.

The Drača Monastery was a major cultural center in this part of Serbia during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. During the time of Koča's frontier, the monastery buildings were largely damaged by the Turks. In the early decades of the 19th century, Toma Vučić Perišić restored it. At that time, a two-story bell tower was added to the west, and a galvanized roof was installed. Two monastic quarters were built next to the monastery, which house the monastery's library and archive.