Marko's Monastery (
Macedonian
Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia.
Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to:
People Modern
* Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Ma ...
and sr, Марков Манастир) is a monastery located in the village of
Markova Sušica, from central
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
in
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
. The monastery bears the name of
Serbian
Serbian may refer to:
* someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe
* someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people
* Serbian language
* Serbian names
See also
*
*
* Old Serbian (disambiguation ...
Prince Marko who reigned at the time of its completion.
Marko's Monastery has been active since its establishment.
Description
Marko's Monastery contains a single cross-shaped church dedicated to
Saint Demetrius
Saint Demetrius (or Demetrios) of Thessalonica ( el, Ἅγιος Δημήτριος τῆς Θεσσαλονίκης, (); bg, Димитър Солунски (); mk, Свети Димитрија Солунски (); ro, Sfântul Dumitru; sr ...
. The monastery grounds also consist of lodgings, a belfry, a well, warehouses, a bakery, and a mill.
The monastery still operates a special oven used to make
rakija.
The church has a narthex, a central dome and a smaller dome on the western side.
It was built of bricks and stone. The iconstasis is made of stone pillars.
The
fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plast ...
es inside the church were done by a number of painters from the region.
The Holy Mother of God, the
twelve great feasts, Jesus Christ, and Saint Nicholas are some of the subjects depicted in the frescoes.
History
Construction of the Church of Saint Demetrius began under
King Vukašin in 1346.
The church, including the interior paintings, were completed 30 years later. Before Ottoman rule, the monastery had a school and many monks and priests would write manuscripts.
In 1392, Skopje fell under
Ottoman rule, which led to the destruction of many churches and monasteries in the area. Marko's Monastery, however, suffered almost no damage.
During the Ottoman era, in 1467/8 the monastery is recorded as having 20 monks.
Kiril Peychinovich was the hegumen of Marko's Monastery from 1801 to 1818.
In 1830, Ottoman aristocrat Hamzi Paşa added an
exonarthex to the church.
Frescoes showing the
ktetor
''Ktetor'' ( el, κτήτωρ) or ''ktitor'' (; ka, ქტიტორი ''kt’it’ori''; ro, ctitor), meaning "founder", is a title given in the Middle Ages to the provider of funds for construction or reconstruction of an Eastern Orthodox c ...
King Vukašin and his son
Prince Marko were the most defaced by overpainting with a fat-based paint in 1894, an act of national fanaticism ordered by the Bulgarian
metropolitan
Metropolitan may refer to:
* Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories
* Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England
* Metropolitan county, a typ ...
of Skopje. In the 1920s, attempts were made to restore the damaged frescoes.
References
External links
Marko's Monastery on travel2macedoniaLegends about Marko's Monastery
{{Authority control
Eastern Orthodox monasteries in North Macedonia
Macedonian Orthodox monasteries
Medieval Serbian Orthodox monasteries
Studeničani Municipality