The most beautiful churches cathedrals basilicas and chapels Ohrid

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.

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.

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.

Offering a beautiful view of the lake, this recent Orthodox church (Црква Свети Климент и Пантелејмон/Crkva Sveti Kliment i Pantelejmon) was completed in 2002. It follows the supposed model of the church of St. Panteleimon erected here by St. Clement of Ohrid in 893 and transformed into a mosque in the ^15th century. The latter, left abandoned since the departure of the Turkish population in 1912, was destroyed and only the base of the old church has been preserved. Of enormous appearance with a narthex (to the north), a porch (to the south), two domes, a bell tower (to the west), an apse and its apsidioles (to the east), the building in fact houses a rather narrow naos. On the lower parts of the walls, a zinc joint is supposed to mark the limit between recent areas and the foundations of the ^ninth century. Mosaics from a^{fifth-century} baptistery are displayed in the porch. In the naos, part of the ancient foundations is visible under glass panels and fragments of ^{fourteenth-century} frescoes remain around the altar. Finally, the relics of St. Clement have been placed in the crypt in which he was buried in 916, to the right of the iconostasis. Outside, opposite the main entrance, is the atrium of the Ohrid literary school. In all likelihood, the first Slavic-language university was founded here by Clement of Orhid in the ^9th century. Classes were held in this double peristyle, some of whose columns have been removed.

This Orthodox cave church (Црквата Свети Еразмо Охридски/Crkvata Sveti Erazmo Ohridski) is dedicated to a mysterious local saint, St. Erasmus of Ohrid, a tutelary figure for local Christians since the^5th century. According to legend, the cave and its surroundings were once home to a community of hermits founded by the saint. Extensively altered up to the present day, the church features frescoes painted between the ^13th and ^18th centuries, including a large portrait of Theodore Doukas Comnenus, Byzantine ruler of Macedonia and Thrace after the Crusaders took Constantinople in 1204. It remains one of the country's most important rock churches. Today, it is at the center of a small religious complex. The cult of Erasmus remained strong in the region, even after the arrival of the Slavs. Thus, some 200 m to the south, along the main road, the ruins of a large ^12th-century church, also dedicated to St. Erasmus, were recently uncovered, along with a necropolis containing 124 tombs dating from the ^6th to ^12th centuries. From the St. Erasmus complex, a short cement road (approx. 200 m) leads near the top of the Gabavci hill topped by a cross, where you'll find the rock chapel of St. Catherine (Света Екатерина), where you can enjoy a magnificent panorama of Lake Ohrid. Behind the chapel are the remains of the Engelana fortress founded by the Enhélien tribe in the ^4th century BC.

More often referred to as Mali Sveti Vrači ("Little Holy Doctors"), this small medieval Orthodox church (Црква Свети Кузман и Дамјан/Crkva Sveti Kuzman i Damjan) is dedicated to the Anargyrian (who heal "without asking for money") saints, Como and Damian, Arab physicians and martyrs of the ^4th century. Neither its exact date of construction nor its founder are known, but it houses the oldest carved wooden iconostasis in Northern Macedonia. This one was made in the ^14th century and was renovated in 1964. Very precious with its twisted pillars, it is 3 m long and 1.90 m high. The frescoes, most of them very damaged, were made in the same period. Most notable is the beautiful portrait of the Mother of God Episkepis ("Protector" in Greek) carrying the infant Christ. This is shown on the 1,000 denar banknotes. In the apse of the altar stands out the figure of Konstantin Kabasilas, a Byzantine nobleman who was ordained archbishop of Ohrid around 1250. More damaged is the portrait of St. Clement of Ohrid, who holds a small model of the city of which he is the protector. Also recognizable are representations of St. Cosmo (patron saint of surgeons) and St. Damian (patron saint of pharmacists). Leaving the church and continuing up the same stairs, then turning left, you will quickly reach the church of Saints Constantine and Helen, then the church of the Mother of God-Perivleptos and the Gallery of Icons.

This ^14th-century Orthodox church (Црква Свети Димитрија/Crkva Sveti Dimitrija) retains superb original paintings. In the first area, the large portraits of saints have disappeared, but on the south wall remains the face of St. Demetrios of Thessaloniki, a martyr of the ^fourth century. In the second zone, there is the cycle of the Passion: the entrance to Jerusalem and its little children is particularly joyful. There is also a beautiful wooden cross carved in the ^nineteenth century.

Surrounded by a pleasant garden, this Orthodox church (Црква Свети Константин и Елена/Crkva Sveti Konstantin i Elena) dates from the late ^14th century and was remodeled in 1477. It consists of a vaulted nave with a small transept, an apse and a side chapel placed to the south. The latter has lost its decoration except for a fragment of the fresco of the forty martyrs of Sebaste: a group of Roman legionaries converted to Christianity and died as martyrs on a frozen lake in present-day Turkey in the year 320. But the rest of the building retains its original frescoes (except in the northern part, due to humidity) and beautiful wooden doors with carved decoration. On the south wall, a large damaged fresco depicts St. Constantine, the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, founder of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire, and his mother, St. Helen, who was canonized for having, it is said, found the relic of the cross of Christ in the Holy Land. Note also a rich scene of the dormition of the Mother of God inspired by that of the church of the Mother of God-Perivleptos as well as the portrait of the donor, the hieromonk Parthenios. The latter is depicted with his family and holds the model of the church that he offered to Christ. Finally, St. Constantine and St. Helen are again depicted on the royal doors of the iconostasis (late ^14th century), which are now kept in the nearby Gallery of Icons.