Things to see and do 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.

This downtown district takes its name (Чаршија) from the former Ottoman sharia where businesses, mosques and the Muslim population were once concentrated. It extends along the pedestrian street of St. Clement of Ohrid (Sveti Kliment Ohridski). Very pleasant, this south-north axis in soft slope constitutes at the same time the favorite place of walk of the inhabitants and a haven of shopping for the tourists. The Ali-Pasha mosque, the clock tower, the Zeynelabidin-Pasha tekké, the municipal market and the pleasant Kruševska-Republika square are all located here.

This national gallery (Галерија на Икони/Galerija na Ikoni) is the jewel of the country's museums. The basement room, without much interest, contains recent icons and liturgical objects. But the main room, on the first floor, contains the thirty-six most valuable icons of Ohrid. Here is our selection.

Forty Martyrs of Sebaste - V. 1070 - 43,5 x 33 cm . This is the oldest representation of this type in the world and the second oldest icon in the gallery after the one of St. Basil the Great and St. Nicholas (no. 272) dating from 1045/1055. Painted for the Saint Sophia Cathedral, it illustrates the martyrdom of forty Christian legionaries put to death on the frozen lake of Sebaste (Sivas, Turkey) during the winter of 320. This episode is common in Eastern iconography. It is striking for the strength of conviction and stoicism of the martyrs. But it is especially important politically: it serves as a pretext for Constantine to take over the entire Roman Empire and become the champion of the Christians.

Annunciation - Two icons with riza - c. 1115 - 111 x 67,5 cm (each ). This diptych comes from the nearby church of the Mother of God-Perivleptos and bears on the reverse the name of its patron, the archbishop of Ohrid Leo II Mung (1108-1120). It illustrates the announcement to Mary of her divine motherhood by the archangel Gabriel. Each of the two figures is painted on a different support whose background and edges are covered with a superb riza. This protection in embossed metal is used here to "paint" the halos, the background with plant motifs and the holy figures on the sides. Thus, around Mary appear her parents Joachim and Anne, Christ, Saint John the Baptist and various saints and prophets. Mary's raspberry red maforii is held by two semi-precious cut stones.

Christ Pantocrator - With riza - 1262/1263 - 134,5 x 93 cm. This is the oldest icon in the region with an exact date. Behind it is also the name of the patron, the most erudite archbishop of Ohrid, Constantine Kabasilas. Destined for the church of the Mother of God-Perivleptos, it depicts the "all-powerful" Christ(pantokrator in Greek) draped in blue and gold with a halo made of a golden riza. The proportions are not realistic: the shoulders are too narrow, but this allows the painter - anonymous - to highlight the face and hands. The right hand with two outstretched fingers symbolizes the double nature, human and divine, of Christ.

Mother of God Hodegetria (with riza) and Crucifixion of Christ - Second half of the ^13th century - 95,5 x 65 cm. This icon painted on both sides was made by two of the greatest medieval artists of the Balkans, Michailis Astrapas and Eutychios, to whom we owe in particular the frescoes of the church of the Mother of God-Perivleptos. On the front: the Mother of God Hodegetria ("Leader"). The painting is completed by a riza with hammered halos and filigree background. On the reverse: the crucifixion of Christ with the Virgin and the apostle John. The gallery has two other "double-sided" icons that were intended for processions, one of which is magnificent, from the beginning of the ^14th century, showing the Annunciation and, on the front, the Mother of God Psychosostia ("Savior of souls").

Saint Clement of Ohrid - In relief - late ^13th century - 140 x 35 cm. If it looks like a wooden statue, it is in fact an "icon in relief", a very rare type of icon in Byzantine art. It comes from the church of the Mother of God-Perivleptos and is the only one of its kind in the country. The appearance of icons in relief in the ^13th century could be linked either to the first engraved wooden iconostases or to the Western influence after the capture of Constantinople by the Latins in 1204.

Saint Marine - V. 1754 - 92,5 x 60,5 cm . This is one of the most outstanding icons in the gallery. It was made by Constantine of Shpat, master of the school of Berat, in Albania. The saint, known in the West as Margaret of Antioch, died a martyr in 305. As in another icon in the gallery (no. 158), she is traditionally depicted wielding a hammer to slay a demon and/or dragon. Twelve vignettes depict scenes from her life (temptations of the devil, appearance of the dove of the Holy Spirit, etc.) and her martyrdom. Perpetually subjected to temptation, she took a vow of chastity. But for having rejected the advances of the Roman governor Olybrius, she was tortured and put to death. The Romans are represented here as Ottomans, Olybrius being dressed as a pasha. An anachronism probably very voluntary.

Mother of God Panton Chara - 1844 - 57 x 41 cm. It was made by the great Mijak painter Dico Zograf for the church of St. John in Kaneo. It belongs to the subcategory of the "Joy of All"(Panton Chara in Greek), which is related to the icons of the "unfading rose" (evocation of virginity). The Christ child is dressed in the orange-golden garb of the high priest. The inscriptions are written in both Greek and Old Slavonic. At the bottom are six portraits of saints. The last one on the right wears the red Arabic fez adopted in the Ottoman Empire from the ^nineteenth century. He also wears an embroidered vest and a fustanelle typical of the Greco-Albanian region of Epirus. It is the neo-martyr Saint George of Ioannina (Greece), killed in 1838 for having renounced Islam and converted to Christianity.

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 national museum (Народен Музеј во Охрид/Naroden Muzej vo Ohrid) is housed in an elegant Bulgarian-Ottoman house built on four levels between 1827 and 1865 by the Robev family (Куќата на Робевци/Kuḱata na Robevci). Since 1951 it has housed the largest part of the region's archaeological collections. On the first floor, the former stables house the lapidary collection with milestones from the Via Egnatia (^3rd century) and tombstones from various ancient necropolises. Note two engraved stones from the Hellenistic period (c. 200 BC) that come from the ancient theater of the city. They represent the Greek god Dionysus accompanied by his muses. On the second floor are reconstructed the apartments of the Robevs, a rich family of merchants and doctors who were at the origin of the "Bulgarian Renaissance" of Ohrid in the ^19th century: furniture, clothes, a large portrait of Constantin Robev, his doctor's bag, etc. The most valuable part of the archaeological collection is on the second floor. It includes coins, jewelry from the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Roman glass bottles and a superb statue of the Egyptian goddess Isis (^2nd century BC). The latter is the centerpiece of the museum. It bears witness to an "oriental" cult that developed in the Greek world after the conquests of Alexander the Great.

Neolithic tomb and view of the lake. One room houses the reconstruction of a Neolithic tomb found in the Samuel fortress. It is presented on a turntable, with jewelry and gold objects. On the third floor there is a reconstruction of the Robev family's large reception room with some examples of traditional wood carvings and a beautiful view of the lake. The museum is part of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments and National Museum of Ohrid (Завод за Заштита на Спомениците на Културата и Народен Музеј во Охрид/Zavod za Zaštita na Spomenicite na Kulturata i Naroden Muzej vo Ohrid). This public organization manages various sites in the city, including the Uzunov House, located opposite the Robev House, or the National Gallery of Icons. Its headquarters are located in the former Radnička school, a vast neoclassical building from 1922 that dominates the old town in Uzunov street. It does not house any exhibitions, but the offices are open Monday to Friday from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm.

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.

Built around 200 BC, this theater (Антички Театар/Antički Teatar) is the only one in the country of Greek origin. The architects of Lychnidos took advantage of the relief to place the stands on the sides of two hills. This configuration offered good acoustics and protection against the wind. What to allow the spectators to benefit from the melodies of the chorus and the whispers of the actors during the representations of comedies or tragedies. The building was modified by the Romans between 140 and 70 B.C. to accommodate up to 5,000 spectators (which suggests that the city then had between 20,000 and 25,000 inhabitants) and gladiatorial and wild animal fights. After the Edict of Thessalonica in 380, which made Christianity the only legal religion in the Empire, the theater was destroyed. Many of its materials were used for the construction of houses, basilicas and, later, the cathedral of Saint Sophia. Rediscovered in 1960, the theater retains only part of the arena walls and its first twelve rows. Among the lowest stands, on the left when you are facing the bleachers, notice the names written in Greek: they are those of families of the local elite who had assigned seats. But the best view of the lake today is from the twelfth row. Since 2001, the theater has been renovated with a capacity of 1,700 seats. It hosts performances, especially during the Ohrid Summer Festival, from mid-July to mid-August.

This fortress (Самуилова Тврдина/Samuilova Tvrdina) offers magnificent views of the old town and the lake. But you should not be impressed by the crenellated walls rising up to 16 m high, the three fortified gates and eighteen defensive towers: almost everything here is new. This ancient stronghold was completely rebuilt in 2002-2003 in a pseudo-millennium style in order to artificially recreate what was the capital of the Bulgarian Empire during the reign of Tsar (Emperor) Samuel ^I between 997 and 1014. In the context of the new national narrative, everything was done to accredit the official thesis that Samuel was "Macedonian"... even though a Slavic Macedonian identity only emerged at the end of the ^19th century. On site, signs explain that a first stronghold was established here in the ^4th century BC by Philip II of Macedonia, the father of Alexander the Great. But no international research came to support this thesis. It is however admitted that fortifications existed around 200 B.C. Reinforced by the Romans and the Byzantines, they made it possible to push back a raid of the ostrogoth king Theodoric the Great in 478 of our era. In the double enclosure, the Roman, Byzantine, Serbian, Albanian or Ottoman vestiges are not highlighted. Only is visible the old palace of the Albanian governor Xheladin Beu Ohri (beginning of the ^XIXth century). But the barracks and the mosque of the Ottoman soldiers remain in ruins.

Overlooking the old city to the west, this hill (Плаошник) is home to excavation sites and much maligned recent construction. The place is worth a visit for the mosaics of its early Christian basilica and for the plunging views over the lake. The hill has been inhabited since the Iron Age. At the beginning of our era, it was romanized: it was a residential area with houses, baths and temples. From the^5th century onwards, the place became a religious site with two basilicas and the seat of the first bishops of Lychnidos. In the ^9th century, St. Clement of Ohrid made Plaošnik the main center of Slavic evangelization with the construction of the prestigious Ohrid Literary School, a monastery and the church of St. Panteleimon. In the ^15th century, the latter was transformed into a mosque and provided with an imaret (hospice). A Muslim neighborhood was born, taking the name of Imaret. But since 2000, a vast real estate project tinged with nationalism has been launched: almost all traces of Islamic presence has been erased (only an Ottoman mausoleum remains). In its place were erected the modern buildings of the University of the Apostle Paul and the new church of Saints Clement and Panteleimon. These constructions have distorted the hill. They have earned Ohrid strong criticism from UNESCO, which is threatening to remove the city from the World Heritage List. In the western part, behind the bar of buildings of the university, a way passes in the forest to join the church Saint-Jean of Kaneo.

These artificial "springs" (Билјанини Извори/Biljanini Izvori) are a popular summer stroll for locals. One of its highlights is the Biljanini Izvori restaurant. The actual source of the Biljana River is on Mount Galičica and flows here from fish-breeding ponds. The Biljana then forms a 700 m-long channel that joins Lake Ohrid, with a small marina at its mouth. To the south, the lake's last marsh, Studenčišča (Студенчишко Блато/Studenčiško Blato), is an important 50-hectare biodiversity area.

The natural region of Lake Ohrid has recently been protected by three different international conventions, two of which extend across the border with Albania. Since 1979, only the part located in Northern Macedonia, and in particular the old town of Ohrid, had been listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site. But in 2019, this site was extended to include the entire area around the lake, forming the "Ohrid region": an area of 947 ^km2 that is now classified as a Unesco "natural and cultural heritage" site. This includes not only the lake itself (349 ^km2), but also the Albanian shores, notably the town of Pogradec (population approx. 60,000), south of the lake and 8 km west of the St. Naum monastery, and the peninsula of the village of Lin (population approx. 500, Albanian and Macedonian), west of the lake and 22 km south of Struga. Lake Ohrid is also part of the "Ohrid-Prespa Transboundary Biosphere Reserve", which extends over 4,462 ^km2 around Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa. This was created in 2014 by North Macedonia and Albania under the aegis of Unesco. It is managed by the German-based organization PONT (Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust) (pont.org). Finally, since 2021, the 250 ^km2 North Macedonian part of the lake has been listed under the Ramsar Convention for the preservation of wetlands of international importance with a high concentration of birds and fish.

This beautiful and venerable plane tree (Охридскиот Чинар/Ohridskiot Činar)is the most famous tree in the country. Referred to by the generic Turkish term çınar ("sycamore"), it is actually an Oriental plane tree(Platanus orientalis). Legend has it that it was planted in the ^10th century by St. Clement of Ohrid himself. A plaque installed on site by the municipality in 2019 accredits this theory. But its presence is actually more recent. It dates back to the ^fifteenth century, at the beginning of the Ottoman period, when the charchia was built.

Established in 2002, this small, privately owned print shop-museum (Национална Работилница за Рачна Изработка на Хартија/Nacionalna Rabotilnica za Račna Izrabotka na Hartija, National Workshop For Handmade Paper) offers reproductions of old works and documents using a variety of handcrafted techniques. There are demonstrations of papermaking, including a replica of the letterpress developed by Gutenberg in 1440. Sale of handmade paper and various prints.

Opened in 2011, this small private museum (Музеј на Долард/Muzej na Dolard, A. den Doolaard Museum) is dedicated to the Dutch writer A. den Doolaard (1904-1994). He wrote about present-day North Macedonia from 1934 and was particularly interested in Ohrid. The city attracts many tourists from the Netherlands. Installed in the Cultura 365 center, the museum consists of photos and excerpts from books by the writer. Since 2006, a monument also pays tribute to him in the park "Holland", south of the Macedonian quay.

This lake (Охридско Езеро/Ohridsko Ezero, Liqeni i Ohrit) is one of the oldest in the world and the deepest in the Balkans. Good for swimming in summer (the water temperature then exceeds 23 ° C), it extends over 349 ^km2 on both sides of the border with Albania, including 250 ^km2 in Northern Macedonia, which makes it the second largest lake in the Balkans after the lake of Shkodra, between Albania and Montenegro, which displays an area of 370 to 530 ^km2 depending on the season. However, the latter contains barely 2 million cubic metres of water, compared with over 55 million cubic metres for Lake Ohrid. Bordered by the towns of Ohrid and Struga, in Northern Macedonia, and Pogradec, in Albania, Lake Ohrid is also known as "Lake Pogradec" in Albanian (Liqeni i Pogradecit). At an altitude of 693 m, it offers magnificent scenery: it is surrounded by mountains, particularly to the east, where Mount Galičica (2,254 m) separates it from the large Lake Prespa (259 ^km2). Its rich flora and fauna have earned it Unesco World Heritage status since 1979, and Ramsar status for wetlands of international importance since 2021.

An old cousin of Titicaca. Oval in shape, the lake is 30.4 km long from north to south and 14.8 km wide from east to west. Its average depth is 155 m, with a maximum depth of 288.70 m. That's almost as deep as Lake Geneva, between France and Switzerland, which drops to - 310 m. But it's a long way from Norway's Lake Hornindalsvatnet, which holds the European depth record at - 514 m. On the other hand, Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest lakes on the planet, along with Lake Titicaca (between Peru and Bolivia), Lake Baikal (in Russia), Lake Tanganyika (between Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zambia) and the Dead Sea (between Israel, the West Bank and Jordan). All date from the same period: they were formed around four million years ago. Lake Ohrid is also distinguished by its very particular geology and hydrography. It is carved out of dense limestone rock, which prevents it from draining to the bottom. It is fed mainly by Lake Prespa, located at a higher altitude (853 m), whose waters flow through natural galleries beneath Mount Galičica to emerge as springs on the outskirts of Lake Ohrid. The most important of these resurgences are located on the south-eastern shore, around the St. Naum monastery, close to the Albanian border.

Translucent waters. Passing underground, the water is filtered and emerges particularly clear in Lake Ohrid, ensuring astonishing transparency at depths of up to 22 m. The lake is also fed by some forty rivers. The lake itself is the main source of the Black Drin, a 177 km-long river that flows from Struga (on the north shore) into Albania, where it joins the White Drin from Kosovo to form the Drin River, which flows into the Adriatic Sea. Lake Ohrid is the second largest watershed (2,600 km²) in Northern Macedonia, after the Vardar (22,000 km²). And yet its waters flow very slowly: it is estimated that they take seventy years to fully renew themselves, compared with just thirteen years for those of the great Lake Prespa.

Exceptional biodiversity. Lake Ohrid is without doubt the richest lake in the world in terms of biodiversity. Due to its age and natural properties, it is home to 1,200 animal and plant species, many of which are endemic, i.e. found only here. There are, for example, ten endemic fish species. The most emblematic is the Ohrid trout(Salmo letnica), served in many restaurants under the nameohridska pastrmka(koran in Albanian). Endemism is particularly impressive among plants and invertebrates, with a freshwater sponge, 12 crustaceans, 20 algae, 63 molluscs and 178 small organisms that are completely unique in the world. The whole complex is a vast larder for thousands of birds that winter here, particularly endangered species such as the rare and imposing Dalmatian pelican, the Ferruginous duck - an attractive diving duck - the Pygmy cormorant, the Screaming eagle and the Imperial eagle. However, the Lake Ohrid ecosystem is threatened by human activity. High tourist numbers are leading to increasing pollution, and almost all the marshes have been drained for agricultural purposes. All that remains is the Studenčište marsh (Studenčiško Blato), home to 79 types of birds and a rich variety of aquatic worms and insects. But it's located just southeast of the city of Ohrid, where hotel complexes are booming, so bird numbers are in sharp decline. Some endemic fish species are in danger of extinction, notably the Ohrid pike-perch(Salmo ohridanus), locally known as belvica(belushka in Albanian). Human pressure is most acute in the North Macedonian part of the region. Ohrid is the country's tourism capital. As the country has no access to the sea, the beaches on the eastern shore are crowded in summer. This part of the lake is nicknamed the "Macedonian Riviera".

Erected in 1726, this Ottoman tower (Саат-Кула/Saat-Kula) stands 12 m high. Square and built of stone, its upper part and roof are made of wood. It was originally used to indicate the prayer times of Muslims. Its alla turca mechanism (placing the beginning of the day at sunset) was replaced by a classical alla franca system (which counts down the hours from midnight) after the Balkan wars (1912-1913). This one is still in use.

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 Sufi place of worship (Теќе Зејнел Абедин-Паша/Teḱe Zejnel Abedin-Paša) is an ancient mosque founded by Governor Aliağazâde Zeynelâbidin Paşa in the ^16th century. In 1766, it was entrusted by decree of the Sultan to the Sufi brotherhood of the Halevis. From then on, the building became the âsitâne (mother house) of the halevis in the Ohrid region. Other buildings and türbes (tombs) were added until the ^19th century. Today unused, it is one of the very few tekkes in the Balkans with a minaret. It is 18 m high and dates from the ^17th century.

This mosque (Џамија Хаџи Торгут/Džamija Hadži Torgut, Xhamia e Haxhi Durgutit) is the oldest in the city. It was built in 1466 on the site of the Byzantine church Agia Kyriaki (Saint Dominic). Legend has it that its minaret collapsed several times, until the cross of the old church was installed at the top. Even today, the minaret (about 20 m high) is topped by a small stylized Christian cross, a unique case in the world. The building is nicknamed "Mosque of the Cross" (Крст Џамија/Krst Džamija).