The most beautiful religious buildings Northern Macedonia

It's hard not to fall under the spell of this ^13th century Orthodox church (Црква Свети Јован Канео/Crkva Sveti Jovan Kaneo). It is the most famous and most photographed in the country. It enjoys a sumptuous setting, on a promontory overlooking Lake Ohrid. Located in the district of Kaneo, below the hill of Plaošnik, it is dedicated to Saint John the Theologian, author of the Apocalypse, who, according to a local legend, would have Christianized Ohrid around the year 50. The exact date of construction is not known, but it is estimated that the church was erected by the Byzantines in the 1200s. It was later remodeled, abandoned in the ^15th century when the Christian population was expelled from the city, and restored in the ^19th and ^20th centuries. Of small dimensions and rectangular shape, it adopts the style "with dome on centered plan" typical of Byzantine Armenia. Indeed, the region had a certain Armenian influence from the reign of the Byzantine emperor Basil ^I (867-886), himself of Armenian origin. The walls are built according to the Byzantine technique of "cloisonné" with cut stones enclosed between bricks. Some parts are ornamented by the play of colors and geometric shapes created by the varied positioning of the bricks.

Frescoes of the XIV^e century. The interior is unfortunately very dark. It was also restored in the ^nineteenth and ^twentieth centuries, with the addition of frescoes without much interest and a new iconostasis. The upper part of the apse still has a beautiful ^fourteenth century fresco of the Communion of the Apostles where Christ appears twice distributing bread and wine. Among the other medieval frescoes is a series of portraits of saints whose eyes have been systematically vandalized. We recognize Cyril and Methodius, Clement of Ohrid, John the Theologian and "Erasmus of Ohrid". Finally, the dome is decorated with a set of frescoes of the ^fourteenth century, very damaged, which were discovered during a restoration in 1963. At the top is Christ Pantocrator surrounded by eight angels. In the second register, between the windows of the dome drum, are painted eight prophets from the Old Testament. Descending the steps to the level of the lake, one reaches the small church of the Nativity of the Mother of God (1998) and a small port. From there, you can reach the main port by walking along the coast along a path dotted with bars and restaurants.

Placed at 580 m above sea level, on the northern flank of Mount Vodno, this Orthodox church (Црква Свети Пантелејмон/Crkva Sveti Pantelejmon) is home to exceptional ^12th-century frescoes. Dedicated to St. Pantaleon of Nicomedia, it belonged to a monastery founded in 1164 by the Byzantine imperial Comnenes family (1081-1185). The monastery was active until 1555, when it was partially destroyed by an earthquake. Built of brick and irregular stone blocks, the church has a cross-shaped plan with a main dome mounted on a drum, four secondary domes, three naves and a rectangular narthex. It retains its ^12th-century marble iconostasis, but this lost its decorative elements during the earthquake. The church is surrounded by walls and by buildings of the old complex which normally house a restaurant (closed during our last visit). The church was restored in 1885 and the original frescoes covered with new paintings. The main dome was rebuilt and decorated with a Christ Pantocrator ("Almighty"). During a new restoration in 1923, the ^12th century frescoes were rediscovered. If some parts are missing, the essential of the scenes could be saved. Note in particular the scene of the Lamentation of Christ, on the north wall, under the window.

Realism and emotion. By their bright colors and the purity of their composition, these frescoes are a very rare testimony of the Byzantine art of the Comnenes dynasty, with for only equivalent those of the monastery of Latomou, in Thessalonica, classified as world heritage by Unesco. Created by four or five anonymous painters, probably under the direction of a great master from Constantinople, they are also the first known iconographic representation of the "threne" (lamentation of Christ by the Virgin and burial) which began to develop in the ^12th century in Christendom. Finally, the frescoes of Nerezi are surprising in their realism and emotion, which contrast with the usual static aspect of Byzantine frescoes. They prefigured the work of the Italian Primitives who would develop the humanity and realism of their characters 150 years later, paving the way for the Renaissance movement. The scene of the Lamentation of Christ is reminiscent of the same scene painted by Giotto in the church of the Arena in Padua around 1305.

This admirable ^13th-century Orthodox church (Црква Пресвета Богородица Перивлептос/Crkva Presveta Bogorodica Perivleptos) is Ohrid's masterpiece. Its epithet Perivleptos means "seen from everywhere" in Greek. As it happens, it sits atop one of the city's three hills, next to the Archbishop's Palace and the Gallery of Icons. Its priceless original Byzantine frescoes mark a turning point in the history of Christian art.

Many names. Since the ^15th century, the church has often been referred to as the "Great Church" or the "Church of St. Clement". During the Ottoman period, it was a cathedral and housed the relics of St. Clement of Ohrid. This sometimes leads to confusion, but in the town, English-language signs read "Church Mother of God Peribleptos". This epithet of Perivleptos (or Peribleptos) comes from the miraculous icon of the Mother of God Perivleptos, held since the ^11th century by the monastery of the same name in Constantinople. The name was later adopted by prestigious sites housing a copy of the icon, such as Mystra in the Peloponnese. A fragment of the ^13th-century icon of the Mother of God Perivleptos from Ohrid is kept in the Icon Gallery (no. 81 in the collection), but is rarely exhibited.

History. The church was completed in 1295, following the reconquest of Ohrid by the Byzantines in 1290, and was commissioned by the Greek general Progonos Sgouros, governor of the principality of Arbëria (now Albania), who was married into the family of the Byzantine emperor Andronic II Palaeologus. The names of both men appear in the inscription above the west door inside the narthex, along with the year 6803 of the Byzantine calendar (the year 1295). The interior was then decorated by the two famous painters Michalis Astrapas and Eutychios. In 1365, when Ohrid belonged to the Serbian Empire, two parecclesions (side chapels) were added to the north and south. They were commissioned by Gregory, Serbian bishop of Devoll, an Albanian region bordering Ohrid. New frescoes were added later in the ^14th and ^16th centuries. In the early ^15th century, shortly after the arrival of the Ottomans (1395), Saint Sophia Cathedral was transformed into a mosque. The Church of the Mother of God-Perivleptos thus became the new seat of the archbishopric. It also inherited the relics of St. Clement of Ohrid from the church of St. Panteleimon, also converted into a mosque. The Church of the Mother of God-Perivleptos retained the title of cathedral until the abolition of the Ohrid archbishopric in 1767. The relics of St. Clement were transferred to the new church on Plaošnik Hill in 2002. In 1516, the cathedral church became an "archdiocesan museum", where the archbishopric transferred the region's most important manuscripts and icons. Although not an exhibition space, the city boasts the "oldest museum in the world". This tradition continues with the Ohrid National Museum, which manages the prestigious Gallery of Icons and boasts one of the world's oldest collections of Slavonic manuscripts. From the ^19th century onwards, when Orthodox Christians once again became the majority in Ohrid, the exterior of the building was modified, notably with the addition of an exonarthex. In 1862, the monastery's outbuildings were destroyed by fire. In 1924, a bell tower was erected on the north-west side of the church. Finally, from the 1950s onwards, major restoration campaigns were launched. The most recent phase was completed in 2017 with the renovation of part of the frescoes.

Architecture. Recognizable by its drum-mounted central dome and elegant stack of roof cornices, the current building takes the form of a rectangle 15 metres wide by 20 metres long. The original church (8 x 17 m) is almost invisible from the outside. It is concealed by two later structures: two long ^14th-century side chapels, to the north and south; and an exonarthex with four columns on the façade, added in the ^19th century, to the west. Inside, however, the 1295 building is well preserved. It opens with a small narthex to the west. This is followed by the naos, dominated by the dome. The dome is supported by four pillars delimiting the choir and forming an inscribed cross plan. Finally, to the east, the sanctuary (reserved for the clergy) includes the altar, which ends in an apse, with two small areas on either side for the preparation of the liturgy ("mass" for the Orthodox). At first glance, the exterior materials resemble those of a traditional southern Balkan house: walls made of uncut stone, themselves bound with a lot of mortar and set between beech beams. These are fairly recent parts, of no real value. But if you look up at the dome or go to the apse, you'll find much more elaborate Byzantine techniques: "cloisonné" walls with cut stones set between flat bricks, and complex brick assemblies used to create a variety of patterns (meanders, checkerboard, etc.).

Michalis Astrapas and Eutychios. The most precious and beautiful frescoes are to be found in the original church, particularly in the naos. These consist of four cycles illustrating the liturgy (life of the Mother of God, life of Christ, Passion of Christ, great Orthodox feasts) and a vast series of portraits of saints (martyrs, Church fathers, prophets, local saints, etc.). They were painted in 1294-1295 by Michalis Astrapas and Eutychios. These two Greek brothers from Thessalonica were among the most important Balkan artists of the Middle Ages. Both painters discreetly signed their work. The inscription "By the hand of Michalis" appears on the sword of Saint Mercury and on the cloak of Saint Demetrios. The name Eutychios can be seen on the cloak of Saint Procopius. Michalis Astrapas ("Michael the Lightning") and Eutychios (sometimes called Eutychès in French) were trained by the monk-painters of Mount Athos. This was their first major work. Later, the two brothers entered the service of the Serbian king Milutin. For him, they created the decor for three other churches in Kosovo and Serbia, now classified as Unesco World Heritage sites. In the Republic of Macedonia, we owe them the remarkable frescoes of the Church of St. George in Staro Nagoričane (1318), near Kumanovo, and those of the Church of St. Nicetas (1324), near Skopje. With the decoration of the Mother of God-Perivleptos, the two painters broke with the maniera graeca (classical Byzantine style), which was very rigid, by doing much more than describing biblical episodes. They convey emotions through almost unprecedented scenes of tenderness. And with graphic innovations such as the use of perspective, realistic expressions and floating figures, they heralded the revival of European painting. Ten years later, most of their discoveries were to be found in the frescoes of the Scrovegni chapel in Padua, Italy, the first masterpiece by Giotto, the precursor of the Italian Renaissance.

Fresco of the Dormition of the Mother of God. Located above the entrance to the naos, this is one of the most striking frescoes in this church, itself dedicated to the Mother of God. It has been the central theme of Eastern pictorial art since the ^8th century: Mary's "sleep"(kimisis in Greek, dormitio in Latin) or, more prosaically, her death. This episode is almost absent from Catholic art, which celebrates the "Assumption", the ascent of the Virgin Mary's soul to heaven, on the same day, August 15, without mentioning her physical death. Here, the fresco is the climax of the Mother of God cycle.The painters have taken advantage of the architecture to make the composition more dynamic by linking it to three chronologically related episodes: on either side of the dormition, under the two side arches, the angel announcing Mary's imminent death (left) and the funeral procession leaving for the Mount of Olives (right ) are depicted; and above the dormition, at window level, the scene of Mary's Assumption is painted. The dormition scene itself is beneath the window. And it's packed with detail. Christ appears above the remains of his mother, nimbed in a mandorla. In his arms, he holds a swaddled, winged infant, symbolizing Mary's soul. Surrounding him and the shroud are six archangels, the twelve apostles without halos, and three bishops in prelatic garb. The latter, whom some texts give as witnesses to Mary's death, are the bishops of Athens, Dionysius the Areopagite and Hierotheus, and the bishop of Ephesus, Timothy. Beneath the shroud, in the foreground, the presence of a censer evokes Mary's last words, as described by the apostle Paul: "Light the incense and pray." Above Christ (and below the actual church window) is painted the blue dome of the gateway to Paradise, from which the cohort of angels descends to fetch the soul of the deceased. The decor is composed of two houses representing the places where Mary lived, in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. Then, in the side sections, thirteen strange conch-shaped clouds appear, carrying fourteen figures. Each of the twelve apostles, this time haloed, has its own "vessel". At the top right, a cloud led by Archangel Michael welcomes the Mother of God, dressed in black. The latter passes on her girdle (evoking her chastity) to the apostle Thomas, who had doubted Christ's resurrection. At the very top, around the window, the theme of the Assumption is symbolized by the apostles arranged in two semi-circles. They are haloed and seated on their thrones to celebrate the imminent arrival of the soul of the Mother of God. Finally, at bottom right, the last figure in the funeral procession catches the eye. This is Jephonias, a Jewish priest. He is dressed in red and his face has been vandalized. For trying to overturn the body of the Mother of God, his forearms are severed by the sword of the Archangel Michael. In the apocryphal writings, Jephonias is the symbol of the redemption of the Jews who refused to hear Christ's message, and was miraculously healed after his conversion.

Fresco of the Deploration of Christ. This episode in the cycle of the Passion of Christ is painted on the north wall of the naos, to the left of the dome area. Michalis Astrapas and Eutychios recount the lamentations of the Mother of God and the disciples after Christ's death on the cross. For its impact on art history, this is the church's most significant fresco. In fact, for reasons that specialists cannot explain, it bears a striking resemblance to The Deposition from the Cross, painted ten years later by Giotto in the Scrovegni chapel (1305) in Padua. These two innovative works on the same theme represent a turning point in European art. Yet only Giotto's work has achieved fame, being considered the first milestone of the pre-Renaissance movement. The strongest element in Ohrid and Padua is Mary's immense distress. Kneeling before the body of her son, she is ready to faint, held back only by the hands of the mourners surrounding her. The mourners are far more demonstrative. The second common and striking element is the unusual image of angels floating above the scene. They are desperate, and some are weeping too. Finally, there are three apostles here too, but in different postures: John kisses Christ's hand, Peter kisses his feet and Paul remains slightly apart. The only area that distinguishes the Ohrid and Padua frescoes is the foreground, where a series of objects are shown: the spear of the soldier who pierced Jesus' right side during the crucifixion, the rope used to lower the cross, a basket containing the tools used to remove the nails, and the vase of perfumed oil used to anoint the body before burial. All these objects brought back from the Holy Land were venerated as relics. For Byzantine painters, the need to depict them became necessary because, since the sacking of Constantinople by the Latins in 1204, most of these relics had disappeared.

Other frescoes. Correspondences with Giotto can be noted elsewhere in the church, such as in the beautiful scene at the "Golden Door", where Mary's parents meet for the first time after learning that they would finally have a child. In a completely new way, as in Padua, the emotion is there: Anne and Joachim embrace and hug each other tenderly. Another innovation is the scene of the "Nativity of Mary", in which, probably for the first time in Christian art, the infant Mary appears in a cradle. This realism also reflects the changing place of the newborn in medieval society. Finally, note the way in which both painters depicted Judas, the apostle who facilitated Jesus' arrest. In the dynamic scene of the "Kiss of Judas", the gesture by which Judas points out Jesus to the Jewish soldiers who have come to arrest him, the "traitor" is classically depicted as already fallen, without a halo. But in the "Communion of the Apostles" in the apse, Judas has regained his halo. Even more astonishing, he is the first of the disciples to drink from the chalice held by Christ. This time, the painters take up the vision of certain great theologians who insist not on Judas' "betrayal", but on his "imprudence", the apostle not having measured the consequences of his actions in denouncing the one he loved.

Located along the Pena River, this superb ^19th-century mosque (Шарена Џамија/Šarena Džamija, Xhamia e Larme) is a rarity in Islamic architecture: its exterior and interior walls are adorned with rich, brightly-colored decoration. In the Balkans, only the Colorful Mosque in Travnik (1817), Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the Et'hem Bey Mosque in Tirana (1823), Albania, preserve comparable frescoes. Here, the mosque is modest in size (10 x 10 m) and preceded by a five-arched porch. It was built in 1833, on the site of an earlier "colored" mosque dating from 1495, of which only the 28 m-high minaret remains. It was commissioned by the region's governor, Abdurrahman Pacha. This Albanian patron of the arts, a follower of Bektashism, was the son of Rexhep Pacha, the governor who enlarged the Arabati-Baba tekké. To decorate "his" mosque, Abdurrahman Pacha called on craftsmen from the Debar region, renowned for its iconostasis sculptors and church painters. It is said that 30,000 egg yolks were needed to make the paint and varnish for the decorations.

Star of the Mahdi. The outer walls each feature some 30 rectangular panels painted with geometric and arabesque motifs. The façade has fewer painted panels and more arabesques. The porch features a large six-pointed star, rather than the classical five-pointed one representing the five pillars of Islam. This is the symbol of the Mahdi, the "Saviour" awaited by all Muslims, but whose belief is more widespread among Bektashis (and Shiites) than among traditionalist Sunnis. Inside, the six-pointed star can be found in various places. The mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca) and minbar (pulpit) are carved marble and painted in a baroque style. On the porch side, the upper part of the wall is open with three corbelled balconies, also in Baroque style. The walls are decorated with floral and geometric motifs, Arabic calligraphy and landscapes depicting Muslim buildings. Among the latter is a representation, extremely rare if not unique in a mosque, of the Prophet's tomb in Mecca. The carved wooden dome is adorned with twelve medallions representing six floral compositions and six mosques in the Tetovo region. Last but not least, note the ^18th-century wooden clock with a mechanism indicating the (variable) prayer times.

Located on the edge of Stara Čaršija, beneath the Skopje fortress, this Orthodox church (Црква Свети Спас/Crkva Sveti Spas, Kisha e Shën Sotirit) and its complex house one of the country's finest iconostases, as well as the tomb of Macedonian Bulgarian revolutionary Goce Delčev (1872-1903). Dating from the late ^17th or early ^18th century, it is dedicated to the Ascension of Christ and Christ the Saviour: the term Spas refers both to the Ascension of Christ (forty days after Easter) and to Jesus himself. The proximity of the Mustafa-Pacha mosque explains the discreet architecture of the complex. Viewed from the outside, the church reveals only its tiled roof and black-beamed campanile. Once in the courtyard, we discover the sarcophagus in which lies Goce Delčev, considered a hero in North Macedonia and Bulgaria. It was offered by Bulgaria to Yugoslavia in 1946 under pressure from Moscow, shortly before Tito's break with Stalin in 1948. The church is reached by descending a few steps.

Iconostasis. The church's iconostasis is carved entirely from walnut. It is 10 m wide and almost 7 m high. It was made between 1817 and 1824 by brothers Marko and Petar Filipovski and Makarie Frčkovski, a trio who are also responsible for the iconostasis at St. John Bigorvski Monastery in Mavrovo National Park. All three belong to the Macedonian Mijak minority, renowned for their engraving and painting skills. Divided into five horizontal zones, the iconostasis has only two registers of icons, also made by Mijak craftsmen, the largest of which were added in 1864. But it's the woodwork that really stands out. The double twisted columns supporting the various elements are carved from a single block of wood. The panels, meanwhile, are teeming with finely carved details: plant motifs, a fortified city, animals, monsters, human figures and more. Note the group of three men representing the three craftsmen working the wood, tools in hand. Or the biblical scene of Herod's feast, in which Salome dances in traditional Mijak costume to charm the King of Judea into delivering her the head of St. John the Baptist. Finally, the ceiling features frescoes dating from the ^17th century, rediscovered during restoration work in 1964.

This mosque (Јени Џамија/Jeni Džamija) is easy to spot thanks to its 39-m-high minaret. It owes its name of "new mosque"(Yeni Cami in Turkish) to the cadi (Muslim judge) Mahmud Efendi, who had it built in 1558 on the site of several churches, the foundations of which can be seen all around. It's a fine example of provincial Ottoman architecture: a square with a single dome, extended by a porch. The interior is decorated with arabesques in bas-relief on the marble furnishings, stalactite sculptures, painted earthenware and calligraphy.

This elegant Orthodox monastery (Манастир Матка/Manastir Matka) is occupied by nuns famous for their textile workshop: liturgical vestments for the clergy of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, embroidered icons, but also handbags with folk or modern designs. Founded around 1337, the complex is dedicated to the dormition of the Mother of God. It consists of a large, well-kept garden and buildings from different periods, including a beautiful little church dating from 1497. The church contains remarkable frescoes from the ^15th and ^16th centuries.

This large Orthodox church with salmon-pink walls (Црква Свети Димитриј/Crkva Sveti Dimitrij) dates from the ^18th century. Constantly transformed, it was briefly elevated to the rank of cathedral. If its frescoes, painted after the earthquake of 1963, are without charm, they are famous because of a "miracle": on April 8, 2012, the halos of the saints began to glow in an unusual way. A phenomenon probably due to the humidity of the church during the Easter celebrations.

This mosque (Султан-Муратова Џамија/Sultan-Muratova Džamija, Xhamia e Sulltan Muratit) is the oldest in Skopje. It was erected in 1436 on the site of an Orthodox monastery dedicated to St. George thanks to a donation from Ottoman Sultan Murat II (1421-1451). However, not much remains of the original building as many changes were made, including the restoration completed in 2020. The rectangular building (34.60 x 27.60 m) is preceded by a porch with five arches. The large, classical, tiled roof conceals a decorated dome. The interior space is divided into three naves delimited by two supporting walls and three rows of columns. Dominated by a minaret of 35 m high, the mosque is part of a complex of which two mausoleums and the old buildings of a former medersa (Koranic school) and an imaret (hospice) remain. Next to the latter, to the north, stands the clock tower (Саат-Кула/Saat-Kula, Kulla e Sahatit) which was used to indicate the (variable) prayer times to all the mosques in the city. With a height of 37 m, it was built between 1566 and 1573. For the lower part, a square defensive tower of the old monastery was used. An octagonal stone section was added, topped by a wooden floor. The latter was rebuilt in brick in 1902. Like the mosque, the tower has undergone a recent restoration funded by Turkey.

Located next to the Museum of Northern Macedonia, this mosque (Мустафа-Пашина Џамија/Mustafa-Pašina Džamija, Xhamia e Mustafa Pashës) is the largest and most beautiful in Stara Čaršija. It was built in 1492 as part of a donation from Mustafa Pasha, vizier (minister) to the sultans Bayezid II and Selim ^I. Situated on a small hill, it dominates the old Ottoman town with its 47 m-high minaret. The mosque was once part of a complex comprising a medersa (Koranic school) and an imaret (hospice). It was severely damaged during the 1963 earthquake, and its restoration was only completed in 2011 with financial assistance from Turkey. The building's architecture is simple. It has a square base and a dome 16.3 m in diameter. The ashlar and brick walls are pierced by multiple openings. The white marble porch is supported by four marble columns and covered by three small domes. At the entrance is the mausoleum (türbe) of Ima, Mustafa Pasha's daughter, the fountain for the ablutions of the faithful and the remains of the medersa and imaret. The garden contains the tombs of religious figures and rose beds. The interior is painted with floral motifs and decorated with sculptures. It also features panels bearing calligraphy of the names of Allah, Muhammad and the first four caliphs who succeeded the Prophet (Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, Omar ibn al-Khattâb, Othmân ibn Affân and Ali ibn Abi Talib).

This vast Ottoman-period tekké (Арабати Баба Теќе/Arabati Baba Teḱe, Teqeja e Baba Harabatit) belongs to the brotherhood of the bektashis, the most tolerant branch of Sufi Islam. The complex, which resembles a fortified camp, extends over 26,700 m². It boasts a magnificent garden, a dozen classical Ottoman-style buildings and around a hundred tombs of dervishes and followers of Bektashism. It was founded in 1538 by the Turkish dervish master Sersem Ali Baba. But it bears the name of his disciple and successor, Arabati Baba. It was he who undertook the expansion of the tekké after the death of his master in 1549. Out of humility, these two great theologians and poets adopted ridiculous sobriquets: in Turkish sersem means "madman" or "fool" and harabati is derived from the ancient Arabic arābātat, meaning "drunkard". It was from this tekké that the humanistic precepts of the bektashis spread to the Albanian-speaking populations of the Balkans. However, the complex took on its current appearance between 1799 and 1820 under Rexhep Pasha. An adept of Bektashism, this Albanian governor of the Tetovo region undertook major renovations.

Welcoming dervishes and intimidating bearded men. Rexhep Pacha's original intention was to house his daughter Fatima, who was suffering from tuberculosis, so that she could breathe the pure air of the Šar Mountains. Thanks to his patronage, the complex continued to flourish, attracting ever more dervishes, scholars, poets, pilgrims and donors. When the bektashis became too influential at the sultan's court and were expelled from present-day Turkey, the brotherhood transferred its headquarters to the Arabati-Baba tekké in 1826. When the Ottomans left in 1912, the headquarters were finally transferred to Tirana, Albania, where they remain today. Since 1912, the tekké has suffered a long decline. Closed down by the Yugoslav socialist authorities in 1945, it fell victim to arson in 1948, before being transformed into a tourist complex in the 1960s with a restaurant, hotel and even, for a time, a discotheque. After independence and another fire in 1992, it was finally returned to the Bektashis in 1994. But since 2002, part of the complex has been occupied by a group of Sunni Islamists who consider the Bektashis to be "heretics". Fortunately, a visit is still possible. But it can be a little strange, with welcoming, peaceful dervishes on one side, and sometimes intimidating fundamentalist bearded men on the other.

This Orthodox monastery (Манастир Свети Наум/Manastir Sveti Naum) was founded between 893 and 905 by Saint Naum of Ohrid and Bulgarian King Boris ^I (reign 852-889). It is dedicated to the archangels Gabriel and Michael. Nestled on a cliff on the shores of Lake Ohrid, 600 m from the Albanian border, this 30-hectare complex enjoys a magnificent setting. Surrounded by greenery and the springs that feed the lake, the monastery is famous for its free-roaming peacocks and the excellent raki sold by the monks. Having belonged to Albania from 1912 to 1925, it is one of the holiest and most visited places in Northern Macedonia. It was extensively remodeled and enlarged up to the ^16th century, and part of the buildings were rebuilt after a fire in 1875. Today, there is a large ^19th-century circular building housing the monks' cells and the Sveti Naum hotel, several churches and chapels, a harbor for tour boats, souvenir stores, sacred springs and a small lake. At the center of the complex, the Church of the Archangels-Gabriel-and-Michel (Црква Архангели Гаврил и Михаил) forms the catholicon (main church) of the monastery. The ^10th-century building followed a trefoil plan modeled on the church of the monastery of St. Panteleimon in Ohrid. Only the black and white marble floor has been preserved. The original church was destroyed before the ^13th century, then rebuilt in Byzantine style in the ^16th century. The porch pillars bear inscriptions in Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets from the ^10th-12th centuries, among the oldest epigraphic traces in Slavic literature.

Tomb of Saint Naum. All interior walls are painted. But only a few fragments from the ^16th-17th centuries remain. Most of the frescoes were executed between 1800 and 1806 in a "medieval" style by an Albanian artist from Korça called Terpo. On the right, after the narthex, the chapel dates from 1799. Topped by a large dome, it houses the tomb of Saint Naum, where the saint was buried in 910. The tomb is the object of deep devotion, including within the local Muslim community. Tradition has it that people bend over the tomb to hear the saint's heart beating and make a vow. The chapel is decorated with frescoes depicting miracles attributed to Naum, some of which are not lacking in piquancy: a monk caught trying to steal the saint's relics, the healing of a mentally ill man, a domesticated bear, a horse thief caught at the monastery gates and a mysterious bucket that left its imprint on the rocks.

Cupolas and iconostasis. The dome of the narthex features portraits of the archangels and Boris ^I, who financed the construction of the monastery after abdicating to become a monk in 889. The dome of the nave is decorated with a superb Mother of God, surrounded by representations of the evangelists Cyril and Methodius and some of their disciples, such as Clement and Naum. The carved wooden iconostasis dates from 1711. It is the oldest in the country. Its icons were painted in the same period by Konstandin Shpataraku, of the Albanian school of Berat and father of the Terpo painter who did the frescoes. Among the icons in the iconostasis, note the Mother of God Eleousa ("of tenderness"), the portraits of the archangels and that of Saint Marina holding the devil by the horns.

Founded in the ^11th century, this Orthodox cathedral (Црква Света Софија/Crkva Sveta Sofija) is the largest medieval building in the country and is the headquarters of the Autocephalous Church of Macedonia. Dedicated to St. Sophia, a ^2nd-century Roman martyr who embodied divine Wisdom, it houses some of the best-preserved ^11th-century frescoes in the world that bear witness to the schism of 1054. Its complex architecture reflects a long and eventful history: it is of Byzantine style but does not have a central dome, its naos has three naves as the ancient temples and its general plan follows the shape of a T whose upper bar is constituted by a monumental exonarthex without equivalent in the Balkans. It was moreover transformed into mosque during four centuries. The entrance is always done by the Ottoman porch which dates from the ^15th or ^16th century.

History. The site was first occupied by an ancient Greek temple, then by a Roman civil basilica, itself replaced in the ^sixth century by a Christian basilica. Around 880, the Bulgarian emperor Boris ^I and Saint Clement of Ohrid had a basilica built here. This one is transformed around 990, when Samuel ^Ier chooses Ohrid as capital of the Bulgarian Empire. Of still modest dimensions, the building adopts the plan of an ancient basilica with three parallel naves. The present cathedral was founded between 1037 and 1056 by the Byzantine prelate Leo, second archbishop of Ohrid. It is then conceived as the symbol of the Byzantine reconquest of the region. It became the seat of the "Bulgarian" archbishopric of Ohrid, in theory independent, but directly subjected to the patriarch of Constantinople. If the Bulgarian basilica disappears, the three-aisle plan is preserved. The new building stretches towards the west where it ends with a narthex. The whole is surmounted by a central dome, whose four pillars give the naos the cross-shaped plan of Byzantine churches. Between 1317 and 1334, the Byzantine archbishop of Ohrid, Gregory ^I, had a monumental double-storey exonarthex of 30 m length placed on the west side. The construction of this "Gregory Gallery" remains an enigma. Why such a construction site? And who financed it? Indeed, Ohrid did not belong to any great power, but to local Albanian nobles. The city will pass under Serbian control in 1334. It is the rich Greek-Serbian lord Jovan Oliver (to whom we owe the church of Lesnovo) who will finance the frescos around 1340-1355. The Ottomans transformed the cathedral into a mosque at the beginning of the ^15th century. The central dome is removed and, as the direction of prayer of Muslims is towards Mecca, southeast, a new entrance is created northwest, with a porch placed along the naos. The "Gregory Gallery" is condemned, but it serves as a support for the minaret, installed on its northern tower. Inside, the frescoes are hidden. A mirhab, a niche indicating the direction of Mecca for prayer, was installed. As for the marble iconostasis, it was dismantled to be used for the construction of the minbar (pulpit). The mosque retains its old name, however, since it is called Büyük Ayasofya Camii in Turkish, ie "Great Mosque of Saint Sophia. After the departure of the majority of the Muslim population in 1912, the mosque serves as a warehouse. The building is the subject of a major renovation from 1949: all the attributes of the old mosque are gradually removed and part of the Christian frescoes are rediscovered. In 1959, the cathedral is reopened to the worship and becomes the seat of the new Orthodox Church of Macedonia. The place is however rarely used for worship. Known for its good acoustics, the naos is mainly used for concerts of sacred or secular music, in particular within the framework of the summer festival of Ohrid (from mid-July to mid-August).

Historical significance of the frescos. As the double gallery of the exonarthex and the narthex are closed to visits, only the naos is accessible. But it is the naos that contains the oldest and most precious frescoes of the cathedral. Painted by unknown artists, they were made during the great schism of 1054 between the Eastern and Western Churches. It is the main visual testimony of this historical event according to the official Byzantine point of view. Their commissioner, Archbishop Leo of Ohrid, was indeed a close collaborator of Michael ^I Cerular, the Patriarch of Constantinople who was excommunicated by the papal legates on July 16, 1054, the date that marked the definitive separation between Catholics and Orthodox.

Frescoes on the west wall. Most of the remarkable ^11th century frescoes are in the choir and apse. But the central part of the west wall, immediately to the right after the entrance, preserves several other frescoes from the same period. They are placed above the old main entrance that connected the narthex to the naos. If they are damaged, one can recognize the scenes of the Presentation in the Temple, the Nativity of Christ and the Dormition of the Mother of God. The latter is one of the oldest of its kind in the world.

Iconostasis and foundations. Barring the eastern part of the three naves, the marble iconostasis was added in 2015, and the icons it houses are of no historical value. As is the Eastern tradition, this partition serves to separate the naos from the sanctuary reserved for the communing clergy. One can therefore no longer admire the amazing frescoes behind it, notably the portraits of the six Roman popes painted in the diakonon (sacristy), to the right of the altar: in the context of the schism of 1054, it was a question of putting the bishops of Rome on the same level as the sixty other Christian prelates painted throughout the sanctuary. Above all, it is a pity that the minbar (pulpit) of the old mosque was demolished in 2000. However, this one was precisely made of finely carved elements from the iconostasis of the ^eleventh century. On the other hand, openings in the floor and glass panels allow us to see the foundations of the old Bulgarian basilica as well as the remarkable ^14th century marble carved ambo (lectern). Behind the iconostasis, the highest frescoes of the central apse are clearly visible. The ensemble is dominated by the Mother of God Throne of Wisdom painted on a blue background of lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, the most precious pigment of the Middle Ages. Below is the scene of the Communion of the Apostles. Christ the priest is placed under the ciborium of the altar. He makes the sign of blessing and holds the paten, the round plate used to distribute the amnos ("lamb" in Greek), that is, the leavened bread symbolizing the sacrifice of the body of Christ. The presence of the paten is unusual: it is an evocation of the dispute over the divine liturgy (the Eucharist for Catholics) which was one of the triggers of the schism of 1054.

Fresco on the choir vault. Shortly before the iconostasis, the semicircular vault is occupied by a large scene of the Ascension: Christ appears in the center, in a mandorla supported by four angels. Further down, on either side, stand the apostles, the Mother of God and the archangels Michael and Gabriel. In the next register are five archangels kneeling on either side. This is another reference to the rupture of 1054: the archangels represent the Pentarchy, that is, the original organization of Christianity with the five patriarchal Churches of Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, Jerusalem and Rome.

Frescoes on the walls of the choir. On both sides of the vault, several scenes are loaded with symbols related to the schism of 1054. Thus, on the south side (on the right when facing the apse), the damaged representation of the Hospitality of Abraham is a double blow. First of all, the three angels appear here as the three incarnations of God and are seated in the prophet's home in the same plane. This goes against the dogma of the Filioque developed in the West, which establishes a hierarchy between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Then there is the dish prepared by Sarah (in the background, on the left) and served by Abraham, kneeling: it is leavened bread, the kind reserved in the East for the divine liturgy. The same bread that the Pope, in 1054, wanted to replace with unleavened bread as in the West. On the north side, the oldest known representation of the Liturgy of Basil the Great appears: the ^4th century bishop prepares the sacrament of communion under the ciborium. The work serves here as a reminder that the Byzantine rite, unlike Western practice, has not deviated from the origins of Christianity.

Exonarthex. When leaving the cathedral, turn left in the small park and left again to go down the stairs to Ilindenska Street. This is where the monumental facade designed around 1317 by Archbishop Gregory ^I is finally revealed. Today, the exonarthex is almost unnoticed in the urban fabric. At the time of its construction, this structure was enhanced by the creation of a vast square. However, the latter disappeared when the exonarthex was condemned during the Ottoman period. Partially cleared since the 1950s, the square now hosts an open-air theater. From the terraces, one can have a little distance to admire the facade with its two lateral towers surmounted by domes mounted on drums, its two open galleries and its 30 m length. The base of the walls is composed of large carved stones, some of which, bearing engravings and inscriptions in Greek, are replacements from the ancient theater. The towers are mostly mounted in "cloisonné", a Byzantine technique consisting of framing cut stones between mortar and flat tiles. In the central part, bricks are practically the only material used. They form eight arcades supported by five pillars and four columns in the lower gallery, then seventeen blind niches in the next row. The upper gallery is the most famous: it is represented on the reverse side of the 1,000 denar banknotes. Its style is neat, with four elegant triplets separated by three cul-de-four niches. Finally, the whole is dominated by a long inscription in Greek. It is the dedication of the patron, Gregory ^I. It reads: "Gregory, Moses of the new Israel, teaches the wisdom of the divine law to the Mesians." The "Mesians" are the inhabitants of Mesia, a Roman province that lay west of the Danube. It is by this name that the Byzantines designated the Bulgarians of Ohrid in the Middle Ages.

This stunning rotunda-shaped cathedral (Соборен Храм Свети Климент Охридски/Soboren Hram Sveti Kliment Ohridski) is the seat of the Macedonian Orthodox Church. Designed by Slavko Brezovski (1922-2017) and completed in 1990, it is one of the world's few modernist cathedrals. The interior can accommodate 6,000 worshippers. The dome is adorned with a 5-t chandelier and a 70^m2 fresco of Christ. The iconostasis is 19.50 m long and 12.50 m high.

This small Orthodox church (Црква Свети Андреја/Crkva Sveti Andreja) preserves its beautiful frescoes painted shortly after the building's construction in 1389. The most remarkable are those of the Passion of Christ cycle: the Last Supper, the Descent from the Cross and the Ascension on the Mount of Olives. Dedicated to the Apostle Andrew, the church was built for the Serbian lord Andrijaš Mrnjavčević (c. 1340-1395), brother of Prince Marko, who ruled Greater Macedonia at the time.

Founded in the ^12th century, this Orthodox monastery (Манастир Свети Илија/Manastir Sveti Ilija) is isolated in a forest 630 m above sea level. Guarded by a family that lives there, it is famous for its so-called "miraculous" water source (against eye diseases). Its catholicon is a small rock church which preserves damaged frescoes of the ^XIVth century and a beautiful iconostasis in carved wood of the ^XIXth century. Some scenes from the film Before the Rain (1994) were filmed here.

Founded in 1080, this Orthodox monastery (Вељушки Mанастир/Veljuški Manastir) is located 400 m above the village of Veljusa (population 1,500). Dedicated to the Mother of God Eleousa ("of compassion"), it houses a community of nuns, a garden with boxwood lined paths and various buildings that have been rebuilt many times. The catholicon (main church) preserves elements of the ^eleventh century: fragments of mosaic, marble iconostasis and some frescoes, including that of Christ Emmanuel in the dome. Beautiful views over the plain of Strumica.

This Orthodox monastery dedicated to Saint Athanasius of Alexandria (Лешочки Манастир/Lešočki Manastir, Manastiri i Leshkës) is a symbol of Macedonian identity. The faithful come here to pay their respects at the tomb of Kiril Pejčinoviḱ (c. 1771-1845), a Bulgarian monk from Tearce canonized by the Macedonian Orthodox Church in 2022. Enjoying a beautiful setting, with the Šar Mountains in the background, the complex was founded in the ^14th century by Serbian prince and saint Lazar Hrebeljanović (1329-1389). Destroyed by the Ottomans after the Austrian incursion into Polog around 1683-1699, it was restored by Kiril Pejčinoviḱ, who was higoumène (abbot) of the monastery from 1818. A great literary and religious figure, Pejčinoviḱ is both considered the creator of the modern Bulgarian language and one of the earliest contributors to the Macedonian language. On the heights of the complex remain the ruins of the old ^14th-century Church of St. Athanasius. To the south-east of the courtyard stands the 19th-century Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God. Dating from the ^19th century, it is very simple in form and features frescoes from the ^14th, ^17th and ^19th centuries. Finally, the new Church of St. Athanasius, completed in 1936, is massive and of a style that is, to say the least, haphazard. Badly damaged during the 2001 civil war, it was rebuilt with European funding in 2007. Various ^{twentieth-century} buildings recall the monastery's use as an orphanage and as an annex to the Tetovo hospital specializing in the treatment of lung diseases.

Erected in 1313, this Orthodox church (Црква Свети Никола Болнички/Crkva Sveti Nikola Bolnički) was part of a complex housing a hospital that served as a quarantine place for travelers. A unique case in the country, a two-bay wall-belfry is directly integrated into the building: it is an influence of the Romanesque architecture of the Dalmatian coast, which was then, like Ohrid, under Serbian control. The frescoes date from the beginning of the ^14th to the end of the ^15th century. Those on the south wall are the best preserved with portraits executed around 1340: St. Nicholas, St. Clement of Ohrid, St. Panteleimon and the Anargyrian saints Como and Damian. Below are six portraits of great Serbian figures added in 1345. Archbishop Nicholas ^I of Ohrid appears with the man he enthroned as emperor in Skopje in 1346, Dušan, next to him. Next is his wife, Helen of Bulgaria, and their son, the future Uroš V. On the right, the series ends with St. Sava, founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and his father St. Simeon, founder of the Nemanjić dynasty in 1166. In the courtyard are visible the remains of the city walls. Right next to it are the Cultura 365 center and the Church of the Mother of God of the Hospital. The latter was built around 1368. It was used for women in quarantine. The frescoes on the vaults date from the ^14th century, but the decoration of the walls was made in the ^19th century, as was the carved wooden iconostasis.