the monastery wasn't damaged during world war i. after the partial agrarian reform in the kingdom of yugoslavia, the estate of kovilj was reduced, and in 1933 it became a female monastery. the hungarian occupational forces looted the monastery in 1941, during world war ii, and some artifacts are today still being exhibited in several museums in budapest. they also expelled the nuns, which moved to the fenek monastery, but when ustaše forced them out from fenek, too, they settled in the monastery of saint petka, near paraćin, in central serbia. after the war ended, the new communist authorities confiscated almost the entire monastic estate.