Churches and Monastries in the Republic of North Macedonia

Since the beginning of the Christian era a large number of churches and monasteries have been erected on the soil of what is now the Republic of Macedonia. Not very much has remained of the edifices built in the beginning of Christianity as outlined in Chapter VI, until about the tenth century, except for some foundations, ruins and mosaics. Churches and/or monasteries still existing can be dated from the tenth century, but most of them were constructed in the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries.^[1]

The churches and monasteries in the review below have been listed chronologically as much as possible. I have tried to include the churches found in various literature sources, but the following review is not intended to be a complete survey of those churches and monasteries built on the Republic’s soil. Moreover, buildings erected after 1453, the fall of Constantinople, have not been taken into consideration. It is generally accepted that after that date the inspirational power of the Byzantine Empire vanished.

The exact date of the construction of a church is not always known. Sometimes a founder’s inscription with a date has been left somewhere in the church, but in many cases the date can be estimated only from the style of painting. A given date does not automatically prove that the decorations on the walls are the original ones. In fact many churches suffered from neglect, while others were damaged by invaders or earthquakes so that the paintings inside a church may be from a much later date. For the sake of completeness the name of the town, village or area in which an edifice can be found has also been mentioned.

Most of the churches were constructed in the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth centuries during the period that the Nemanjiden ruled the country or had great influence. The thirteenth century was one of the richest and most fertile periods for painting in Macedonia, especially for fresco and icon painting at the archiepiscopal centre in Ohrid.^[2]

A number of the churches mentioned are world famous for their wall paintings. In many handbooks about art, and about Byzantine art in particular, one or two pictures can be found of the most well-known ones. This is not an indication that other churches contain wall paintings of lesser quality, on the contrary. It is not my intention to describe extensively all the churches and monasteries mentioned in the review here. I have had to make a choice which is partly personal and partly based on the importance of the church itself. In the course of time, research has been done on a large number of churches, the results of which have been published in literature. However, the greater part of these publications are in the Serbian, Macedonian or Greek languages without any further translation and are rarely obtainable in western libraries. For these reasons they are not readily accessible to scholars and the public in general.

^x) Estimated date

¹⁾ Paintings of a later date

²⁾ Date mentioned for the first time, later additions were added to the church

³⁾ Estimated date of the paintings

⁴⁾ Can only be reached via the lake

⁵⁾ Renovated in 1855

⁶⁾ Rebuilt in seventeenth century

⁷⁾ Rebuilt in nineteenth century

⁸⁾ Used as a mosque, no frescoes

⁹⁾ Destroyed by Albanian terrorists in 2001-2002

¹⁰⁾ Almost all wall paintings have been destroyed or graffitied by Albanian terrorists in 2001

^*) except for errors and omissions

A short description will be given of each of the above-mentioned churches, stating origin, founders, location, some description of the wall paintings, and other available information. The more important and interesting churches will be discussed in detail in the following chapters.^[3]

The Monastery and Church of Sveti Naum, originally dedicated to the Archangel Michael, stands on a cliff above the south shore of Lake Ohrid near the source of the River Drim and close to the Albanian border (picture 1)^[4]. Later the population gave the church the name of its founder Naum. In spite of much literature about the buildings little is known about the saint. His name is derived from the Old Testament Prophet Nahum but it is not known whether he received this name at the time of his baptism or when he became a monk.^[5] After his mission to Moravia, together with Cyril and Methodius, and a short stay with them in Rome, he came to Bulgaria which had accepted Christianity about two decades earlier. He stayed there for about seven years in the then capital Pliska. He is said to have come to the Ohrid area in 893 and succeeded Clement, who had arrived earlier and was working in Kutmićevica, a district in south-west Macedonia and Albania. It is generally accepted that Naum was given the title “Teacher”, whereas Clement was bishop, implying he was subordinate to Clement. Naum died in 910 and was buried inside the church. His relics were later transferred to a monumental tomb in a special burial chapel, where the relics were kept and where people came to pay their respects.^[6]

The original church was probably built by Naum after his arrival in Ohrid. It was founded in about 900. It became one of the most important monasteries of Macedonia. Excavations have brought to light that the foundations of Naum’s original church are almost identical to those of the Church of Sveti Panteleimon which was built by Clement. Both churches have a triconchal form. The rebuilt church has the form of an inscribed cross in a rectangular space. In the course of centuries the church was ruined. During the Turkish period, the church was rebuilt on the old foundations. In 1711, the church was renovated and instead of a central arch, the present dome was built on a squared base. The new church was built partly of stone, partly of brick. From the outside it looks romantic. The open porch in front of the narthex with a covered wooden construction was built in 1925. Most of the wall paintings date from 1806; Here and there they show some western influences. There is a wall painting of the saint, where he is surrounded by six other saints, with the model of the church in his hands (picture 2). The church and monastery attract many visitors who believe that touching the stone of the saint’s sarcophagus makes a wish come true. The church contains a carved wooden iconostasis made in 1711.^[7]

The monastic buildings were burnt down in 1875, were rebuilt, but completely ruined in 1996. New buildings have been erected on the foundations of the old ones. They now contain an exclusive restaurant, which is not a part of the monastery. The monastery offers rooms for guests.

Five kilometres north of Strumica, the Vodoča Monastery dedicated to Sveti Leontius is located in a village of the same name.^[8] It was most probably built in the tenth century, but the complex was in a ruinous state for a long period. It has been restored; a complex of churches has been rebuilt in later centuries. One church is known as the Western Church. Among the surviving wall paintings of the eleventh century are portraits of two deacons, who are known under the names Euplos and Isaurius; the latter is the subject of one of the finest portraits of that period^[9]. The saint is dressed in a white sticharion and an orarion of the same colour; in his right hand he holds a small cross and in his other covered hand he holds a box. The style of painting is associated with those in the Sveti Sophia at Ohrid.

The Monastery Sveti Jovan Bigorski lies on the left side of the road from Gostivar to Debar on the slopes of the limestone rocks of the Mountain Medenica at an attitude of about 740 metres. This is in the beautiful valley of the River Radika, almost opposite the village of Rostuša.^[10] The church is dedicated to Jovan Preteča, John the Forerunner. It is one of the best preserved monasteries in Macedonia. The date of its foundation is not known but it is believed to have been at the beginning of the eleventh century, some years after the defeat of Samuil by the Byzantine Emperor Basil I and the abolition of the Patriarchate of Ohrid. There is no written evidence to support this and the monastery is first mentioned in reliable documents only from the beginning of the sixteenth century. It is recorded that a monk with the name Ilarion came here and found a small partly ruined church. All decorations and frescoes are from the nineteenth century or later. The church is well-known, as are a number of other churches on Macedonian soil, for its wooden carved iconostasis, made between 1830 and 40.^[11] Part of the residential buildings was destroyed by fire, but renovated in 1926-1927.

It is possible for guests to stay overnight at the monastery.

The wall paintings of Sveti Sophia at Ohrid belong to the world’s heritage. For a detailed description of the Sveti Sophia at Ohrid, see Chapter VIII

Three kilometres beyond the Vodoča Monastery lies the Veljusa Monastery with a church dedicated to the Bogorodica Eleusa, the Merciful. This church was restored in 1080 by order of Bishop Manoil of Constantinople,^[12] who was a monk at the Saint Auxentius Monastery. He took care of the wall paintings and had a new marble iconostasis constructed.^[13]

In the nineteenth century the church was extended. The original church had the form of an inscribed cross with a large central cupola. The narthex also had a smaller cupola. On the south side a small chapel has been added to the church, which is dedicated to the Holy Saviour, Sveti Spas. In the church, part of the eleventh century wall paintings has been preserved. Below the Virgin in the apse, a number of church fathers have been depicted, for example Basil the Great and Ioannes Chrysostomos, are shown bowing down before the throne of the Hetomasia. At either side of them are Athanasius and Gregory the Great. In the dome of the naos some prophets have survived. On the northern wall the Anastasis has been preserved. The bema is closed off by a marble iconostasis.

The wall paintings in the small chapel of Sveti Spas have been relatively best preserved. In the dome Christ Pantocrator is depicted, and on the apse Christ sits on a rainbow inside a medallion held by two angels. There are also portraits of a number of saints including Panteleimon holding a scalpel and a medicine box. The style of painting in this period seems to reflect a search for new possibilities in fresco painting and a new way of representing the figure.^[14]

For a more detailed description of the Sveti Panteleimon at Nerezi, click here, and for Sveti Djordje at Kurbinovo, see here.

The Monastery Church of Archangel Michael – crkvata Sveti Arhangel Mihailo - is situated on the south west slopes of Markove Kule in the vicinity of Prilep. It stands at a height of about 760 metres alongside two large monastic residences. It can be reached along a small road which once was made of asphalt. The monastery complex acquired its present appearance as a result of major alterations which were completed in 1861.

The Church of the Archangel Michael was built on the site of an earlier church, the old walls of which reveal parts of the original wall paintings, most probably from the twelfth century. The old church was destroyed when a large rock fell from the mountain directly onto its roof. It is possible to go inside and look around the old church under the present concrete floor of the church above. The west part of the church was built and decorated in the late thirteenth century. On the west wall of the church is a portrait of the founder, who according to an inscription was a high-ranking Byzantine official, named Jovan. He has been depicted holding a model of the church in his hands. On the outer wall of the church are portraits of Prince Marko and his father Vukasin, painted some time after the latter’s death during the battle of Maritsa in 1371. The monastery is now a convent.

The little village Varoš, close to Prilep, contains a number of remarkable monuments. One of these is the Church Sveti Demetrius located on the east side of what was once a town square, the form of which can still be distinguished. The church, which has an interesting exterior, incorporates different parts built successively from the beginning of the twelfth, to the end of the fourteenth century. The original church had a single nave decorated with wall paintings. New paintings were made in the late thirteenth century, but only the Virgin with child has survived. The narthex was added in the fourteenth century. In that period other alterations were effected and new wall paintings made. Not very much remains of the wall paintings.

The Erazmo Cave Church is located on the north-west shore of Lake Ohrid on the left side of the road from Struga to Ohrid, about three kilometres from Ohrid. The present cave church is surrounded by some other buildings. In fact one wall painting inside the cave church can be clearly distinguished, but it is not quite certain who is depicted in it. It is thought that it may be the former despot of Epirus with the name of Theodore Angelus Ducas Comnenus from about the year 1225.

About thirty kilometres in a south easterly direction from Prilep, is the village Manastir-Mariovo on the banks of the River Crna reka. In this village there is an old church formerly dedicated to Sveti Nikola. According to an inscription it is said to have been commissioned in 1095 by a certain Aleksius, a relative of the Byzantine Emperor Alexius I. The church was rebuilt in 1266 and decorated with wall paintings in 1271. The church is now dedicated to the Virgin. On the walls of the south aisle an incomplete series of wall paintings can be found relating to the life of Nikola. These show his birth, his schooling, and his consecration as deacon and as bishop; one show three generals in prison, and how they thank the saint for his intercession on their behalf, and another painting shows the saint distributing alms.^[15] The last subject is not depicted so very frequently. It shows the saint standing behind a large basket filled with loaves of bread which he distributes to the people standing around him. On the right side a number of children are wearing special uniforms and it may be concluded that they are orphans. The left side has been somewhat damaged, but a number of men and a woman with children, one of which is a cripple can be seen.^[16]

The church was built and decorated with wall paintings by Prior Acacius. On the north wall the founder Aleksius has been painted holding the church in his hands.

In the apse a wall painting can be seen of two archangels bowing to the Virgin, the Communion of the apostles and a Melismos. On the walls a number of martyrs and warrior saints have also been portrayed.

Sveti Jovan Kaneo is a very picturesque little church standing on a cliff at Lake Ohrid (picture 3). Its original name is the church of Sveti Jovan Bogoslov-Kaneo. It was built in the thirteenth century in the form of an inscribed Greek cross and has one central cupola. The church contains wall paintings in the cupola and the altar-region. These paintings were made in the period shortly after its construction in 1290 probably by local painters. Amongst others there is Christ Pantocrator in the cupola with eight angels holding the medallion. The half cupola of the apse contains a remarkable depiction of the Virgin orante with the Christ child in a mandorla as a Nikopoia in front of her.^[17] She is flanked by two angels. On the lower row of the apse the two archangels Michael and Gabriel on each side are followed by archbishops. They are probably contemplating a Melismos which has disappeared. Among the archbishops are Basil the Great and Ioannis Chrysostomos. They hold scrolls in their hands with texts, the letters of which are no longer legible (picture 4).

The Communion of the Apostles is one of the relatively well preserved wall paintings. Among the individual figures is Archbishop Constantine Kavasila of Ohrid, who became known in the region as the author of the canons of Clement of Ohrid. Also honoured were Kliment and Erazmo of Lychnidos, the first guardian saints of the town.^[18]

For a more detailed description of the Church Sveti Kliment at Ohrid, see here>.

Varoš is a little village located close to Prilep in a north-westerly direction. On the mountain overlooking the area are the remains of the so-called Marko’s Fortress, Markove Kule. It belonged to one of the largest fortresses of the Balkan, which controlled the Pelagonian polje (field). Although the greater part is now in ruins, it can be seen that the citadel had several towers, and that it was surrounded by four sets of walls.

In the centre of Varoš the picturesque Church of Sveti Nicholas can be found, dating to the twelfth century on the basis of the frescoes surviving in the apse. It is assumed that the church was reconstructed towards the end of the thirteenth century when it acquired its present contours as a single nave church. The church is relatively high and narrow. The lower part has been built of dressed stones and the upper part is of brick, laid in all kinds of forms: zigzags, squares, straight, shallow, etc. giving it a lovely outside (picture 5). The present roof is made of zinc.

An inscription above the entrance states that the wall paintings were commissioned by the noble Vekos Kapsa in 1298.

The painter of the frescoes was still influenced by the Comnenian style of painting, but without the refinement of line and composition achieved by the old masters. His paintings possess a special kind of discreet beauty. They are rigid and sharp, which draws the eye, and they deserve to be numbered among the important frescoes in Macedonia. He was a provincial painter who introduced an individual dimension into his portrayal of biblical themes.^[19]

Most of the faces he painted are long and narrow and they all look somewhat similar, which can be seen e.g. in the depiction of the Mockery of Christ (picture 6). Comparing his work for example with that of the painters Michael and Eutychios, working at about the same time, it is striking that the work in this church exudes quite a different atmosphere.

As usual the Koimesis has been depicted on the west wall. It does not differ very much from other similar paintings, except that the apostles are not brought to the scene in clouds.

There is, however, one remarkable detail which is easily overlooked. The soul or psyche of the Virgin has been depicted, leaving her body via her mouth, from where it flies to the outstretched hands of Christ who receives it (picture 7). This is an extremely rare concept in Byzantine art. One may speculate whether there are any other earlier examples of the psyche leaving a human being via the mouth. Was it the fantasy of the provincial, intellectual painter, or had he noticed the subject somewhere? Much has been lost in the course of time, but sometimes sources report what was available in lost churches. No such reports, however, are known regarding this subject. The subject itself of a soul leaving the body was not completely unknown, but we may assume that the painter was not aware of the Chludov Psalter from the ninth – tenth centuries, fol 102 v°, illustrating Psalm 102:15-16: “As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.”

Picture 8 shows the only and eldest known depiction so far. There are two other Psalters that repeat the depiction of the Chludov Psalter.^[20] Moreover, in a Psalter in the Monastery of Dionysiou at Athos, Cod. 65, fol. 11v°, there is a scene of an angel receiving a monk’s soul. He stands behind the deathbed, holding an orb in his left hand. With his right hand he forcefully drags the soul (in the form of a child) from the mouth of the monk who is lying on the bed^[21] (picture 9).

The codex has been dated 1313 and this means that it is about fifteen years after the commissioning of the paintings in the church of question. The depiction of the psyche leaving the human body may be rare, but the creation of man, as told in the second chapter of Genesis has been depicted a number of times.

“God formed man of the dust on the ground and breathed life into his nostrils; and man became a living soul.”^[22] One of the earliest illustrated Septuagint manuscripts^[23] is a fifth or sixth century Book of Genesis now in the British Museum in London, (Cotton Otho B. VI), once owned by Sir Robert Cotton and generally known today as the Cotton Genesis. Unfortunately this manuscript was burned in 1731, and all that is left today are the half-charred parchment remains.^[24] However, the Swedish scientist Tikkanen discovered that the Cotton manuscript or a copy made from it, served as a model for the mosaics in the narthex of San Marco at Venice, which date from 1225.^[25] The cupola on the right shows the creation according to Genesis and in the creation of man a small winged figure, psyche, enters the body of man thus giving him life (picture 10).

This subject is an ancient one and has been depicted on the famous Prometheus sarcophagus, from Pozzuoli, now in the Archaeological Museum of Naples, which dates from the fourth century A.D. It is the product of a Roman workshop. It represents the myth of Prometheus creating the first man. Prometheus created an image from clay that in its form was like the gods. He asked Eros to blow the breath of life into the clay nostrils and Pallas Athena to endow the image with a soul. In this way life came into man. On the sarcophagus, Prometheus sits in the centre, thoughtfully contemplating the clay body he has modelled. Life personified by the psyche is urged forward by Eros. Athena holds a butterfly as a symbol of the living soul, over the head of the newly created man. All around them the supreme gods are in attendance.

Winged figures that take many forms and meanings are also known from Greek mythology. Sometimes they are called the ker. A painting on a lekythos from the fifth century B.C. shows a large pithos or grave-jar sunk deep into the ground^[26], the lid of which has been removed. Out of it two escaping winged keres or souls flutter upwards, a third soul is on the point of emerging, and a fourth dives headlong back into the jar. Hermes Psychopompos with his magic staff in his hand releases and returns the souls. Such a representation of ideas would have been familiar to every ancient Greek.^[27]

There are also examples of Hermes bringing souls of deceased to the underworld, usually in the form of a sheep on his shoulder. This image was later taken over by the Christians for Christ as the Good Shepherd.

Although it is difficult to prove, but one may speculate whether the painter of the Koimesis-scene might have been influenced by the persistent ideas of Bogomilism, one of which was that world was subject to the elder son of God the Father, Satanael, who was expelled from heaven after a revolt. He created the earth and ruled over it. To people his dominion, Satanael made Adam out of clay and water. When he tried to breathe his spirit into Adam, he failed to bring him to life. He then sent an ambassador to the Father to ask for a little life for Adam, promising that man, thus vivified, should be held in common between them. God then breathed life into Adam; the process was repeated later for Eve.^[28]

No matter how educated the provincial painter of the Koimesis-scene in this church may have been, it is doubtful that he was aware of the mosaics in the San Marco at Venice, or of a small painting in the Chludov Psalter. I am however, not convinced that in producing this work he invented the concept of the psyche of the Virgin leaving her body to fly to her Son. It is more likely that he had seen a similar depiction, the source of which has been lost like so many other items from the period and earlier.

Five kilometres from the village Grnčari, about seven kilometres beyond Kurbinovo, there is a small church dedicated to Sveti Elias. The church lies hidden in the mountains and the road to it is bad.

It contains some wall paintings including a Koimesis from the beginning of the thirteenth century. The painter of the wall paintings found his examples in the church at Kurbinovo.^[29]

It is estimated that the Church of Saint Parakeve (Sveti Petka) at Debar was built in the late thirteenth century. For a long period it was used as a mosque, but regained its original function in 1913. The church does not contain any wall paintings. The present iconostasis was placed there at the time the building began to be used as a church again.

The little church of the Mother of God – crkvata Sveti Bogorodica – is just off the road near Marko’s Monastery at the village of Sušica. It is a single nave church built of crushed stone and contains a number of relatively small wall paintings of good quality including some relating to the life of the Virgin. On the basis of their stylistic features they have been dated in the second half of the thirteenth century (picture 11).

The village of Radožda is located about twelve kilometres south of Struga, close to the Albanian border, on the west shore of Lake Ohrid. It can only be reached via the local road. Sometime in the thirteenth century, a hermit withdrew to a cave that he found in a steep cliff located above the village now called Radožda. In the cave he built a small church dedicated to the Archangel Michael. Only a wall painting of the Wedding at Kana and a fine depiction of Archangel Michael have survived. The other wall paintings covering the available space are from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

The Treskavec Monastery is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin.^[30] It is located about fifteen kilometres north of Prilep on a mountain beneath the summit Zatovrh. It consists of a church with monastic buildings surrounding it. The greater part was built in the nineteenth century. Historical records inform us that the monastery was founded by the Byzantine Emperor Andronicus II (1282-1328) and the Serbian Emperor Stephan Dušan. It has undergone considerable change in the course of the centuries. The interior wall paintings date from the fourteenth to the nineteenth centuries. The old refectory furnished with stone tables was probably built at the same time as the church.

For a detailed description of the Sveti Djordje at Staro Nagoričane, see Chapter XIII

Modrište is located about 25 kilometres north of Makedonski Brod. There the Monastery of the Virgin Mary is to be found next to a small church built of dressed stone and brick. The church has preserved some wall paintings from the fourteenth century. The abbot of the monastery is referred to in historical documents of 1316.

For more information about the Church Sveti Nikita near the village of Banjani, see Chapter XII

The single nave church of Sveti Nicholas in Veles stands just off the road near Sveti Demetrius. It still has some wall paintings from 1320.

In the village Kučeviste, about sixteen kilometres north of Skopje, is the Church of the Mother of God – crkvata Sveti Bogorodica – now better known under the name Sveti Spas, the Holy Saviour. The building was begun in about 1330 on the instigation and with the financial support of an aristocratic family, Asen Radoslav and Vladislav, who are mentioned by name. The church is the result of successive stages of building. The lay-out of the church is an inscribed cross with a central dome. On the west side is a two-storied narthex. The wall paintings of the church are in excellent condition. The work of gifted artists in the style of Michael and Eutychios is evident in Sveti Kliment at Ohrid and Sveti Djordje at Staro Nagoričane, among others.

The paintings in the narthex are of a somewhat later date, about 1337. They include portraits of the founders Vojvoda Dejan and his wife Vladislava, a sister of the župan Radoslav, who stands beside the portraits of Emperor Dušan and Queen Jelena. Their children Jovan and Dmitar are portrayed on the north wall. There is a chapel on the upper floor dedicated to Nicholas, which was painted again in 1501.

In Štip, beneath the Hisar Fortress, stands a church dedicated to the Archangel Michael - crkvate Sveti Arhangel Mihailo. This church was founded by a certain Hrelja in 1332. It has an inscribed cross plan and is covered with a cupola. The walls have been made of dressed stone and brick. During the Turkish occupation the church was transformed into a mosque and its wall paintings were destroyed.

The Church of Sveti Nicholas Bolnički can be found in the old town of Ohrid in the part called Bolnica, which means hospital. It is a church made of rough-stones; it has no aisles and lacks any ornamentation on the façade (pict. VII 12). According to an inscription the wall paintings were made in 1313 by a local artist. Some years later another painter made a gallery of portraits, including that of the Serbian ruler Stephan Dušan. The chapel on the south side was added in the fifteenth century.

The picture (picture 13) shows on the left, Cosmas and Damian and, at the front, Constantine and Helena with the cross.

The Pološki Monastery Saint George lies some ten kilometres from Kavadarci on the shore of the artificial Tikveš Lake, in the gorge of the Crna reka, the Black River and can be reached only by boat from the dam ^[31]. It is not known when or by whom it was founded. A charter of the Emperor Milutin records that his brother Dragutin, who died in 1316, was buried in this monastery. The church of the monastery, which is dedicated to George, contains wall paintings mainly from the seventeenth century, although there is a small layer of wall paintings from the fourteenth century. Some contain some unspecified scenes about the life of Nikola.

The village of Kozjak is located about 30 kilometres to the northeast of Štip. Here is a church dedicated to George, which was built by an unknown donor in the thirteenth century. It has an inscribed cross with cupolas and a chapel on the south side. Inside, it contains wall paintings which were made in the thirteenth century, but repainted in the fourteenth century. The paintings are in poor condition.

The Church Sveti Demetrius inside the Markov Monastery at Sušica has been described in Chapter XV.

The Church of Sveti Nikola in the village of Ljuboten, about 13 kilometres north of Skopje was built in 1337 using an endowment of the noblewoman Danica and her sons. The wall paintings have for the most part survived in reasonable condition. They were most probably made by painters who also worked at the court^[32].

For further information about the Church Sveti Archangel Michael in the Monastery of Lesnovo, see Chapter XIV.

A little church in Ohrid, the Mali Sveti Vrači, dedicated to the holy physicians Cosmas and Damian, is a small rough-stone structure close to the town wall. Originally it contained fourteenth century wall paintings by a local artist, but only a very small number of them has been preserved. One features both Cosmas and Damian, and the figure of Clement of Ohrid holding a model of the town in his hands. The church contains a carved wooden iconostasis from the fourteenth century, one of the oldest in Macedonia.

On the southern slopes of Mount Hisar outside the town Štip, can be found the small single nave church dedicated to Sveti Spas - the Holy Saviour. It was commissioned by a nobleman named Jovan Probištipović in 1350. A few fragments of the original wall paintings have survived the centuries.

Not far from Marko’s Monastery near the village Sušica stands the little Church Sveti Nikola which was built in the fourteenth century. It contains among others a Maria cycle including the birth of Maria, and the cuddling of the child by her parents Joachem and Anna. From her later life there is the Annunciation, the distribution of wool to spin yarn for the veil of the temple, the lamentation of Joseph when he sees that she is pregnant, and the Birth of Christ. In imitation of the depiction in the Church of Sveti Nikola at Varoš, a naked soul, a Psyche, is depicted behind the head of the Virgin, to which Christ stretches out his arms to receive the soul of his mother.

The Church of Sveti Athanasius in the district of Lešok stands at a height of 610 metres on the south-east foothill of the Šar Planina, about ten kilometres north of Tetovo (pict. VII 14). It was founded and built between 1348 and 1355 by Antonije Joanikije, whose sarcophagus was inside the church. The church had a dome resting on four pilasters and a narthex on the west. Unfortunately the church was destroyed by Albanian terrorists in August 2001.

There is a large monastery complex around the church, which was last renovated in 1957. Its present condition is unknown.

In the village Drenovo, about fifteen kilometres west of Kavadarci, a church dedicated to the Mother of God, Sveti Bogorodice, can be found. The present appearance shows a three nave basilica. It was built during the reign of Emperor Dušan. In 1356 it was probably decorated with wall paintings, but nothing remains. For the inside of the walls older material, most likely from Stobi, was used.

The Monastery of Matejče is situated high up in the Skopska Crna Gora at a height of about 1000 metres. It lies close to the village of Matejče, about sixteen kilometres west of Kumanovo.^[33] The church is dedicated to Sveti Athanasius. Like the church of Sveti Djordje at Staro Nagoričane, this church is built on older foundations. The rebuilding of the church was started during the reign of Stefan Dušan and completed by his widow Empress Jelena and his son Stefan Uroš during the second half of the fourteenth century. It is a fine church with an inscribed Greek cross, a central cupola and four smaller cupolas on the corners. From the hill on which the church was built, one has a clear view over the valley in the direction of Kumanovo. Unfortunately, the wall paintings suffered seriously during a long period when the church was abandoned. During the early decades of the twentieth century conservation work saved most of the wall paintings, but their bright colours have disappeared. Nevertheless, it was clear that the wall paintings were of good quality. Remarkable was the painting of Empress Jelena wearing a widow’s veil. The church contained an extensive series of paintings relating to the Akathistos and on the west wall is a large Tree of Jesse. Remarkable too, was the wall painting relating to the miracles of the Archangel Michael.

Albanian terrorists destroyed most of the wall paintings during an occupation in 2001 by “colouring” them with graffiti, writing political slogans over the paintings, or scraping the paint from the walls (pictures 15-16). Experts doubt that the terrible havoc caused to the walls can ever be restored. The iconostasis has been taken down and inside the church almost everything has been destroyed.

The Church of Sveti Bogorodica Zahumska can be only be reached by boat. It is located on the southeast shore of Lake Ohrid below a sheer cliff (picture 17). Only the church has survived the ages. In 1361 the nobleman Grur, brother of Vuk Brankoviċ, ordered the construction of this church. It was built in the form of an inscribed cross with a cupola. Inside the church most of the wall paintings have been preserved, but they are not in very good condition.

It contains, among others, a wall painting of Anna suckling the child Maria (picture 18).

In the apse, an enthroned Virgin has been depicted (picture 19). Below her is a row of bishops (picture 20) and on the lowest level some bishops and a Melismos.

A church dedicated to Sveti Nikola is located about two kilometres outside the village of Psača near the present graveyard. The village lies about eleven kilometres from Kriva Palanka. The church is built of dressed stone and brick in alternative layers (picture 21).

It is a single nave church with an inscribed cross and a central cupola resting on four pillars. The narthex and entrance are at the west end. It was built by the sebastocrator Vlatko in about 1355. The influence of the local rulers of Slavic origin finds its expression in the use of their own language. In this church the texts have been written in the Old Slavic language. The church contains well-preserved wall paintings made by a talented artist during the same period. There is a series relating to the life of the patron saint of the church, Sveti Nikola: his schooling, the saving of three men from execution, the three generals in prison (picture 22), the appearance of the saint in a dream to Emperor Constantine and to Ablabius, his distribution of alms, the death of the saint (picture 23), the saint rescuing Demetrius from drowning and Basil from the Saracens.^[34]

On the lower zone of the south wall, portraits have been painted of the founder Vlatko, his wife Vladislava and their son Stefan and other family members (picture 24). On the north wall are portraits of King Stefan Uroš (1355-1371) and the Despot Vukašin Mrnjavchevich at the right side, who was later king and joint ruler with Uroš (picture 25). They stand beside Constantine and Helena who hold the cross between them. All four are dressed in imperial garments richly adorned with jewels and pearls, and wear crowns which are also richly adorned, and with the imperial loros over their left arms. Dušan and Vukašin each hold a sceptre cross in their right hand and a scroll in the other.

In the apse, on the left, a Melismos showing the Saints Gregorius and Basil the Great (picture 26) with the Christ child lying in a paten on the altar is depicted (picture 27). On the apse above the heads of the bishops one can read on the left the old Slavic text: “more honourable than the cherubs and more glorious than the serafs”^[35], which continues on the right with the words: “You who have given birth. Theotokos we glorify you.” The words on the scroll of Basil read: “none is worth of those who are bound” ^[36].

At the other side stand the saints Ioannis Chrysostomos and Athanasius (picture 28). The words on the scroll by Ioannis read as follows: “Lord God, Pantocrator, accept the offerings.”

On the walls of this church more interesting paintings can be found that show the skill of the talented painter, including a number of warrior saints (picture 29) with their arms and shields, dressed in fantasy hauberks, and a portrait of Euthymius the Great of Melitene^[37].

Parts of an old stone iconostasis have been preserved. A number of paintings were renewed in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It is an interesting church that should receive more attention.

The Church Sveti Petar is situated on an island in Lake Prespa near the point where the frontiers of Greece, Albania and Macedonia intersect. The Sveti Petar Church is the only one of a number of churches on the island that has survived. It is a fairly large, single nave church with fourteenth century wall paintings. The church has long been abandoned and not much is known about the condition of the wall paintings. It is possible to reach the island by sailing boat in two hours, but it is not known from what place. It is said that there are many snakes on the island.

The Monastery of Zrze^[38] with the Church of the Holy Transfiguration – Sveti Preozraženi – is located deep in the mountains, about 35 kilometres from Prilep in a north-westerly direction, above the village of Zrze, overlooking the Pelagonion valley. It is dated 1368/69. An inscription above the door states that the monastery was built by a monk named German and that the wall paintings in that period were painted for an amount of 30 perperae, the name of the money of that time, on the instructions of Hajko’s sons, Pribil and Prijezda, and their mother. Most probably they belonged to one of the noble families that received land from Emperor Dušan. The original monastery complex covered an area of seven thousand square metres, and was surrounded by a fortified wall. The contours can still be seen outside the present-day monastery complex, which is a much smaller size. The monastery fell into decay in the sixteenth century, but in the seventeenth and later centuries, renovation and extension work was carried out. The present wall paintings date from the sixteenth century. In the immediate vicinity of the monastery the remains have been discovered of a number of other churches, most probably belonging to monastic sites, which indicates that the monastery was a centre of monastic life

Above the Otinja River near its influx into the Bregalnica River, not far from Štip, there is a small church with a single nave dedicated to the Ascension of Christ. Historical sources report that this church was built on the instruction of a certain Vojvoda Dimitrije in 1369. Some of the earliest wall paintings are still visible on the vault on the west wall of the church. In 1601 another layer of wall paintings was made partly covering the first layer.

The Monastery of Sveti Stephan in the village Konče near Radoviš, was the foundation of Vojvoda Nikola Stanjević. The partly damaged frescoes were painted in 1366. The monastery was abandoned in the seventeenth century^[39].

On the opposite side of the same street in Ohrid in which stands the Church of Sveti Nicholas Bolnički, can be found the church of the Bogorodica Bolnička, surrounded by an old graveyard (picture 30). It was built in the late fourteenth century and contains a series of wall paintings from different periods. The oldest, from the fourteenth century, were made by a local artist.

The vault of the church contains an interesting wall painting of the Father (in the centre), the Son and the throne of the Hetomasia. The scene is surrounded by a large number of saints. Of interest, but probably painted in a later period, is a Melismos with two archbishops accompanied by two angels (picture 31). During a restoration of the church in the sixteenth century paintings were made as well, but these are of inferior quality. Moreover in the nineteenth century, someone was busy covering up the old paintings. Fortunately the greater part of these old paintings has been restored by conservation work^[40].

Close to the village Peštani on the shore of Lake Ohrid a small church, the Bogorodica Peštonski was built inside a natural cave (picture 32). It is decorated with some wall paintings which, from their style can be dated in the fourteenth century. On the rather rough stone can be distinguished paintings of the Birth of Christ, the Metamorphosis, and a large number of saints including Kliment and Naum.

The church of the Virgin Maria Čelnica was built in the fourteenth century on the actual city wall of Ohrid. Only a few fragments have been preserved of the original wall paintings; most of the paintings are from the nineteenth century.

About four kilometres south of Struga, on the west shore of Lake Ohrid, is Kališta, with the residence of the archbishop of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. About 200 metres from this complex, somewhat hidden on a steep cliff, is a cave church dedicated to Sveti Athanasius. This church contains wall paintings from the fourteenth century and some of a later date in the nineteenth century.

Close to the Kališta Monastery complex there is another cave church dedicated to Sveti Bogorodica. The entrance is somewhat hidden behind the buildings of the complex (picture 33). It consists of some caves above each other which served as cells for the monks and on top is the church, which is decorated with wall paintings from the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. Of interest are a painting dealing with the Hospitality of Abraham and the portraits of the saints Cyril and Kliment in separate niches.

The old Sveti Kliment Church, the Stari Sveti Kliment, is a small church without aisles, which can be found close to the lower gate of the town Ohrid, the Donja porta. It is known as the old Sveti Kliment’s Church in order to distinguish it from other churches dedicated to the same saint. An inscription over the south door states that the church was built during the time of the grand župan Andrej Gropa, with funds bestowed by the Priest Stephan in 1378. The little church contains a number of wall paintings made by a local artist, including portraits of the saints Kliment and Naum.

For further information about the Church Sveti Andreas at the Treska Lake, see Chapter XVI.

Outside the south-east corner of the former town Bargala (Bregalnica) there is a medieval church dedicated to Saint George. It is built of materials reclaimed from the ancient town, but its construction date cannot be ascertained with certainty.

It contains some partly damaged wall paintings from different periods, most of which can be dated to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Among them is a portrait of the founder of the church, with his wife and son. Unfortunately the text describing his name exists only in fragments^[41].

Outside the Lešok Monastery in the mountains, about ten kilometres north of Tetovo lies a little church dedicated to Maria, the Sveti Bogorodica, also with a small monastery.^[42] It was first cited in 1326. It has a trefoil ground plan. Inside, three layers of paintings have been discovered. The first is from the fourteenth century, the second and third are from the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries respectively. Originally it was a parish church, but when Abbot Kiril Pejčinović (1770-1846) came to the site in 1818 it became a monastery. During his stay residences were built. His name is associated with the development of literacy in Macedonia. His tomb is in the courtyard of the monastery.

The Church of the Holy Archangels is located in the canyon of the Kučeviška River, about three kilometres from the village Kučevište, which is located about twelve kilometres north of Skopje. It too has a trefoil ground plan and is built of hewn stone and brick; it has a central dome. It is supposed that the building dates from the fourteenth century. The narthex is of a later date. The wall paintings are from the eighteenth century. The church is dedicated to the archangels Michael and Gabriel. The monastic lodgings surrounding the church were built in the nineteenth and partly in the twentieth century.

The Church of Saint Nicholas Šiševski is situated high on a cliff overlooking the Treska River. It consists of two parts, a single nave church and on the west side a further domed rectangular church. The church was built in 1380 and it is said that King Marko contributed financially to the construction. Inside two layers of frescoes have been uncovered of which the earliest fragments can be dated in the fourteenth century. The second layer has been dated in 1630. The church can be reached in 45 minutes along a footpath walk from the dam at the Matka power station.

The Church of Sveti Demetrius (picture 34) stands in the vicinity of the Church Sveti Kliment at Ohrid, and was built in the fourteenth century. The interior is covered with wall paintings made by a local artist who devoted particular attention to the portraits of saints in the lowest row. One of the best preserved paintings in this church is a Deësis.

The Church of Constantin and Helena at Ohrid can also be found close to the Sveti Kliment. It was built of rough stone and brick, most probably in the fourteenth century at the instigation of the Monk Partenije (picture 35).

Inside most of the frescoes have been preserved including the founder’s composition showing Partenije with a model of the church and his mother Marija and his son Mihailo (picture 36).

The vault contains a wall painting almost identical to the one in the Bogorodica Bolnička with the Father, Son and the throne of the Hetomasia (picture 37). Around the double mandorla of God the Father, the four evangelist symbols have been depicted.

On the west wall there is a painting of the Koimesis with the remarkable feature that Christ has been indicated twice. At the top He opens the doors of heaven and behind the bed of the Virgin He receives her soul (picture 38). On the south side a chapel was added in a later period; it also contains some wall paintings.

Matka Monastery is situated on the left bank of the River Treska near the village of the same name about sixteen kilometres south-west of Skopje. It lies on the slopes of the Suva Gora at an altitude of about 300 metres. The church is dedicated to the Virgin and is a small rectangular building with a central dome. It is attributed to Bojko, son of the noblewoman Danica, founder of the Church of Saint Nicholas near Ljuboten. It was ruined, but according to a carved inscription above the entrance, the church was restored by Tošniko and her son Nikola, together with the metropolitan Athanasius in 1497. The wall paintings are of poor quality and date from the end of the nineteenth century. The monastic buildings surrounding the church are also from the nineteenth century. The site, close to the Treska, became a popular tourist centre.

High in the mountains, about twenty kilometres west of Kavadarci, near the village of Dradnja on the Tikveš Lake, there is a cave church dedicated to Sveti Nikola, also known as Marko’s Church. It is a small single nave construction, built from broken stone and covered by a semicircular vault of limestone rocks. It contains some wall paintings which have been dated in the fourteenth century, including some scenes from the life of Nicholas, and the Koimesis.

Near the commune of Demir Hisar, halfway along the road from Bitola to Kičevo above the village of Slepče, the Monastery of Sveti Jovan Preteče - John the Forerunner is located.^[43] The date of its founding is unknown, but taking into consideration some stylistic features, it is thought to have been erected in the fourteenth century (picture 39). The monastery had a prominent place in the Macedonian and Slavic history. It was among the leading literature centres during the Turkish rule. Copies of a large number of important literary and historical documents and manuscripts as well as new literary works were produced here and kept in the monastery’s library. During the long period of Turkish domination the monastery of Slepče succeeded in keeping the Macedonian language alive. Moreover the place was renowned for its rich artistic life in painting and carving^[44], and also for its revolutionary writings. It was also a small guerrilla nest with underground channels and hiding places for Macedonian writers. The old church was demolished to be replaced by the present church built in 1862.

Žvan – the Monastery of Nicholas Toplički – is at the foot of the Krasta hill. There is no information about the date of its construction. Inside there are two layers of wall paintings, the older with stylistic features of the fourteenth century and the later dating from the sixteenth century. An inscription over the door leading from the narthex to the nave states that a certain Dimitrije became the new benefactor of the church in 1537. The original church had no aisles; the narthex and chapels on the south and north sides were added during the renovation by Dimitrije.

The monastery dedicated to the Annunciation of the Holy Virgin (picture 40), currently known under the name The Holy Virgin Immaculate, Prečista Bogorodica, lies hidden in woods on the hills some twelve kilometres south of Kičevo.^[45] It was first mentioned in the fourteenth century. After being burnt down in 1558, it was rebuilt in 1564. In 1834, however, the monastery again suffered a disastrous fire which destroyed the residential buildings. The little church survived, but was replaced a few years later by a new church consecrated in 1849.

The monastery has preserved a number of interesting wood-carvings from the fifteenth century.^[46]

The Church of Sveti Demetrius in Veles has been assigned to the fourteenth century on the basis of stylistic features. It was rebuilt in 1851 and decorated with new wall paintings.

In the town Prilep there are two small fourteenth century churches, one dedicated to Sveti Petar and the other to the Bogorodica. The first is a single nave church of exceptional height and a semicircular apse. It is built of brick and stone and in its walls ancient spolia and ceramic decorations can be seen. The church contains a series of small paintings relating to the Dodecaorton and the Passion of Christ, but they are badly damaged. They are comparable to paintings in the larger churches of Ohrid. The second church, built of broken stone, also has a single rather high nave. Only a painting of the adoration of the sacrifice by a local painter has been preserved.^[47]

The Monastery of Joachim Osogovski^[48] is located about three kilometres from Kriva Palanka, close to the Bulgarian border. It is situated in the hills at the height of about 825 metres and can be reached along an asphalt road. It is dedicated to an anchorite bearing the same name and it is thought that the monastery was founded by one of his disciples named Jovan Rilski who lived in the twelfth century. The katholikon of the monastery was destroyed several times by various calamities; rebuilding work started in 1847. Most of the monastery buildings were built during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The small church from the fourteenth century is dedicated to the Virgin Maria. It contains some wall paintings from that period, but they are not in good condition. Of interest are paintings of the Assumption of the Mother of God and the Crucifixion of Christ.

The monastery has good facilities for receiving guests. Close to the monastery is one of the residences of the Head of the Macedonian Orthodox Church.

The Church of the Ascension in the village of Leskoec, about five kilometres from Ohrid, was, according to an inscription, built and decorated with wall paintings in the first half of the fifteenth century. It was founded on the instructions of the founder Tode and his wife Bulka. In a painting of the Last Supper a plate with a trout with red spots of the kind that lives in Lake Ohrid has been included in the scene.

Another church dedicated to Sveti Djordje in the village Mlado Nagoričane appears to date from the fifteenth century. This village lies about twelve kilometres from Kumanovo in an easterly direction. It has an inscribed cross floor plan and a blind cupola over the central area. Its original wall paintings were whitewashed and only a few fragments are now visible.

The above review of ecclesiastical buildings spread over the Republic of Macedonia indicates that over the course of centuries there was an active religious life in the churches and monasteries in the country. Undoubtedly there were more churches, now in ruins or long forgotten. A large number of them were centres where even during the five hundred years of Turkish occupation, the clergy succeeded in keeping Christianity alive together with a kind of national self-assuredness. A number of the more interesting churches, for example, Sveti Naum, Sveti Jovan Kaneo at Ohrid, Sveti Nikola at Varoš, Sveti Nikola at Psača and the Constantine and Helena Church at Ohrid, have been discussed in greater detail. An extensive description of the important churches of the country can be found in the following chapters.

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1. An extensive review about the territory of Macedonia, its history, historical buildings and their paintings can be found in: Soustal, Peter, Schellewald, Barbara, Theis, Liobe, “Makedonien”, in RbK V, p. 982-1220. ↑

2. Balabanov, p. 48 ↑

3. Much information has been found in Treasures of Yugoslavia, chapter Macedonia, Beograd, not dated (most probably 1985); the chapter Macedonia was written by Dr. Kosta Balabanov; some information was obtained from internet sites. ↑

4. Grozdabov, Cvetan, Sveti Naum of Ohrid, Skopje, 1995 ↑

5. ibid, p. 210 ↑

6. ibid ↑

7. Čornakov, Dimitar, Macedonian wood-carving, Skopje, 1994, ill. 31--34; Čornakov, Monasteries, p. 15ff ↑

8. Čornakov, Monasteries, p. 172ff ↑

9. See Balabanov, pict. 20, p.79 ↑

10. Čornakov, Monasteries, p. 37ff ↑

11. Čornakov, Dimitar, Macedonian wood-carving, Skopje, 1994 ↑

12. Čornakov, Monasteries, p. 180ff ↑

13. Miljković-Pepek, Petar, “Les données sur la chronologie des fresques de Veljusa entre les ans 1085 et 1094”, Actes du XVe Congrès International d’Études Byzantines, Athènes –Septembre 1976, Vol. II, p. 499-510 ↑

14. Balabanov, p. 41 ↑

15. Hamann, p. 291-295; Djurić, p. 20-21 ↑

16. Ševčenko, p. 151 and picture 13.7 on p. 214 ↑

17. Skrobucha, H in LCI 3, Sv. Maria, in Arienbild, II, B2, p. 165 ↑

18. Balabanov, p. 50 ↑

19. Balabanov, p. 53 ↑

20. Is kept in Moscow under the title: Khludovskaja psaltyr. Babić, Gordana, “Les fresques de Sušica en Macédoine et l’iconographie originale de leurs images de la vie de la vierge”, Cahiers Archéologiques XII (1962), p. 303-339, mentions Vat. Barb. gr. 372 of 1092, fol. 167 v° and a London Psalter Add. gr. 19352 of 1066, fol 137, fig. 23; Weitzmann, Studies etc., 1971, p. 69-71. ↑

21. Pelekanidis, S.M.; Christou, P.C.; Tsioumis, Ch.; Kadas, S.N., The Treasures of Mount Athos illuminated manuscripts; miniatures- headpieces-initial letters, Athens; vol. I, 1974: The Protaton and the monasteries of Dionysiou, Koutloumousia, Xeropotamou and Gregoriou, p. 117 pict. 121 and p. 421 (op.cit) ↑

22. Genesis 2:7 ↑

23. Note author: The Septuagint is the Greek version of the Old Testament, including the Apocrypha, traditionally said to have been made by about 70 translators. It was produced for the library of Alexandria in the third and second centuries B.C. This translation was popular with the Jews of the Diaspora, whose language was Greek, and it was often preferred to the Hebrew version by the early Fathers of the Christian Church. It was the first vernacular version of the Bible and it is still in use in the Orthodox Eastern Church. ↑

24. Weitzmann, Kurt, Late Antique and Early Christian Book Illumination, New York, 1977, p. 45-46 ↑

25. Tikkanen, J.J., “Die Genesismosaieken von S. Marco in Venedig und ihr Verhältnis zu den Miniaturen der Cottonbibel,” part of the Acta Societatis Scientiarum Fennicae, XVII, Helsingfors, 1889, reprinted ibid, Soest, 1972 pp. 28 ff ↑

26. Harrison, Jane Ellen, Prolegomena to the study of Greek Religion, Cambridge, 1903, reprinted in New Jersey, 1991, fig. 7; she states that the lekythos is present at the University Museum of Jena (Germany); see figure in text. ↑

27. ibid, p. 43-44 ↑

28. Runciman, p. 75 ↑

29. Djurić, p. 19 and note 11, p. 239 ↑

30. Čornakov, Monasteries, p. 209ff ↑

31. Čornakov, Monasteries, p. 191ff ↑

32. See Millet, tome IV, for a number of monograph depictions. ↑

33. Čornakov, Monasteries, p. 143ff ↑

34. Djurić, p. 110-111; Ševčenko, p. 50 ↑

35. Words of a hymn from the Chrysostomos liturgy ↑

36. This words corresponds with those mentioned on scrolls he holds in Sveti Kliment at Ohrid and Sveti Djordje at Staro Nagoričane ↑

37. See for his depiction: Boberg, J. in LCI 6, p. 201-203, sv. Euthymius der Grosse von Melitene ↑

38. Čornakov, Monasteries, p. 235ff; Djurić, , p. 126/7 ↑

39. Tatić – Djurić, Mirjana, Das Bild in de Engel, Recklinghausen, 1962, mentions on p. 51 that in the church of Konče angels with the attributes of the Passion are floating above the shoulders of Maria, which belong to the oldest examples. ↑

40. Tomovski, Krum, “Neue Angaben über die Erbauung der Kirche der Mutter Gottes-Bolnićka”, Actes du XIIe Congrès International d’Études Byzantines, Ochride-Septembre 1961, Tome III, p. 389-394 ↑

41. Aleksova, Blaga and Mango, Cyril, “Bargala: a preliminary report”, in DOP 25, 1971, p. 273 and 276-277 ↑

42. Čornakov, Monasteries, p. 91ff ↑

43. Čornakov, Monasteries, p. 77ff ↑

44. Čornakov, Dimitar, Macedonian wood-carving, Skopje, 1994 ↑

45. The Monastery the Holy Virgin of Kićevǒ, Skopje, 1990 (text in Macedonian with some English summaries) ↑

46. Cornakov, Monasteries, p. 60ff ↑

47. Djurić, p. 136 and note 123 ↑

48. Čcornakov, Monasteries, p. 150ff ↑