Saint Andrew's Monastery () is located in the Municipality of Saraj, in the western part of Mount Vodno,

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

. Situated next to the

Treska Treska (; ), is a river in the western part of North Macedonia, flowing for before joining the Vardar as its right tributary. With a basin covering 2,068 km2, the river originates high in the Stogovo mountain at about 2,000 metres elevation, ...

River, it is found before the dam that created Lake Matka, approximately southwest of

Skopje Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...

. The monastery was founded in 1389 by Andrijaš, one of the two sons of King

Vukašin Vukašin () is an old Slavic name of Serbian origin. It is composed from two words: Vuk (wolf) and sin ( son), so it means sin vuka (son of wolf). In some places in Croatia and Bosnia it can be found as a surname. The name Vukašin can be foun ...

. Nestled among steep and high cliffs, it is one of the few monasteries where most of the inscriptions from the time of its construction and painting have been preserved. It is dedicated to the

Apostle Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Church stems from the Gospel of Jo ...

. The monastery, standing in the midst of the Treska Gorge, on a small natural platform near the river, encompasses both monastic buildings and a church. The church exhibits a typical

Byzantine style Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Roman Empire, usually dated from 330 AD, when Constantine the Great established a new Roman capital in Byzantium, which became Constantinople, until the fall of the ...

, featuring a cross plan and a trefoil

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

. The northern and southern trefoils serve as

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

s, while the eastern trefoil functions as the

altar apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In Byzantin ...

. The exterior of the church is adorned with two rows of semicircular niches, enhancing its visual appeal. Additionally, there is a

porch A porch (; , ) is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance to a building. A porch is placed in front of the façade of a building it commands, and forms a low front. Alternatively, it may be a vestibule (architecture), vestibule (a s ...

that was added to the church in the mid-16th century. Within the relatively small church, an abundance of frescoes can be found. These frescoes are divided into three sections. The lower part depicts Archangels

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

and

Gabriel In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...

, St. Demetrius,

St. George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

, the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

, and the

Apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

. The middle part showcases various episodes from the life of Christ, notably the

Passion Passion, the Passion or the Passions may refer to: Emotion * Passion (emotion), a very strong feeling about a person or thing * Passions (philosophy), emotional states as used in philosophical discussions * Stoic passions, various forms of emotio ...

. In the upper part, located in the

tambour In classical architecture, a is the inverted bell of the Corinthian capital around which are carved acanthus leaves for decoration. The term also applies to the wall of a circular structure, whether on the ground or raised aloft on pendent ...

of the dome, Christ and his Apostles are depicted once again. The frescos were painted by Metropolitan Jovan, monk Makarij, and monk Grigoriy. Their work deviates from traditional iconographic schemes, presenting clearer and more relatable compositions. Of particular interest is the composition "Prayer on the Mount of Olives," which exhibits their skillful use of perspective.

Gallery

File:St Andrew Monastery Macedonia.jpg, The church File:Freska od Sv. Andreja na Matka 1.jpg, Frescoes in the apse File:Sv. Andreja porta.JPG, The church porch File:St.Andrew of Matka from St.Nicolas.jpg, View of St. Andrew's Church from the St. Nicholas Šiševski Monastery File:Sv.Andreja-Matka-od-Markovi-Porti.jpg, View of St. Andrew's Church and Lake Matka from the Markovi Porti area File:Manastir vo Makedonija, stara slika.jpg, Old image of the church

References

{{reflist Eastern Orthodox monasteries in North Macedonia