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134527
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Basilica and Medieval Necropolis, Palikura, Kavadarci
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Place |
Early Byzantine Basilica and Medieval Necropolis, Palikura, Kavadarci
location: 600 m northwest of the village of Palikura, on the left bank of the Black River, 2 km south of Stobi
archaeological research: 1978: protective archaeological research; 261 ancient and 16 medieval graves were discovered
three-nave basilica: discovered in 1916; built on the ruins of a Roman building; east of the basilica is the octagonal martyrium
dating of the basilica: 5-6. century
medieval necropolis: 50 m northeast of the Basilica; In this location, in addition to a large number of discovered late antique graves (261), there is a part of a medieval necropolis (16 medieval graves were explored); they are spatially organized around some late antique sacral objects; burials were carried out in burial pits without structures and in graves with primitive vertical slabs
grave finds: jewelry (earrings, metal and glass bracelets, pretenses)
dating of finds: the largest number is dated to the 12th century, but there are examples from the end of the 11th century and the beginning of the 13th century |
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134429
|
Bitolj, Church in the fortress Kale Bair
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Place |
The fortress called "Kale Bair" in Turkish: the Fortress Hill is located on a hill northwest of Bitola, above the location of Badem-balari, i.e. Zelen Bair which overlook the river Dragor valley and the Pelagonian plain. It occupies an area of about 5 hectares - length about 500m, width about 190m. Its construction dates back to the time of the Bulgarian prince Boris (852-889). In the interior of the fortress, the foundations of the church of monumental proportions (23.6 x 20, 16 m) have been preserved.
Architecture:
The church represented a cross-domed basilica or ambulatory church, with an inscribed Greek cross. The nave has a three-part altar space and ending with a rectangular narthex. On the north and south sides of the altar space, the church had two annexes with a square base, most likely a chapel. The thickness of the walls and lateral supports indicate barrel vaults and a possible central cross-dome. The distinctive feature of the church's architectural structure is represented by the two towers built on the western facade, that is, by the northwestern and southwestern corners of the narthex. The material used in the construction of the church were coarse stone and mortar in combination with brick.
Dating:
The church is dated to the end of the 10th - beginning of the 11th century. |
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134612
|
Bitolj, Heraclea, the medieval necropolis near Basilica D and the medieval settlement
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Place |
The medieval necropolis near Basilica D and the medieval settlement in Heraclea near Bitolj The locality of Heraclea (Heraclea Lynkestis) - urban settlement from Hellenistic times to the Middle Ages; early Christian episcopal seat (from the 4th to the 6th century)
The site of Heraclea is situated 2.5 km south of Bitola, southwestern part of the Pelagonija plateau.
topographic location: the medieval necropolis is located near Basilica D (6th century), which was built in the suburbs of the eastern part of Heraclea (extra muros), 250 m from the acropolis of Heraclea (amphitheatre, episcopal basilica, etc.).
archaeological and conservation works: 1976-1980: The Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments and the Museum in Prilep organized protective excavations in the area of Basilica D;
Under the supervision of E. Maneva in 1981 the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments and the Museum in Prilep continued the research on Basilica D and two necropolises next to the church;
necropolis, historical data: with the decline of Heraclea at the end of the 6th century, Basilica D and the necropolis from the same period were abandoned; for the next few centuries there are no traces of life in this area; it is not possible to determine what condition Basilica D was in when, at the end of the 10th century, this location began to be used as a necropolis.
Number of medieval excavated graves is 29 and they are located in the interior of the church both north and south of it; maybe only the altar area of the early Byzantine basilica was still in use, since there are no medieval graves in that part (just a guess). There is no doubt that there is a relationship between the sacral tradition of the terrain and the choice of location for the medieval necropolis (*This phenomenon was very widespread on the territory of Macedonia in the Middle Ages)
grave finds and analysis of archaeological material:
grave inventory of this type is most often found in women's and children's necropolises; consists of rings, earrings, gloves, buckles, necklace; with the exception of one grave of a young girl, the other graves had modest contributions.
dating:
late 10th or 11th century.
Slavic necropolis medieval settlement: traces of the settlement were discovered in the area around Basilica D (Latin imitation of a Byzantine coin from the 13th century, building material from the 13th-14th century) and in the central complex of Heraclea (fragments of kitchen ceramics, tools, jewelry, Byzantine coins, period: X-XIV century). All the archaeological material forms a compact cultural layer and proof that this area was active in the period from the 10th to the 14th century.
dating: from the 10th to the 14th century
* comment: the exceptional strategic advantage, the abundance of building materials and the found infrastructure of ancient Heraclea offered numerous advantages for the use of this site during the Middle Ages; the existence of a medieval necropolis indicates that the population that lived nearby (Kale, Bitola) or in the area of Heraclea itself was buried here. |
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133862
|
Bitolj, remains of the church under Yeni mosque
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Place |
The church building is discovered under the Yeni mosque. The main building of the Yeni mosque is situated on the right bank of the Dragor river, in the center of Bitola, the place formally known as the Ottoman Pekmez market. The mosque was built the rule of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, in 1558/94, by the order of the judge Mehmed Efendi.
Architecture:
Four architectural layers were discovered under the current mosque that belong to the church building most likely of the three-nave basilica type.
The first phase of the building: the following parts have been explored so far: the eastern part of the building was discovered and it ends with an apse, semicircular inside and three-sided outside. It is also discovered the prothesis of the church basilica on the north side. The prothesis is built out of stone, brick and mortar in the opus mixtum technique with some transition to the opus cloisonné.
Dating:
The dating of the first layer was carried out on the basis of analogies with similar buildings, especially the basilica in Ćurline, or the cathedral church on Kale Bair in Bitola as well as with the church near the village of Krupište near Štip. The dating interval primary based on the opus mixtum technique of the church construction is from the 7th to the 10th century. Mobile finds and ceramics were also found. There were no grave finds or burials.
The second phase of the building: the walls from the second phase differ from the previous one in the way that they were built in the opus cloasonné technique. A large number of wall painting fragments were found probably originate from this period. There are many indications that there was a town church here in the 11th century. A spearhead was also found, which dates back to the period between 10th -14th century. Burials began in this period and about 40 graves were discovered. The burials were caried outside but also inside the church. Also, two Byzantine lead seals as well as an encolpion were discovered.
Dating:
The second phase probably belongs to the time after 1018.
The third phase of the building: this phase belongs to the period after the restoration of Byzantine rule under the Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos (1259-1282). In this phase, rich finds of ceramics, fragments of frescoes, glass, and coins were discovered. Metal ornaments and buttons dating back to the 14th century were also discovered. Christian graves with offerings were found. Three coins were excavated, two of which are Bulgarian imitations from the first half of the 13th century, and the third belongs to the Serbian ruler Stefan Uroš the First (1243-1272).
Dating:
Based on the coins it was possible to determine the period of the demolition of the previous phase and the start of the construction of the third structure between 13th and 14th centuries.
The fourth phase of the building: the last phase of the church was done to expand or change the function of the church itself and this phase is not representative. It was built of stone with mud filling.
Dating:
Most likely, the church was abandoned in the 14th or 15th century.
Findings:
On the site were found fragments of a painted glass lamp, then a glass from the 13th or 14th century, lead seals, building ceramics, metal ornaments, buttons, ceramics, fragments of frescoes. |
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134133
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Bitolj, remains of the medieval church under the Church of Saint Demetrios
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Place |
The Church of St. Demetrios was built on the site of an old chapel that burned down in 1726. It has the form of a three-nave basilica with external galleries. During archaeological excavations in 1999/2000 beneath the floor of the current church, three older horizons were discovered: 1. the remains of the foundations of a sacred object dating back to the 16th century 2. the remains of the foundations of a modest sacred building, west-east oriented graves, and pottery from the 13th and 14th centuries, and 3. a cultural layer, dated to the 10th century based on archaeological findings. |
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134511
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Debrešte, Mlaka, Prilep
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Place |
Mlaka, medieval necropolis, Debrešte, Prilep
locality: about 250 m west of the Gradište locality
necropolis: graves with a construction of cylindrical stones
dating: 8th-9th century
findings: jewelry made of silver and bronze
The finds are kept in the National Institute and Museum in Prilep |
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134375
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Debrešte, site Gradište, remains of Medieval Church with Necropolis
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Place |
Site: Gradište, located 1 kilometer east of the village of Debrešte, 26 kilometers north of Prilep.
Medieval Church: Remains of a small cross-in-square church with a narthex on the west; the church has marble spolia from the ancient period with Greek inscriptions; located in the northwestern part of the site.
Decoration: Two fragments of fresco painting with depictions of saints; dating: the 13th century;
Necropolis: is situated around the church; grave finds include bronze and copper jewelry, dating: the 12th-13th century.
Dating of the Church: dated to the 12th-13th century based on the style of the fresco fragments and necropolis. |
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134382
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Džidimirci, site Crkvište, Medieval Church with Necropolis
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Place |
Site: Crkvište, located 2 kilometers east of the village Džidimirci, near Veles
Medieval Church: remains of walls and foundations of a church with a tetraconch plan
Necropolis: around the church, tombs with constructions made of stone slabs have been uncovered, oriented east-west. |
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134354
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Gostovša, Church
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Place |
King Stefan Uroš II Milutin donated a church of unknown dedication in or near Gostovša to the Monastery of Saint George-Gorge (Charter of King Milutin to the Monastery of Saint George-Gorg in Skopje, 1300). This village no longer exists today, and based on the charter, it was located near the village of Rlevci in the region of Veles.
Dating: before 1300 |
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134351
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Homorani, Church of Saint Athanasios
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Place |
Based on the Third Charter of Serbian King Dušan to the Treskavac Monastery (Treskavac 3), Dušan donated the Church of St. Athanasios in the Veles region, located in the village of Homorani (modern-day Omorani) to the Treskavac Monastery
Dating: before 1344/1345 |
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134289
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Kavadarci, Dabnište, Church of the Holy Mother of God
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Place |
Description: The Church of the Holy Mother of God is situated in the village of Dabnište,16 km south of Kavadarci, Republic of N. Macedonia. The church most likely stands on an older cult site, as indicated by the results of the excavations along the eastern wall of the church. These excavations revealed remnants of an older apse from a previous church. The present-day appearance of the church in Dabnište is the result of a significant reconstruction undertaken during the 19th century. The remains of the older structure of the Church of the Holy Mother of God are insufficient to carry out a complete reconstruction of its original appearance. Based on the preserved sections of the older construction, this church is categorized within the group of single-naved churches that were prevalent during the 13th century on the territory of Byzantine Macedonia. The frescoes have been preserved within the altar apse.
Architecture
First phase of construction: During archaeological investigations in 1964, remains of an apse from an earlier church were discovered. The 13th-century church was constructed upon the foundations (or remnants) of a pre-existing church building.
Dating: before the 13th century
Second phase of construction: The parts of the church in Dabnište that can be attributed to the 13th-century construction are modest. The reconstruction of the original appearance is based on the southeastern section of the church, where the most significant portions of the older structure have been preserved. The wall is primarily constructed using a mixed technique of masonry - both stone and brick. The apse is internally semicircular, while originally pentagonal on the outside, and after the 19th-century renovation, it became polygonal. On the apse, as well as on the southern wall, several bands of simplified meanders, executed with vertically arranged bricks, partially or entirely appear. Most likely, the church had an elevated transverse barrel vault over the middle of the naos. The architectural type featuring an elevated transverse barrel vault was most likely transmitted to Macedonia from Epirus.
Parallels: Church of Saint Demetrios in Prilep (third phase of construction); Saint John Kaneo in Ohrid; Church of Saint Eliah in the village of Grnčari
Dating: the last quarter of the 13th century
Painted Decoration
Second Layer: The frescoes have been preserved within the altar apse.
Parallels: Church of St. Nicholas in the village of Manastir in Mariovo; Saint John Kaneo in Ohrid; Church of St. Constantine in Svećani near Veles; Church of Saint Eliah in the village of Grnčari
Dating: the last quarter of the 13th century
Reconstruction/Renovation: a substantial reconstruction of the church was carried out during the 19th century |
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134556
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Kavadarci, Drenovo, St. Bogorodica
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Place |
Roman settlement: in the immediate vicinity of the Church of the Virgin on an area of about 3 ha, there are fragments of ceramic vessels, pithos and building materials
necropolis: in one part of the site there are fragments of archaic crosses and stone slabs belonging to burial structures. |
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134725
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Kavadarci, Drenovo, The Church of the Virgin Mary
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Place |
The church dedicated to Virgin is located near the village of Drenovo (Дреново), about 13 kilometers west of Kavadarci.
Architecture:
The Church of the Virgin in Drenova has not been preserved in its authentic form. The biggest renovation of the church took place at the beginning of the 19th century, when the northern and western walls of the church were rebuilt, and the southern wall was lowered. At the same time, a wooden gallery was built on the west side. Despite these changes to the original construction, it is possible to reconstruct the original architectural structure of the building. From the point of view of architectural typology, the church is a very interesting achievement. It is a special combination of a basilica and a church of the inscribed cross. The base of the inscribed cross has a nave, with a dome resting on massive pilasters, which are connected on the south, north and west sides by two-arched passages supported by columns. On the eastern side, there is a spacious altar space, the apse of which is semicircular on the inside, and five-sided on the outside. The space below the dome is surrounded on three sides by aisled spaces which ends on the eastern part with pastophoria. The side aisles of the ambulatory had galleries. The central aisle of the western part of the ambulatory, that is, the narthex, was also surmounted by a dome, or blind calotte.
Sculptural Decoration:
A certain part of the original sculptural decoration has been preserved in the Church of the Virgin in Drenova. The first group within the architectural sculpture of the church consists of spolia, probably taken from the nearby early Christian basilica in Mutičanski dol. The second group includes the sculptures that are still in the church today (a fragment built into the north jamb of the west door, the mullion of an altar bifora, the capitals of the columns, etc.), as well as the fragments that are kept in the Archaeological Museum in Sofia. The fragments are decorated with floral motifs, crosses and fantastic animals (griffins, lions). On the basis of stylistic peculiarities, i.e. the closest analogies (sculpture of the church of St. Sophia in Ohrid, fragments from the church of St. Stephen in Konča), the architectural sculpture from Drenovo is mostly dated to the 11th century. Moreover, it was assumed that the sculpture from Drenovo and Konče were made by the same workshop.
Dating:
On the basis of the presented architectural features of the church, i.e. the stylistic features of the sculptural decoration, the prevailing opinion in the scientific literature is that it is a monument of Byzantine architecture of the 11th century. In recent times, however, a different opinion has been expressed about the time of the creation of the church in Drenovo. Contrary to the views of her predecessors, Marica Šuput believes that the church was built in the fifth or sixth decade of the 14th century. She claims, that it could be the endowment of a Serbian nobleman from the time of king/emperor Dušan. In doing so, the author has in mind first of all the architectural features of the building, to which she finds the closest analogies in the church of the Virgin Olimpiotissa in Elassona, built in the second quarter of the mentioned century. Apart from that, Šuput believes that certain examples of architectural plastic due to their stylistic peculiarities belong to the art of the 14th century, which, although without explanation, was also considered by some earlier researchers (G. Petrov). Furthermore, Marica Šuput also takes into account the content of the very damaged fresco-inscription above the southern entrance to the building, in which, according to the reading of Radoslav Grujić, published by Vojislav Radovanović, is mentioned painter Dimitar who decorated the church in the time of emperor Stefan. Finally, the author draws attention to the fact that in 1378 Konstantin Dragaš donated a church to the monastery of Saint Panteleimon on Mount Athos. |
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134542
|
Kavadarci, Gradište - Devolgrad, ancient city, medieval settlement, necropolis and two churches
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Place |
Kavadarci, Gradište - Devolgrad, ancient city, medieval settlement, necropolis and two churches location: 2.5 km from the village of Drenovo, on the right bank above the Raec River, on a high hill before the entrance to the Raec Gorge.
the nearest road: highway Gradsko-Prilep
topographical situation: the southern slope of the Gradište hill is terraced and a settlement of 17 ha has grown on it.
ancient horizon: fortified settlement: identified as the city of Audarion (Eurist), one of the Paion centers; the walls of the fortified settlement are Hellenistic, without plaster. There are no other solid buildings with plaster.
archaeological finds: a large number of movable finds and hundreds of coins from the 4th century AD, when it almost died out and flourished as a rural settlement until the end of antiquity.
Early Christian horizon: Two early Christian basilicas located south of the settlement with rich architectural plastic from the 5th and 6th centuries.
medieval horizon:
fortified settlement: At the western end of the old acropolis, a medieval dry wall fortification. The wall covers a triangular space measuring 170 x 40/50 m. The eastern end is separated by an internal wall in the acropolis, measuring 50 x 20 m. On the northern side, it rested on a vertical part of the rock, and it is accessible from the southern side. In the northwestern part there is a water cistern, deeply cut into the living rock during the Hellenistic period. In the southern part, residential layers have been preserved.
movable finds: numerous movable finds were carried away by erosion: a medieval hearth and table ceramics, tegulas of the so-called Komnenian type, pieces of glass beads, bronze Slavic jewelry (10-13th century), numerous iron arrowheads, knives, etc. A decorated bronze belt buckle with a lion-griffin in relief dates from the 9-10th century.
coins found by: John I Tzimiskes, Michael IV, Constantine IX (from the end of the 10th and 11th centuries); of John III Doukas Vatatzes, Michael VIII, Andronikos II and Michael IX (from the 13th and 14th centuries).
jewelry: earrings and rings of the 10th–11th centuries
remains of sacred buildings: on the ridge east of the fortress there are also traces of medieval buildings. Two of them are smaller churches, one of which has been completely excavated and the other partially. The Komnenian-type tegulas with which they were covered refer to the 12th and 13th centuries.
necropolis: On the eastern slope of Gradište there are medieval graves. The lower-town was spread over the middle terrace to the south of the fortress.
historical data: The town of Devol was the regional center of Raec and a fortified guard on the important road from Vardar to Pelagonia. Its name is derived from the Greek name Diavol (enemy, devil), certainly at the time of the separation of the Slavs from Byzantium (9th century). It is identical to the second, much more famous Devol near Korča, the seat of the church in the 9th and 10th centuries and the first capital of Samuel. The lack of larger and solid buildings from the late Middle Ages in Devol indicates that its importance has been lost even before the Serbian conquest of these regions, and its place was taken by the town of Tikveš 10 km to the south. |
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134562
|
Kavadarci, Klinovo, Grozana
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Place |
location: across the river Sušica, on the Starec hill, about 5 km from the village of Klinovo
fortification: remains of construction material, pitos and ceramic vessels, small fortification |
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134566
|
Kavadarci, Klinovo, Kolibi
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Place |
location: across the river Sušica, on the hill of Stojanova Dupka, 7 km west of the village
fortification: remains of broken stone and fragments of ceramics, which point to a small fortification |
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134570
|
Kavadarci, Klinovo, Strej
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Place |
Strej, medieval fortification, Klinovo, Kavadarci
location: in the immediate vicinity of the confluence of the river Sušice with Blašnica, about 5 km northeast of the village of Klinovo, a plateau with an area of 170 x 100 m
fortification: remains of construction stone marking the route of the ramparts; the importance of the fortification is reflected in the fact that it is located at the Tikvešija-Mariovo intersection |
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134575
|
Kavadarci, Resava, Gradot - Tikveš Town
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Place |
Gradot - Tikveš Town, settlement and necropolis from the early antique, Roman and medieval periods, Resava, Kavadarci
location: 2 km west of the village of Resava, on top of a small buried hill (80 m above the Tikveška River).
the nearest roads: an important mining road led through the Dolina Crne towards the mines in the Kožufa massif, while at the Tikveška river a local road led through Tikvešija to Vardar in the east (today the Vozarci — Kavadarci — Negotino road). From the top of the city, two roads away to the north, south and east were controlled.
archaeological research: 1959-1961 and 1967-1968; Archaeological Museum in Skopje; conducting research: A. Keramitčiev
ancient horizon: During the Hellenistic era, there was a fortified settlement on the flat top, 4-5 ha in size. Finds: ceramics, coins from 3-1. BC. During the late Roman period, a large fortification measuring 140 x 155 m was built on that area. The wall around it was strengthened with at least 7 towers. In the 6th century, the wall was rebuilt in several places, and a small acropolis with an inner wall was built in the southeast corner.
Finds: coins from the 4th, 5th and 6th centuries.
medieval horizon:
the medieval fortified city of Tikveš:
Some of the mentioned restored parts of the wall may date from the late Middle Ages, while the acropolis was completely rebuilt in the Middle Ages (dimensions 56 x 30 m). Half a century ago, its walls rose up to 4 m above the ground.
sacred objects: a small church was built inside the acropolis, while another small church is located in front of the western entrance.
Finds: medieval pottery, numerous small objects minted from iron, Byzantine coins from the 13th century.
It is obvious that the acropolis was the core of the "city" of Tikveš, while the area around it and within the ancient walls (covering 2 ha) was inhabited successively later. It was used to accommodate auxiliary facilities — stables and warehouses, workshops, guard rooms, blacksmith workspace, etc., and their foundations were discovered during excavations.
suburban settlement in a later period:
In the valley of Tikveš along the river, on a large area east of the City, there are remains of a lower town settlement. With the aforementioned excavations, before the submergence of this terrain in the new Tikveš Lake, smaller churches with remains of fresco painting were excavated (Tikveš-Manastirče, a smaller church with fragments of frescoes, the transition from the 15th to the 16th century, Tikveš Gramada, with fragments of frescoes from the end of the 15th century) and cemeteries around them in 3 places. These remains date from the 13th century (coins) to the 15th and 16th centuries (frescoes). |
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134582
|
Kavadarci, Rožden, Pešterna church
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Place |
Pešterna crkva, remains of a medieval sacral building, Rožden, Kavadarci
location: high above the location of Sveti Petar, at the intersection of the mountain roads to Majdan and Mrežičko
sacral building: remains of construction material |
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134586
|
Kavadarci, Rožden, Saint Peter
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Place |
location: in the immediate vicinity of the intersection for the villages of Ržanovo-Majden-Mrežičko
sacral building: remains of construction material |
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134590
|
Kavadarci, Šeškovo, Manastirot
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Place |
location: 2 km northwest of the village of Šeškovo
sacral building: remains of construction material |
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134638
|
Kruševo, Dolno Divjaci, Kale, medieval fortress
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Place |
location: 2.5 km from the village of Dolno Divjaci the remains of a fortification are located on a high hill that has a dominant position in relation to the surroundings, area 150 x 100 m
remains of the fortress had consists of the walls built of stone with lime mortar |
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134634
|
Kruševo, Gornji Divjaci, Košari, remains of a medieval church
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Place |
2 km south of the village of Gorno Divjaci, on a flat area of about 200 x 100 m preserved ruins of a sacral object
sacred object: ruins |
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134647
|
Kruševo, Kale site, late antique and medieval mine fortification
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Place |
location: high hill (about 1000 m above sea level), 1.8 km from the town of Kruševo
the nearest road: highway Kruševo-Prilep; the area of the fortification is 0.7 ha
finds: many metal objects; there are no finds of coins that would more precisely date the phases of the late antique period and the Middle Ages |
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134650
|
Kruševo, Pusta Reka, Dolna crkva, emains of a medieval church and necropolis
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Place |
location: about 500 m from the village of Pusta Reka, there are remains of an old church and around it graves built of stone slabs |
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134654
|
Kruševo, Pusta Reka, Kruška, remains of a medieval church and necropolis
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Place |
location: 4 km west of the village of Pusta Reka, there are preserved remains of an old church and graves built of stone slabs. |
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134658
|
Kruševo, Pusta Reka, Manastirče - Staro Lapovo, remains of a medieval settlement
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Place |
5 km northwest of the village there are remains of buildings |
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134662
|
Kruševo, Rastojca, Kula, remains of a medieval fortification
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Place |
4 km east of the village of Rastojca on a high hill that dominates the surroundings, at 939 m above sea level;
a lot of remains of construction material |
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134370
|
Kruševo, site Sveto Preobraženje, remains Early Christian basilica and Medieval church
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Place |
Site: Sveto Preobraženje, 15 kilometers northwest of Krusevo, southern slope of Bushova Mountain
Early Christian basilica: A three-aisled basilica with a three-sided apse on the east; highly asymmetric; its length is 11.7 meters. The church is preserved in its foundations. Archaeological research has determined that the basilica did not have a narthex, nor did it have stone sculpture.
Medieval church: Single-aisled small church. Respecting the continuity of the cult site, a newer church structure was erected on the foundations of the three-aisled basilica, more precisely in the eastern part of its central nave.
Dating: between 11th and 14th century |
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134643
|
Kruševo, Žitoše, medieval sacral building and necropolis
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Place |
location: 1 km east of the village of Žitoše, in the immediate vicinity of the village cemetery
hidden object: according to locals, it was an old church and graves |
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134522
|
Latin Church, Zagorani, Prilep
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Place |
Latin Church, medieval church, Zagorani, Prilep
location: in the immediate vicinity of the village of Zagorani, on the western side of the village
church: half-ruined church; antique marble spolia are built into the church's floors
dating: 13-14th century |
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134594
|
Manastir, Church of Saint Nicholas
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Place |
Written sources:
The only source is three inscriptions, two in the interior of the church and one on the southern facade.
Geographical location:
Monastery church dedicated to St. Nikola is located in the village of Manastir, in the atar of Mariova, about 20 kilometers from the town of Prilep in the southeast direction. The monastery was built about 50 m south of the village, in the immediate vicinity of the Black River. The village of Manastir in Mariovo is located at latitude 41° 10' N and longitude 21° 43' E. The Mariovo region is an isolated, partly mountain area east of the Pelagon lowland.The natural defense of the monastery was supplemented by defensive walls that protected the monastery community. The southwest corner of this original defensive rampart (probably from the 11th century) is still visible today at a height of two meters.
The monastery complex contained buildings necessary for the smooth functioning of the monastery community. Auxiliary buildings, of smaller dimensions, either stood freely in the space, concentrated in the center of the monastery courtyard, around the catholicon, or were placed along the walls. Conceptually, the monastery settlement was divided into three dedicated zones: sacral, residential and economic. Apart from the catholicon, the accompanying chapels and the necropolis, the monastery's dining room also belongs to the cult group, because here the meal follows strict rules and is followed by prayers.
Epigraphic data:
Type and place of the first inscription:
The founder's inscription in the nave is preserved on the south and north walls. It is written between the first and second zones of the painting, in one line, in black letters on a white background, in the form of a strip framed by a red border. It is badly damaged and illegible in several places. The beginning is located on the west side of the corner pilaster on the south side of the altar apse, and the inscription then runs along the south wall and continues on the north wall.
Text of the first inscription:
ἐν ἔτειa ς χ γ ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλ(εί)ας τοῦ εὐσεβεστάτ(ου) βασιλέως καὶ αὐτοκράτωρ[ος] ̔Ρωμαίων κυρ(οῦ) Ἀλεξίου τοῦ Κομν[ηνοῦ]. Διελθὼνb ἐν τόδεc τόπ(ον) ὁ
περιπώθητο(ς) θεῖο(ς) τῆς βασ(ι)λ(εί)ας αὐτ(ῆς), κυρ(ὸ)ς Ἀλέξιος ὁ πρωτ(ο)στράτ(ω)ρ καὶ ἀρεστ(ὸς)d τὸν τόπον ἀνήγυρενe ναὸν ἐκ βάθρων τοῦ ἐν ἁγίοις π(ατ)ρὸς
ἡμῶν ἀρχ(ι)εράρχου καὶ θαυματουργ(οῦ) Νικολ(άου) ... καὶ τιμήσεως αὐτῶ διὰ
χρυσοβού[λλου] κτήμ(ατα) οἶκα προκυρῶσ(ε) καθ(ῶς)f τὸ βρέβαιων παραδηλῶσειν.g Ὁ ναὸς γὰρ ἦν σμικρώτ(α)τ(ος),h σαθ(ρὸς),i ῥακοθ(εὶ)ς δὲ καὶ διατετρω[μένος] ἀρ(ρ)αγῆςj καὶ μὶ φ(έ)ρων ὁρᾶν τὴν τοῦ ναοῦ σβέσιν ὁ πανοσιώτ(ατος) καθηγ[ού]μ(ενος) τῆς μονῆς ὁ κυρ(ὸ)ς Ἰωαν(ν)ίκιο(ς), ὁ καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἁγίουk σχίματο(ς) ἐπωνο[μασθεὶς] Ἀκάκιος καὶl χωρέ[σας] ὑπ(ὲρ) χρη(μά)των ἀν(α) χωρ(εῖ)m τοῦτον θεῖαν εὐσ(εβ)ῆςn ἐπιχωρῖνo καὶ ἐν ὑπηρεσί[α] ἄγειν ὁ καὶ πρ[ο]καλ[έ]σα[ς]p τοὺς ἐν Χρ(ιστ)ῶ ἀδε[λφοὺς] αὐτοῦ ... ἅμα καὶ εὐθ[ὺς] χαλάσ[ας] τὴνq ἐκ(κ)λη σίανr ἀνήγυρενs ἐκ βάθρ(ων) τὸν πάνσεπτον ναὸν τοῦ[τον] καὶ οραΐσ(ας) καὶ καλεῖ ἐν αὐ[τοῖς] τὸν ἐν χρωματουργίμασιν πικυλοτρόπ(οις) καὶt ἐν βαθεῖ γνόμ(ονας) χεῖρ(ας) ταπινότ(α)τ(ος) Ἰω(άννης) διάκον(ος)u καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κρίσεωνv τ[ῆς] ἁγιωτ(ά)τ(ης) ἀρχ(ι)επισκοπῆς, καὶ ... [ἐν ἔτει ἐξακισχιλιοστὸ] καὶ ἑπτακοσιοστό τε ο δ, ἰν(δικτιῶνο)ς θ, ἀνιστορίθι δὲ ἐν ἔτι ς ψ ο θ, ἰν(δικτιῶνο)ς ιδ, [ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλ]είας τοῦ εὐσεβεστάτου μεγ(ά)λ(ου) βασλέως καὶ αὐτοκράτωρος ̔Ρωμαίων Δοῦκα Ἀγγέλου Κομνηνοῦ Μιχαήλ τοῦ Παλαιολόγ(ου) καὶ Νέου Κωνσταντίνου
Translation of the first inscription:
In 6603, during the reign of the venerable emperor and autocrat Roman master (kyr) Alexios Komnenos, passing through this region, the amiable uncle of the empire, kyr Alexios the Protostrator, loved this place and built a temple from the ground up among the saints of our father archbishop and miracle worker Nicholas ... and, as befits, he confirmed with a chrysanthemum of possession, as it stands in the crowd. Since the temple was small, neglected, damaged and dilapidated, persevering and not being able to bear the decay of the temple, the most holy abbot of the monastery kyr Joanikije, called Akakije in the holy shima, assumed devotion to money and with the help of his fellow believers in Christ ... immediately after the demolition of the church from then he raised this most holy temple and invited it to be decorated with various colors by the skillful hand of humble John, deacon and ἐπὶ τῶν κρίσεων of the most holy Archbishopric, and... , [year six thousand and]5 seven hundred 74, indicta 9, and paintings of the year 6779, indicta 14, for the governments of the venerable great emperor and autocrat Roman Doukas Angelos Komnenos Michael Palaiologos and New Constantine.
Тype and place of the second inscription:
The long inscription in the fresco technique was written in Greek letters in the form of a thin strip and ran below the row of martyr busts, on the south and north walls of the central nave.
Тext of the second inscription:
δέησις τοῦ δού]λου τοῦ θ(ε)οῦ Ἀκακίου ἱερο(μον)άχ(ου) κ(αὶ) καθηγουμ(έ)νου
[...]ορεντος. κ(αὶ) δευτέρου κτήτωρ[ος]
Тranslation of the second inscription:
Prayer of the servant of God Akakije, hieromonk and abbot ... and another founder.
Тype and place of the third inscription:
On the southern facade of the church, in at least eighteen lines visible today, a text was written which, exposed to the weather for a long time, was almost completely washed away to the point of illegibility.
Тext of the third inscription: The text is badly damaged and some words can be read as well as the last two lines with the founder's name.
ΑΝΔΡΟΝΙΚΟС εΝ Χ(ΡΙСΤ) ω Τ ω Θ( ε)ω ΠΙСΤΟС ΒΑС[ΙΛ εΥС] ... ΚΟΜΝΗΝΟС Ο ΠΑΛΑΙ[Ο]ΛΟ[ΓΟС].
The voluminous text with the ruler's name at the end undoubtedly points to the conclusion that the chrysobull that the monastery received from the Byzantine autocrat Andronikos II was inscribed there Palaeologus (1282–1328)
Description of the church:
Church of St. Nikole is the oldest precisely dated architectural and artistic monument from the 13th century in Macedonia. According to the long inscription, made in the fresco technique, construction work on the restored architecture of the church was completed in 1265/1266. Catholicon of the monastery of St. Nicholas is basically a three-nave basilica. On the east side, it ends with a three-sided central apse. Both side aisles end up in the east with a small apse. Inside, the space of the sanctuary and the pastophoria have the shape of a conch. The basilica inside is divided into three naves, of which the central one is vaulted with a semi-barrel vault, and the side aisles are covered with single-gable wooden roofs. The separation of the nave from aisles is achieved by massive masonry columns and pilasters resting on arches, on which the upper parts of the walls of the central nave rest. In the course of several archaeological investigations, the existence of the narthex was not established. The Church of St. Nicholas in the village of Manastir had two entrances, on the west and south sides. In the reconstruction in 1939, the entrance on the west was walled up. The south entrance has its original location.
Archaeological and conservation works:
The first remodeling of the church was done in the nineteenth century. Conservation works were carried out in 1939, about which there is a carved inscription above the western entrance to the church.
Architectural dating:
From the long founding inscription in Greek from 1271, we learn about two different periods in the history of the monastery. According to the inscription the church was originally built in 1095 by Protospator Alexios, uncle of Alexios I Komnenos. The church was restored by abbot Akakije, formerly Joanikije in 1265/1266.
Facade decoration:
The greatest attention was paid to the construction and treatment of the eastern facade of the Church of St. Nicholas. It carries within itself a clear projection of the structure of the inner space it encloses. The central apse dominates the eastern facade and is placed across the entire width of the main nave of the church. The main apse of the church is three-sided from the outside, and on each side there is a large niche that is set back from the plane of the wall. The two side niches of the main apse are blind, while in the lower part of the central niche there is a window in the form of a bifora.
The entire northern wall of the church was plastered made during the reconstruction in the 19th century before the conservation work on the architecture began. After the conservation work, the plaster was removed from the facade, so that its wall become visible. The western facade of the church suffered serious damage due to shelling during the First World War. It was later rebuilt in 1939. According to previous researchers, the central part of the western facade was completely walled up in 1939.
The lower part of the southern facade is today covered with plaster in several layers from different periods. On the easternmost part below the niches, plaster remains are visible, over which a "cloisonné" facade wall was painted in the fresco technique, imitating the combination of a horizontal row of bricks with two vertical bricks. To the left above these remains is another fragment of fresco plaster lying in the same plane as the painted "cloisonné", but it does not have a painted opus, but is most likely a remnant of a painted figure or composition. The painted surfaces on the western part of the southern facade are more complex and have already been subjected to analysis. It is believed that a few decades after 1266, the old layer of plaster with painted "cloisonné" technique was removed in order to install a new layer of fresco plaster on which the image of the Byzantine emperor Andronikos II Paleologus was painted, according to the copy of his charter given to the church of Saint Nicholas in the village Manastir. Furthermore, the figures of Saint George and Saint Demetrius were also identified as part of the same composition. Over parts of this layer of plaster, later in 1327 or 1370, a new layer of fresco plaster was placed with a representation of an unknown person and the patron saint of the church of St. Nicholas.
What can be concluded is that the basic concept in decorating this part of the church was the painting of the facade. This is clearly seen in the presentation of the model of the church in the founder’s composition, where the founder - monk Akakije and the patron of the temple Saint Nicholas are represented, and where the church is painted as if it was built in the "cloisonné" technique. It is difficult to determine to what height this painted imitation of construction technique extended today. It can be assumed that such decoration was not painted in blind niches, and if they were painted, then the figures of saints were represented in them. Furthermore, the parts of the composition in which Andronikos II Paleologus and his charter are depicted cannot be connected with the first layer of plaster placed on the facade of the church, for the simple reason that the time of the construction of the church - 1266, precedes the beginning of the reign of Andronikos II Paleologus (1282 -1328).
Analysis of the founder:
There are several possible identifications of Alexios Protostrator, the first founder of the monastery. According to Franja Barišić, Alexios was the uncle or cousin of Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, who remained in this position for a short time and was therefore not recorded in narrative sources.
According to Petrula Kostovska, Alexios, the founder of the monastery church, can be identified with a personality well known in historical sources. We are talking about Alexios Komnenos, the nephew of the brother of Emperor Alexios I, otherwise the brother of the renegade duke of Durrës, John Comnenоs. In 1106, we find him in the sources as the duke of Durrës (Dirachion), at the time when Durrës was threatened by Norman attacks, i.e. at the time when Durrës was besieged by Bohemond of Taranto.
Second founder:
From two preserved inscriptions in Greek on the walls of the church, we learn that Joanikije or Abbot Akakije was the second founder of the Monastery of St. Nicholas. According to the founding inscription, hieromonk and abbot Akakije tried to restore this monastery in all its glory and splendor with his own funds in 1265/1266. The third date 1270/1271 gives us the year of completion of the restoration and painting of the church.
Founder’s portrait:
In the lower parts of the southern wall of the northern nave, the space between the first and second pillar is walled up in order to provide an adequate surface for painting of the founder’s composition. The composition is quite damaged and St. Nicholas, the patron saint of the church, who leads the founder by the hand towards Christ on the throne, is barely recognizable. The founder is visibly shorter than St. Nikola, and the lower part of the body was destroyed. However, the preserved head and torso allow us a precise description. The face is painted in a three-quarter perspective. A portrait of an elderly man with a high forehead and sparse hair was presented. His beard is wide and not very long, and he is holding a model of the church in his hands. The model of the church shows the painted cellular method of masonry, indicating the original way of decorating the facade of the church. The founder is dressed in a whitish felon with accented ruddy shadows and a hood that falls on his shoulders. A barely visible embroidered epimanikion artistically confirms one of the titles from the short founding inscription.
Founder's Tomb:
In the monastery, graves were recently discovered under the floor of the northern nave, which, judging by the absence of material grave finds, probably belonged to members of the monastic community. It is not excluded that the founder of Akakije was also buried in one of these graves. Not by chance, the founder's composition was painted under the scene of the Last Judgment, which occupies the upper parts of the walls of the northern aisle and, together with the portraits of numerous monastic figures in the lowest zone, embodies a complex idea of intercession in favor of the founder and abbot of the Monastery Akakija.
Painting:
The walls of the church are decorated with frescoes. The entire decoration is relatively well preserved, except for the vault and the western wall of the central nave, where the original frescoes were lost due to the reconstruction, as well as in parts of the northern and southern naves. The walls of the church are divided into horizontal strips. The altar apse is divided into three zones where complex liturgical compositions and themes are painted, and the side walls of the sanctuary are occupied by individual figures and busts of bishops and deacons. The only composition painted in the altar, which nominally belongs to the festive cycle, is the Annunciation, but the remains of the Mandylion are also visible. In the central nave, the south and north walls are divided, from top to bottom, into the zone of Great Feasts, where the scenes are separated from each other by a red frame; below it is a zone of an uninterrupted row of busts of martyrs; followed by a frieze in which a long founding inscription is written. The walls of the columns and pilasters are occupied by standing figures; while two friezes with Old Testament figures are painted on the lower spaces between the central nave and side aisles. The side aisles are very similarly designed. The higher southern wall of the northern aisle and the northern wall of the southern aisle are divided into three zones, and the opposite walls in the same aisles, due to their lower height, only into two zones. The west wall of the north aisle, despite the damage, appears to have been divided into three registers, the lower of which was filled with standing figures of monks, which continued on the north wall as well as on the pillar walls. The highest parts of the northern aisle were reserved for the complex composition of the Last Judgment, which consists of several segments. The western wall of the southern aisle contained, on its entire surface, the composition of Jacob's Ladder, and in the upper zone of the same nave there are scenes from the patron cycle of the temple of St. Nicholas. The lowest zone of the southern nave is painted with different categories of saints, including: bishops, holy doctors, warrior saints, apostles, hermits, monks, and holy women.
On the south wall, below the central protagonists of the composition of the Last Judgment, stretches a belt of damaged busts of saints. The founder's composition is painted on the surface obtained by walling up the last two pillars. In terms of decoration, the northern aisle reveals many original details in the design of the space and the iconography of the program.
Dating:
From the data in the founding inscription the painting was executed in 1270/1271
Painters:
In the monastery church of St. Nikola, due to the size of the building, probably four painters worked. From the data in the founding inscription, we learn that the construction work around the church was completed in 1266/1267 year, and painting in 1270/1271. Therefore, either the painting of the church did not start immediately, or the painters needed several years to complete the started activities. Several painters or assistants participated in the painting of the monastery church. This is evidenced by the frescoes themselves, which differ in the style of processing. The whole painted ensemble at first glance looks very diverse, as if it was painted by many different hands, in terms of quality, understanding and stylistic preferences. A few years after the completion of the ensemble in the Monastery, the fourth most talented artist, began to paint the church of the Archangel Michael Monastery in Varoš.
The Church of Saint Nicholas was damaged in the fighting along the Salonica Front during the First World War. |
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134366
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Manastir, Site Markovi Kuli - Gradok, Remains of an Early Christian Basilica, Medieval Fortification and Medival Church
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Place |
Site: Markovi kuli-Gradok, village of Manastir, near Prilep
Medieval fortress: Remains of walls about 2 meters wide, constructed with large and hewn stones.
Early Christian basilica: At the southeastern end of the plateau, there are remains of a three-aisled basilica (dimensions 15 x 8 meters); built with bricks, hewn stone, and lime mortar; partially preserved apse and side walls.
Medieval Church: About ten meters southwest of the basilica, there are remains of a small Medieval church, constructed from the same material and technique.
Dating: not determined. |
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133730
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Nerezi, Church of Saint Panteleimon
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Place |
Hist.:
The Inscription preserved on the marble architrave above the main entrance into the naos of Nerězi informs us, that the church was dedicated to St. Panteleimon and decorated at the expense of Alexios Angelos Komnenos in September of the thirteenth indiction of the year 1164, when the hegumenos was the monk Ioannikos (Ἐκαλλιεργήθη ὁ ναὸς τοῦ ἁγίου καὶ ἐνδόξου μεγαλομάρτυρος Παντελεήμονος ἐκ συνδρομῆς κυροῦ Ἀλεξίου τοῦ Κομνηνοῦ καὶ υἱοῦ τῆς πορφυρογεννήτης κυρᾶς Θεοδώρας μηνὶ Σεπτεμβρίῳ ἰνδικτιῶνος ῖγ ἔτους ΣΧΟΓ ἡγουμενεύοντος Ἰωαννικίου μοναχοῦ). King Stefan Uroš II Milutin donated the church of Saint Panteleimon near Vōdno/Nerězi to the Monastery of Saint George-Gorg (Vōdno selo prida kraljevstvo mi, i vь njemь monastirь svetaïa Bogorodica Jeleusa sь svetymь Ḟeōdōromь nadь Vodnomь i sь svetymь Pandeleimonomь i sь svetymь Ḟeodoromь iže jestь vь Hvaštihь, jedno bo jestь selo Vodno i Nerězi, sь vinogradi, sь nivijemь, sь voděničijemь, sь sěnokosi, sь lovišti zvěrnimi i sь ribnimi, sь zaběli i sь vsěmi pravinami ihь).
Mon.:
General description: The church of St. Panteleimon was commissioned by a member of the Byzantine imperial family, Alexios Angelos Komnenos. As recorded on a dedicatory inscription, the church was built for a monastery endowed by the wealthy patron.
Architecture: Nerezi is a small, five-domed church, 15.90 m long by 9.60 m wide. Irregular in its layout, the church is of a rhomboidal, rather than a standard rectangular form. The interior of Nerezi is composed of a cruciform naos, a bema, a narthex and four side chapels located between the arms of the cross. Its plan reveals one of the oldest formulations of the inscribed-cross scheme. In this case, as in some of the ninth-century churches in Constantinople, the cruciform domed naos is accompanied by four domed chapels segregated from it by solid walls. The design of Nerezi, with subsidiary chapels placed between the arms of the cross and spatially integrated with the narthex, is commonly found in cruciform churches. The liturgical furnishings at Nerezi also suggest that its chapels might have been used for funerary rites and perhaps for rites connected with the benediction of water. The arcosolium in its north-west chapel indicates that some kind of a funerary rite was performed there. The exterior of Nerezi is distinguished by five domes. The central dome is elevated on an octagonal drum and reaches the height of 11.70 m. The four subsidiary domes are raised on cubical drums, reaching the height of 9.00 m. The drums are perforated by single-light windows on each of their faces. The lower portion of the building is enlivened by perforations, projecting apses and recessed blind niches. The north and south facades each feature a three-light window in the lower register topped by a two light window in the upper register. The east facade is distinguished by the three-light window of the central apse and the two single-light windows of the side apses. The west facade displays the main entry flanked by the two single-light windows on the north and south sides. The lowest portion of the church, the dado zone, is barely distinguishable. The most distinguishing feature of the exterior of Nerezi is the constellation of its five domes. That feature places Nerezi within a small distinctive group of preserved Byzantine five-domed churches.
State of preservation: In its present form, Nerezi represents a twentieth-century interpretation of an original Byzantine church. The sixteenth-, nineteenth-, and twentieth-century earthquakes took their toll on the building and necessitated a number of reconstructions. In consequence, the church now incorporates considerable reconstructions and newly added portions executed in modern materials, all of which obscure its original shape.
Painted decoration:
The twelfth-century frescoes: The original, twelfth-century paintings dominate the church and are responsible for the impact of its interior. They have been preserved, with minor losses, in all four subsidiary chapels, and in the naos and the bema up to the level of the springing point of the arches. Even the narthex which was largely rebuilt, displays fragments of the original decoration on its east, north and south walls. The twelfth-century frescoes are distinguished as exquisite examples of Komnenian art, attributed to Constantinopolitan masters. Moreover, since no painted cycle from the middle of the twelfth century has been preserved in the capital, Nerezi assumes an important role in our understanding of twelfth-century Byzantine painting in general. On the most basic level, the painted program at Nerezi follows the pattern of decoration traditionally used in cross-in-square and cruciform churches of the Middle Byzantine period. The scenes at Nerezi exhibit hierarchical arrangement in zones and correspond to architectural units. Thus, the liturgical scenes are placed in the bema, the cycle of the life of Christ and the images of saints are depicted in the naos, and the scenes from the life of the patron saint occupy the narthex. Also traditional at Nerezi is the vertical hierarchy. The image of Christ (repainted in the sixteenth century) occupies the central cupola; the scenes of the life of Christ are placed in the upper zone of the walls; and the lower zone of the walls displays the images of saints.
Style: The style of Nerezi’s paintings is characterized by the elegance and sophistication of the figures, by their psychological differentiation, by dramatic coloristic effects, and above all, by the masterful handling of line. Line defines figures, creates their draperies and physiognomies, articulates movement and emotional content, facilitates tonal gradation, and unifies figures into larger compositional groups. While the linearity of images at Nerezi complies with the stylistic koine of twelfth-century art, the high quality of its execution, as scholars have pointed out, suggests Constantinople as a source of influence. Moreover, since no painted cycle from the middle of the twelfth century has been preserved in the capital, Nerezi assumes an important role in our understanding of the stylistic development of twelfth century Byzantine painting in general.
Post-Byzantine frescoes: The interior of Nerezi, as it appears today, is composed of two distinct groups of paintings: the post-Byzantine cycle in the upper portions of the church, and the original, twelfth-century paintings on the walls. Due to earthquakes of the sixteenth and early nineteenth centuries most of the upper areas of the church lost their original decoration and were re-painted. |
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134363
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Pelagonia, Monastery of the Holy Apostles
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Place |
The Abbot of the Monastery of the Holy Apostles in Pelagonia, Monk Methodius is mentioned in Act 79 of the Corpus of the Ponemata diaphora of Demetrios Chomatenos, Archbishop of Ohrid (approx. 1216–1236). |
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134334
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Prilep, Barova crkva
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Place |
Barova crkva is mentioned in the description of the boundaries of the metochion of the Holy Theodores in the Three Charters of Serbian King Dušan to the Treskavac Monastery (Treskavac 1, Treskavac 2, Treskavac 3).
Dating: before 1334/1335 |
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134666
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Prilep, Belo Polje, Manastirište, emains of a medieval church
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Place |
South of the village of Belo Polje there are remains of the church; wall foundations and construction material |
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134340
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Prilep, Church of Holy Anargyroi
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Place |
Church of Holy Anargyroi is mentioned in the description of the boundaries of the metochion of the Holy Theodores in the Third Charter (Treskavac 3) of Serbian King Dušan to the Treskavac Monastery
Dating: before 1344/1345 |
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134347
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Prilep, Church of Saint John Prodromos
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Place |
The Church of St. John the Baptist Prodromos is mentioned as a separate metochion in the Third Charter of Serbian King Dušan to the Treskavac Monastery (Treskavac 3).
Dating: before 1344/1345 |
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134155
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Prilep, Church of Saint Nicholas
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Place |
Description
The Church of St. Nicholas is located in the medieval lower town of Prilep (today Varoš). It is situated a few hundred meters away from the medieval marketplace, at the foot of the medieval fortress known as the "Markovi kuli." It is a small single-aisled building with an externally three-sided apse. The lower part of the building is constructed with roughly cut stone, including spolia, while the upper part is built of stone and brick. The significant differences in construction and treatment between the lower and upper parts of the facades are the result of two construction phases. The frescoes inside the Church of St. Nicholas consist of two stylistically different parts, found in the altar apse and the nave. The dedicatory inscription above the southern doors of the church reveals that the frescoes in the nave were commissioned by Vego Kapza and his wife Maria in 1298.
Architecture
The first phase of construction:
The high stone base belongs to the first construction phase of the Church of St. Nicholas (2.6m), made of rough-hewn stone of various dimensions and several rectangular marble blocks used as spolia. These are the remains of a small single-aisled church, built with rough stone.
Parallels: In the older layer of the building, there are no stylistic or any other elements that could clearly indicate the construction period. The simplicity of their plan and the construction material suggest that they were built by local craftsmen. Similarities have been observed with objects of domestic architecture from the second half of the 12th century, whose remains have been found in the area of the present-day settlement of Varoš.
Dating: end of the 12th century
The second phase of construction:
The upper part of the church, set on a high stone base, corresponds to the second construction phase. The predominant characteristic of the interior space is the dominance of height over the length of the church. The facade surfaces are entirely covered with ceramic plastic decoration. The quality of the exterior is emphasized by continuous horizontal bands made of various brick motifs, representing a distinctive feature of late Byzantine, and particularly Epirote architecture.
Parallels: St. John Kaneo in Ohrid; the Church of the Theotokos Peribleptos in Ohrid; the Church of Christ the Savior in Borje, near Korcha (Koresha), Albania; Panagia (the Panagia Kyriotissa and Ag. Theodoroi) in Preventza, Greece; Ag. Vassileios stin Gefyra in Arta, the Narthex of the Church of Ag. Theodora in Arta.
Dating: ca. 1285-1295
Painted Decoration
The first fresco unit: consists of frescoes in the altar apse and the lunette of the western facade. A conservative artistic approach was applied, based on expressive means inherited from the Comnenian art, but adapted in a provincial spirit of the second half of the 13th century.
Parallels: St. John Kaneo in Ohrid; the Church of St. Nicholas in the village of Manastir in Mariovo; the Church of St. Demetrios in Prilep; the Church of St. George Omorphoklisias near Kastoria
Dating: third quarter of the 13th century, or 1298
The second fresco unit: consists of frescoes in the naos. The work of the two painters has been assessed as a fusion of old and new concepts during the stylistically transitional period of the late 13th century.
Parallels: Virgin Mavriotissa in Kastoria; Vlacherna monastery in Arta; The Church of Archangel Michael in Kostaniani near Ioannina; the Church of Taxiarches in Kostaniani near Ioannina; Ag. Demetrios Katsouris in Plissioi near Arta.
Dating: 1298 |
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134216
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Prilep, Church of Saint Peter
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Place |
Description
The Church of Saint Peter is located in the medieval lower town of Prilep (today Varoš). It is a small single-nave church with an apse at the east end, of simple rectangular shape and modest dimensions.
Architecture
First phase of construction:
The Church of Saint Peter has a simple rectangular shape and modest dimensions. The building is terminated with a striking elliptical apse on the east side. At the northern end, there are two more small niches (one rectangular niche recessed into the mass of the apse, and another elliptical niche designed for protheses). The main characteristic of the interior space of the church is its height. The only entrance to the church is from its western side. The facades are designed as flat surfaces, emphasizing their decorative treatment. This is most evident on the north and east facades, which are intersected by horizontal ornamental bands with various motifs: a series of rhomboids in the highest zone and simplified meanders alternating with rows executed in cloisonné technique. The lower zones are constructed with rough stone masonry.
Parallels: Church of Saint Demetrios in Prilep (the latest construction phase); Church of Saint Nicholas in Prilep (the second construction phase), and the Church of Saint Elijah in the village of Grnčari
Dating: most likely dated from the end of the 13th century.
Comment: In earlier scholarship, it was posited that the construction of the Church of Saint Peter took place during the 14th century. However, more recent analyses of the church's architectural features have led to a revision of this view, suggesting a more precise dating to the late 13th century. The examination of the church's conceptual design, layout, ceramic ornamentation, and construction techniques has revealed significant affinities with architectural styles prevalent in the 13th century.
Reconstruction/Renovation: The church underwent significant damage at an unknown time after its construction. The structural system was reconstructed, and the southern wall of the church was completely enclosed. The restored sections were built with stone, which distinguishes them from the other original walls.
Dating: there is no information about the reconstruction of the church
Painted Decoration: The remains of the frescoes are in very poor condition
Parallels: Theotokos Prečista in Prilep
Dating: the end of the 14th century |
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134327
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Prilep, Church of Saints Theodores
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Place |
The Church of St. Theodore, whose exact location is unknown today, is mentioned as a metochion of the Treskavac Monastery in the Three Charters of Serbian King Dušan to the Treskavac Monastery (Treskavac 1, Treskavac 2, Treskavac 3).
Dating: before 1334-1336 |
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134331
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Prilep, Church of Sveta Petka
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Place |
The Church of St. Petka is mentioned in the First (Treskavac 1, 1334/1335) and Second (Treskavac 2, 1343/1344) Charters of Serbian King Dušan (1331-1355) to the Treskavac Monastery. In the first charter, it is mentioned as a monastic metochion, while in the second charter, it is stated to belong to the monastery.
Dating: before 1334/1335 |
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134684
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Prilep, Desovo, Kale, ortified late antique and medieval settlement
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Place |
location: 4 km north of the village of Desova
settlement: remains of a large building on an area of 1000m2; on the surface of the terrain are fragments of ceramic vessels, covering ceramides and construction material
The finds are kept in the National Institute and Museum in Prilep |
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134688
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Prilep, Dolgaec,Manastirište, medieval church
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Place |
location: 2 km north of the village of Dolgaec
church: foundations of the church built of crushed stone and lime mortar and fragments of ceramide |
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134692
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Prilep, Kalen, Markovi Kuli, late antique and medieval fortress
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Place |
locality: a flat plateau at a dominant height is located 1 km northeast of the village of Kalen
fortress: remains;
dating: two phases; the fortress was built in the Late Antiquity period and was rebuilt in the Middle Ages |
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134314
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Prilep, Lower Town, remains of Church No. 13
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Place |
At the site located in the central part of the Lower Town of Prilep (Varoš) remains of church walls, fragments of frescoes, spolia taken from the earlier monuments, and several medieval graves are found.
Dating: Unknown |
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134317
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Prilep, Lower Town, remains of Church No. 14
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Place |
The remains of Church No. 14 are located approximately 150 meters northwest of the Church of St. Peter, in the Lower Town of Prilep (Varoš). The northern wall (6 meters in length) of the church is preserved at a height of 0.50 meters; in the former sanctuary, on the wall, a larger number of fresco decoration fragments of the dado are found.
Dating: insecurely dated to the 13th century. |
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134320
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Prilep, Lower Town, remains of Church No. 15
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Place |
The remains of Church No. 15 are located approximately 180 meters north of the Church of St. Peter, in the Lower Town of Prilep (Varoš). The preserved remains include walls made of stone, brick, and lime mortar, along with a larger number of fragmented pieces scattered within construction debris.
Dating: Unknown |
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134323
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Prilep, Lower Town, remains of Church No. 16
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Place |
At the site located at the foothills of the Upper Town of Prilep (Markovi Kuli), remains of church walls, fragments of frescoes, and several medieval graves have been found.
Dating: Unknown |
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134305
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Prilep, Lower Town, remains of the Church of Saint Barbara
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Place |
The remains of the Church of Saint Barbara are located at the site of Urviste, which is mentioned in the Third Charter (Treskavac 3) of Serbian King Dušan (1331-1355) to the Treskavac Monastery (1343-1345). A thin layer of construction rubble and several fragments of frescoes have been preserved.
Dating: Unknown; before 1343–1345. |
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134311
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Prilep, Lower Town, remains of the “Church of Saint George”
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Place |
A larger number of fresco fragments in the northwestern part of the Lower Town of Prilep (Varoš) have been identified as the Church of St. George, mentioned in the First Charter (Treskavac 1) of Serbian King Dušan (1331-1355) to the Treskavac Monastery (1334-1336).
Dating: the middle of the 13th century |
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134696
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Prilep, Manastir, Markovi Kuli-Gradok, early Christian basilica, medieval fortress and church
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Place |
location: near the confluence of the Lesnička River and the Crna River, a high hill with a flat plateau called Gradok
medieval fortification: remains of ramparts about 2 m wide, built with wide stone, area 1ha, covered with construction rubble and fragments of medieval ceramics
archaeological findings: coins (folis of John I Tzimiskes, end of the 10th century), jewelry (bronze ring and part of a bracelet, 10th-12th century)
early Christian basilica: at the southeast end of the plateau are the remains of a three-nave basilica (dimensions 15 x 8 m); it is built of bricks, pressed stone and lime mortar; the apse and side walls are partially preserved
church: ten meters southwest of the basilica are the remains of a small church, built from the same material and using the same technique
dating of the church: not determined |
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134236
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Prilep, Monastery of Treskavac
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Place |
Description
The monastery of the Holy Virgin known as Treskavac is located at a ten-kilometre distance from Prilep, below a rocky mountain peak. The oldest part of its katholikon, dedicated to the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God, dates back to the end of the twelfth century or the first half of the thirteenth century, whereas considerable construction works in the same church were carried out during the reign of Andronikos II and several decades later, between 1330 and 1350. The katholikon of the Treskavac Monastery is a complex architectural ensemble. The appearance of the church is the result of numerous constructions, alterations, demolitions, and renovations over the centuries. The spatial plan and structure of the church consist of several architectural units: the main church (altar and naos) with a narthex. Along the southern side of the church, the southern nave extends the entire length, while on the northern side, there is a northern side chapel, and on the western side, a two-domed narthex is situated. To this layout of the church, two additional spatial units are added - a southeast chapel and an enclosed porch encompassing the western and southern sides of the church complex.
Architecture
First phase of construction: The oldest building in the present church complex is the main church with a narthex. It has a compact inscribed cross plan, topped by a dome.
Parallels: Church of St. Archangel Michael in Prilep
Dating: the end of the 12th century or during the first half of the 13th century
Comment: The basis for dating consists of the typological characteristics of architecture and the results of archaeological research. In 1959, six graves were discovered on the southern side of the church, more precisely beneath the foundation of the later-built southern nave and in the southern part of the subsequently constructed porch. These graves date back to the period from the 10th to the 12th century, at the latest until the middle of the 13th century.
Second phase of construction: The second phase includes the construction of an elongated and narrow nave along the southern side and an exonarthex on the western side of the church. A distinct feature of this two-sided annex is the dome raised at the intersection of the southern and western naves. The construction of a two-aisled ambulatory nave adjacent to the Treskavac church belongs to the architectural corpus of the Palaiologan era, characterized by intense additions of side chapels, naves, and other annexes to older church building. The façade design also reflects tendencies of late Byzantine architecture towards intricate decoration, resulting in a departure from the principles of form and structure harmony. The technique of using stone and brick in construction is not entirely regular and constitutes a combination of opus listatum and opus cloisonné. The façade decoration consists solely of ceramic plastic ornamentation limited to the tympanum area of the upper row of blind niches (motifs of a chessboard pattern, fishbone, interlace).
Parallels: Saint John Kaneo in Ohrid
Dating: The last two decades of the 13th century to the first two decades of the 14th century
Third phase of construction: the addition of the northern annex, consisting of two chambers - a single-nave chapel on the eastern side and a square bay with a dome on the western side.
Dating: between the second decade of the 14th century and 1334-1343.
Fourth phase of construction: the construction of the southeastern side chapel adjacent to the southern nave; during this time or later, an open porch on the southern side was also erected.
Dating: the middle of the 14th century
Reconstruction/Renovation:
First Renovation: the upper structure of the main church.
Dating: 1480-1490.
Second Renovation: the renovation of the sanctuary of the main church, the southern nave, and the southeastern side chapel.
Dating: 16th century
Third Renovation: renovation of the narthex.
Dating: 19th century
Painted Decoration:
First fresco layer: has not been preserved.
Second fresco layer: three frescoes in the vestibule of the main entrance to the monastery, formed on the ground floor of the bell tower constructed to the west of the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin. The frescoes were created in 1898, but there is a strong basis for the claim that they replicate the painting program depicted in the same location at the end of the 13th or the beginning of the 14th century. 1. Theotokos in the center, crowning the Byzantine emperors Andronikos II Palaiologos and Michael IX , 2. remains of the founder's composition: a part of the head of a female figure with a halo, facing to the right, and next to her, the so-called model of the church. This is a representation of the Theotokos, and the model undoubtedly was held by the ktitor (founder), whose figure, now completely destroyed, was located opposite the figure of the Mother of God. The destroyed fresco probably depicted the Byzantine military commander Michael Glabas Tarchaneiotes, 3. the figure of archangel Michael
Dating: between 1294 and 1316.
Third fresco layer: frescoes in the exonarthex and the northern dome of the exonarthex; remnants of a royal portrait of King Dušan (repainted) on the eastern wall of the central part of the exonarthex.
Dating: 1334-1343
Fourth fresco layer: Portrait of the patron of the parekklesion (southeastern side chapel), Tepčija Gradislav, on the western wall of the parekklesion.
Dating: the middle of the 14th century
Fifth fresco layer: frescoes in the naos.
Dating: 1480-1490
Sixth fresco layer: frescoes in the sanctuary
Dating: 1570
Seventh fresco layer:
Dating: 1847-1849 |
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134702
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Prilep, Strovija, Petočnica, depot of medieval coins
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Place |
depot: 103 coins mostly silver, Byzantine, 11th century
The find is kept in the National Institute and Museum in Prilep |
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134225
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Prilep, Upper Town Markovi kuli, remains of the church
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Place |
The remains of a small single-nave church are situated within the fortification of Markovi kuli, specifically on the southwest terrace area. This location is commonly referred to as 'courtyard F' and is also known as Ramnište. Notably, it is the least extensively investigated area from an archaeological perspective. The remnants of the church are situated within a settlement complex, alongside residential buildings, economic structures, water sources, water cisterns, stables, and a blacksmith shop
Dating:12th-14th century |
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134507
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Prilep, Varoš, Sivastoec
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Place |
Sivastoec, medieval necropolis, is located in Varoš, Prilep. In 1955 was discovered a large medieval necropolis.
findings:
graves are arranged in several layers; jewelry and money are separated from the findings
dating of the necropolis:
11th and 14th centuries |
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134670
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Prilep, Varoš, Sveti Atanas, a medieval settlement with a necropolis
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Place |
Layers of settlements were discovered under the church by archaeological research; in the lower layer there are traces of wooden houses with quadrangular foundations; in the layer above are the remains of houses built of crushed stone and mud, grain storage pits, or smelting workshops as well as workshops for making iron and ceramic objects
finds: objects for everyday use (tools, rope, coins)
dating: 12.-14. century
necropolis: the youngest layer
dating: late Middle Ages and Turkish period |
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134680
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Prilep, Veprčani, Viroi, medieval settlement
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Place |
location: 1 km east of the village of Veprčani, to the right of the location of Čukarite, on the surface of the field
settlement: fragments of ceramic vessels and Byzantine coins
The finds are kept in the National Institute and Museum in Prilep |
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134463
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Prilep, the Church of Saint Demetrius
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Place |
The church St. Demetrius is located in the western part of Varoš, in the area that used to be the economic centre of the lower town of medieval Prilep. The village of Varoš, a suburb of Prilep, in the Middle Ages was in the vicinity of the fortress that Skilica calls Πρίλαπος τὸ φρούριον. In medieval sources, the church is mentioned only in the charter of Emperor Stefan Dušan from 1335 to the Treskavac monastery, in which he bequeathed the church as a gift to this monastery. One of the founders is also mentioned in the charter. The founder of the major additions from the 13th century was the Byzantine nobleman, Dimitrios Misinopolit.
Architecture:
Church of Saint Demetrius has a complex architectural composition and is preserved in its entirety with modifications over the centuries. The church represents a group of three churches separated from each other by massive walls built in the period from the 12th to the 14th century. The core of the church is the nave, which is placed in the direction of the east-west axis. Above the eastern part of the nave rises a dome placed on a drum, which is cylindrical inside and divided into twelve sides on the outside. The dome has nine narrow windows. On both sides (north and south) parallel to the main axis of the church, are placed two side annexes. The connection of the nave with the side annexes is achieved by means of two semicircular arched openings. All three spaces in the east end with an aps, while in the west they are connected with common narthex. The apse on the south side is three-sided, while the other two are semicircular on the outside. The external dimensions of the church are: to the east and west - 11.43 m, to the north - 13.65 m. and in the south - 13.95 m. The total height (from the floor in the nave to the summit of the dome) is 10.64 m. The constructive system of the church of St. Dimitrija contains all the essential features of the constructive systems of churches of the inscribed cross type with a dome.
The facades with a variety of ceramoplastic decoration have a particular architectural value.The northern facade is the most representative. It was built in a typical Byzantine style of masonry, alternating between stone blocks and bricks. The checkerboard system, which is carried over to the northern apse, and the three bricked-up arched openings of the former porch with frames decorated with radially placed bricks, have been recorded. The northern facade is decorated with two toothed cornices, the higher of which extends to the eastern and western facades. The niches to the left and right of the window have bricks arranged in zig-zag lines.
The southern facade has a lower part that is built of irregularly arranged stone blocks with the occasional use of brick. The higher parts are processed more meticulously with a combination of stone and brick. The apse of the central church and its upper parts, which represent the oldest part of the building, are the most roughly executed. The narthex suffered the most, where the southern side, which adjoins the southern wall of the church, has been preserved. The northern side has been preserved up to a height of half a meter.
The northern annex of the church has the shape of an irregular quadrangle that ends in the east with a semicircular apse. The connection of the northern annex with the nave and the altar area is via two arched openings. It is also connected to the vestibule through an arched opening. The northern annex is entered from the outside through an opening on the northern facade of the church.
The southern annex, like the northern one, consists of three sections in the east-west direction. It has the shape of an irregular quadrilateral. As with the northern annex, the upper structure is characterized by a transverse arch above the central nave, which is supported laterally by two arches above the eastern and western naves placed in the east-west direction. The connection with the nave is achieved through an arched opening. The floor in the southern annex is lower than the floor of the nave.
The church undergone significant architectural changes, and it is an outstanding indicator of the general flows in the development of the church architecture on the wider territory of Macedonia in the late Byzantine period.
Dating:
First phase:
Sašo Korunovski distinguishes four stages of church construction. In his opinion, the first single-nave church was built in the middle of the 12th century.
Second phase:
After Prilep came under the rule of John III Doukas Vatatzes (1221-1254) in 1246, an open porch was added from the north, which shows similarities with the architecture of the Nicaean Empire probably between 1260-1270
Third phase:
In the third quarter of the 13th century, an open narthex was installed and the two resulting naves were covered with a transverse vault.
Fourth phase:
Finally, in the last decade of the 13th century, the church was rebuilt into an inscribed cross with a dome, the south nave and common narthex were added. The founder of all the undertakings of the fourth phase was Dimitrios Misinopolit, depicted on the founder’s composition. In the portrait he is not holding a model of the church in his hands. The text of the inscription above his head points out that he is the founder of the whole church and not just the added parts.
Parallels:
Epirus was certainly the most suitable area from where the type of churches with an overhanging cross vault could be transferred to Macedonia. This type will appear only in the third phase of construction at the church of Saint Demetrius. Some other specific Epirus motifs are also found in the church of St. Demetrius. On the south facade, above the windows, is a zig-zag frieze with triangular stones inserted into the gaps between the bricks. The dome of the Church of St. Demetrius also reveals motifs characteristic of the architecture of Epirus from the end of the 13th century. This type of dome was widely used in the 14th century and is linked to the influence of Thessaloniki architecture. However, as pointed out by the researchers, the earliest examples of such a drum design with windows reaching only to the middle with arched ends are known among the buildings such as the church of Panagia Parigoritisa in Arta, before 1294–1296, Archangel Michael in Berat, etc.
Epigraphic data:
Type and place of the first inscription:
The first inscription is located in the southern nave, on the western part of the northern wall, it is displayed in three rows, in white on a blue background, above the portrait of Dimitrios Misinopolit. who addresses the patron saint of the church in prayer.
Text of the first inscription:
δέ(ησις) τοῦ δού[λου] τοῦ θ(εο)ῦ Δημητρίουa τοῦ Μησηνοπολήτου καὶ κτήτορ(ος)c τοῦ ναοῦ
Translation of the first inscription:
Petition of the servant of God Dimitrios of Misinopolit and the founder of the church.
Type and place of the second inscription:
The second inscription is on the western side of the altar column, it is written above the representation of the prophet Elijah, in one line, in red on a brown background.
Text of the second inscription:
[δέησις]a τοῦ δούλου τοῦ θ(εο)ῦ b [Ἀνδρο]νίκου καὶ Ἠρή[νη]ς a [Μνήσθητι Κύρι]ε
Translation of the second inscription:
Plea of the servant of God Andronikos and Irina.
Painting:
The church has preserved parts of paintings in the dome and area below the dome, on the walls of the nave and in the apse of the central church, as well as on the sides of the north and south arches that connects northern and southern annexes. In the annexes, as well as in the narthex, there are some badly damaged fragments. In the semi-calotte of the central apse is a representation of the Virgin Mary with Christ.
The founding composition is painted on the north-western wall of the southern annex. Paintings in the dome and below the dome belong to the younger painting of the 14th century. At the top of the dome is Christ Pantokrator. The circle around it has seven medallions with representations of angels painted in bust supporting the sphere. Between the windows in the drum are representations of prophets. Three compositions have been preserved from the Great Feasts cycle: the Ascension, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and the Annunciation.
Painting dates:
Vojislav Đurić dates the oldest painting, the scene with hetoimasia, in the apse to 1290, interpreting the style as a relapse of the Komnenian style of painting, connecting it to the layer of paintings from the 13th century. The same author attributes the youngest layer of paintings to the group of painters around Metropolitan Jovan, dating them to the period from the ninth decade of the 14th century to the third decade of the 15th century. He believes that Jovan followed the scheme of old painting during the renovation in the 14th century. |
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134443
|
Prilep, the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel
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Place |
The Church of the Holy Archangel Michael is located in the Varoš, in the suburbs of the "Mark's Tower" fortress in Prilep. There are opinions that the original church was built in the 10th century. Such a point of view is based on the content of a cyrillic inscription on a marble pillar from 996, which was used in the 19th century to support the roof structure of the church porch. In the inscription, according to the reading of Jordan Ivanov, Bishop Andrew, who died on February 17th of the said year, is mentioned.
Architecture:
Today's church is an interesting architectural achievement. It is a single-aisle church with an irregular foundation, built on very unfavorable terrain. It consists of an altar area and a nave with two bays. Under the floor in the western part of the church there are two rooms, probably burial chapels, contemporary with the construction of the main part of the church. The church today has a (reconstructed) dome over the western bay, but judging by the appearance of the church in the portrait of the founder, it also existed above the main part of the nave. Sašo Korunovski, who researched the architecture of the Archangel Michael's church in the most detail, recognized in its construction the peculiarities of Constantinople architecture - primarily, in the fact that there is a single-aisle church with two domes in the middle. He especially had in mind the central church in the Pantokrator monastery complex, also dedicated to the Archangel Michael. On the other hand, he found analogies for the two-story solution of the church in well-known monuments on the territory of today's Bulgaria (Bačkovo, Asenovgrad). The Church of the Archangel Michael is the endowment of the "great chartoularios of the West" Jovan, who, as a monk, is represented in the founder's portrait on the western wall, holding a model of the church in his hands. Next to his portrait is badly damaged dedicatory inscription. Two damaged figures of the founder(?) are located in one of the underground chapels of the temple, probably dedicated to St. Nicholas, who is shown intersecting for the mentioned figures to Christ. It is possible that they are members of the founder Jovan's family.
Painting:
The painting of the church, which dates back to the eighth or ninth decade of the 13th century, represents a valuable achievement of early palaeologan painting. Along with the remains of paintings in the altar, most of the wall paintings have been preserved in the western part of the church, where Saint Nicholas, figures of holy monks (first zone), figures of martyrs (middle zone), and, in higher zones, are represented two cycles, the cycle of the Passion of Christ, and, above him, the cycle of the patron saint of the temple, Archangel Michael. |
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134707
|
Prilep, Čanište, Ubava Glava, medieval fortress
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Place |
location: 1 km northeast of the village of Čanište, at 756 m above see level
fortification: remains of rampart walls built of broken stone of local origin, about 1.5 m wide; the fortress had three belts and went down the slope like a terrace |
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134344
|
Prilep, “Crkva Bodova”
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Place |
“Crkva Bodova” is mentioned as part of the property of the Treskavac Monastery in the Second (Treskavac 2) and Third (Treskavac 3) Charters of Serbian King Dušan.
Dating: before 1343/1344 |
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134676
|
Tašačica, a late antique settlement and necropolis and a medieval settlement
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Place |
location: west of Markovi Kuli, at the foot of the hill near the fountain, next to the Prilep-Gorno Selo road
settlement: fragments of construction material and ceramic vessels |
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134532
|
Trpceva church, Dunje, Prilep
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Place |
Trpceva church, late antique settlement, early Christian church and medieval necropolis, Dunje, Prilep
locality: the area between the villages of Kalen and Dunje or 2 km southwest of the village of Dunje, about 300 m to the left of the modern Prilep-Vitolište road; on a larger surface there are the remains of destroyed buildings
early Christian basilica: the central area of the site is occupied by a three-nave basilica of modest dimensions with a small semicircular apse to the east; the almost square nave measures 8.50 x 8.75; the narthex is rectangular and has a room at the northwest corner (diakonicon); on the south side is a circular room - a baptistery; the church is solidly built of crushed stone and lime mortar; the walls have been preserved up to 1 m high; 1985 the locals, on their own initiative, built a new church of stone and mud on the foundations of the old building.
dating of the basilica:
based on the layout of the annex next to the church (the baptistery on the south side), it belongs to buildings before the Justinian era in the southwestern parts of Macedonia; it was probably built before the great construction projects of the emperor Justinian's fortification system.
settlement: in the immediate vicinity of the church, on an area of about 300x500 m, you can see the remains of buildings that belonged to the late antique settlement.
necropolis: there is a necropolis around the church, 142 graves were explored; it is a single-layered necropolis 'in rows', whose graves are carved in crumbly (soft) rock, and the constructions were made with partial or complete fencing on the inside; there are also graves without fences
grave finds: items for decoration: earrings, bracelets, rings; among which there are luxurious examples made of silver and glass paste; cult objects: encolpion crosses and cross pendants
dating of the findings: end of 9th - beginning of 10th century and 11th century; cross pendants: 10-11. century
characteristics of the finds: the wealth and luxury of jewelry testify to local production, but some specimens come from larger centers with which the local population maintained trade ties; the findings also show that the population buried here had relatively stable economic living conditions
dating of the necropolis: the beginnings of burials at the end of the 9th-beginning 10th century, and the necropolis was in use throughout the 11th century |
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134297
|
Veles, Svećani, Saint Constantine, Remains of the Church
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Place |
Description: Today, only modest remains of the church are preserved. Through archaeological research, the chronological phases of construction and painting of the church have been reconstructed. A small single-nave church with small-scale lateral apses was built from the late 9th to the mid-10th century. It underwent renovations and expansions on two occasions—during the second half of the 13th century and in a later period, possibly during the 14th century. Remnants of fresco decoration are located in the altar apse. Two layers of frescoes have been preserved: an older one corresponding to the time of the church's construction (late 9th - first half of the 10th century) and another from the time of the first church renovation in the second half of the 13th century.
Architecture
First phase of construction:
In the first phase, a small single-nave church was built. A distinctive architectural feature is evident in the placement of a small apsidal room on the southern side. It is likely that a lateral apse originally existed on the northern side as well, but it has not been preserved due to the later reconstruction of the church, which destroyed the foundation of the northern wall of the old church. The church terminated in the eastern low semicircular apse. On the lateral sides of the apse, in the eastern wall, there are two small niches for the prothesis and diakonikon. Although it is a single-nave church without a dome, it conforms to the design of triconch churches in terms of its shape and disposition of its lateral conches.
Parallels: Church in the village of Izdeglavje
Dating: late 9th - first half of the 10th century
Second phase of construction: In the second phase, the original small church underwent renovation and expansion; the nave was extended towards the west; the entrance on the southern wall was walled up, and a new entrance was constructed on the western side of the building. The same phase also includes the renewal of the eastern part of the church; the height of the eastern apse was increased, and the additional section was executed with interior stonework and adorned externally with ceramic decoration.
Dating: the second half of the 13th century
Third phase of construction: In the third phase, a nave was added along the southern wall of the church; this southern annex had a three-sided apse and two entrances. For the purposes of worship, the southern apse of the original church was opened, thus establishing communication between the two spatial units.
Dating: The documentary evidence for the dating of the third phase of construction is lacking. Perhaps the second renovation took place in the 14th century.
Painted Decoration
First Layer: The oldest fresco ensemble has left few remains. The frescoes in the eastern apse were arranged in two registers - in the lower register, standing figures of saints surround the single narrow window, while the content of the upper register is difficult to identify. Only the depiction of a throne is visible in the apse composition, which was a part of representations of Christ on the throne, the Virgin Mary on the throne with Christ, and Hetoimasia at that time.
Dating: 10th century
Second Layer: The frescoes are fragmentarily preserved in the sanctuary. In the conch of the apse, remnants of an archangel figure are visible (likely part of the composition of the Virgin Mary with archangels). In the central register of the apse, there is a depiction of the Communion of the Apostles, and in the lower register of the apse, four bishops surround the single narrow window (The Officiating Bishops). The depictions of celebrating bishops continued onto the southern wall of the sanctuary.
Parallels: Church of St. Nicholas in the village of Manastir in Moriovo, St. John Kaneo in Ohrid, Church of St. Eliah in the village of Grnčari, Church of the Holy Mother of God in Dabnište near Kavadarci
Dating: the last quarter of the 13th century |
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134549
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Veles, the Church of Saint Demetrius
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Place |
In the immediate vicinity of the town of Veles, that is, at the southern exit from the town along the road to Gradsko, on the right side of the leveled plateau, there is a monastery complex with a church dedicated to St. Saint Dimitri. The entire complex is surrounded by massive walls, which contain the remains of older monastery walls. The lodgings and other buildings in the monastery are from recent times. At the southern end of the monastery is the Catholicon dedicated to Saint Demetrius.
Written sources:
Only information about the history of the church is coming from the period of its reconstruction in 1855. In the inscription on the south side of the nave it states that the church was renovated and colorfully painted that year.
Description of the church:
The church consists of an altar area, a nave and a narthex. The orientation is from east to west. The central, largest part is occupied by the nave. The altar of the church keeps the same width as the nave. On the east side there is a wide semicircular apse. To the north of the apse there is a small semicircular niche of the prosthesis. The border between the nave and the narthex at the church of St. Demetrius is clearly defined by a wall, and communication between them is only through a narrow opening. The narthex of the church is made in the form of a square with small deviations in the dimensions of its four sides. It also has an upper floor. The church originally had three entrances, two on the north side and one on the west side. The entrance on the western side of the narthex was later closed, so today only the entrances on the north wall are functional, one leading to the narthex and the other directly to the nave of the church. All entrance openings are formed in an identical manner; the facade is made of brick, which in the upper part forms the arch of the opening in a radial arrangement. There are only three windows on the church. There are two windows on the north wall. The form of the third window placed in the apse of the church was radically changed and today there is a rectangular wooden window here, placed during the 19th century reconstruction. According to the width of the niche on the eastern facade, but also according to the arched segments on the inner side of the niche, the original window used to be in a shape of an arched monofora. Above the nave and the altar area is a barrel vault. The narthex has an independent structural system from the one in the nave. Its main feature is that it is built on two floors. The lower part (ground floor) is covered with a barrel vault in the east-west direction, and it is lower than the vault in the nave. Today, the upper structure above the narthex upper floor is wooden, but there are indications that it was originally different. Namely, in the four corners of the floor in the upper part, at the height of the beginning of the arches of the opening, there are the remains of the vault construction. They have a pyramidal shape (with the top turned downwards), which clearly shows that there was a cross vault here before. Later, when the cruciform vault collapsed, some of these pyramidal remains were partially added to provide horizontally leveled corner plinths for the start of a new wooden structure.
Dating architecture:
14th century (belongs to the stylistic group from the end of the XIII century)
Facade decoration:
The facades of the Church of St. Demetrius in Veles, as well as many other churches stylistically related to early Paleologan architecture, are composed of horizontal zones. The most characteristic example of this style at Saint Dimitri is the north facade. The two entrances placed on this facade have been moved to the west. The entrance to the narthex is obviously settled in vertical coordination with the other elements placed on the parts of the narthex, i.e. bell tower. The lower zone of the northern facade is coated with white lime paint, but the paint layer is thin and the structure of the wall is easy to recognize. In the lowest part, there is a plinth of roughly broken stone with occasional pieces of brick inserted. Upwards, to the end of this lower zone, masonry follows with the cloisonné technique. It is executed quite properly with two horizontal rows of bricks and two vertically placed bricks alternating with stone. The boundary between the lower and upper zones of the northern facade is marked by a horizontal toothed frieze. At the foot of the upper zone there is a series of three niches. They are formed with two rows of stepped bricks. The western one was made as a blind niche, while in the other two there are single windows. In the space between the niches there is a wide decorative frieze in opus reticulatum technique. Today, its western end is partially damaged, but it is clear that it originally extended along the entire length of the northern facade. Directly above it, on the eastern half of the facade, there is a meander frieze. The next two rows of the upper zone of the northern facade were made using the cloisonné technique. The end of the facade is decorated with a double dogtooth strip that continues to the parts of the narthex, which also marks the end of the second zone of the facade. Upwards, a third zone will be formed only on the part of the narthex.
Parallels:
The origin of the tower over the western entrance should perhaps be sought in the churches of Epirus. Facade decorations and decoration similar to the Church of the Holy Mother of God Peribleptos in Ohrid or the Church Panagia Parigoritissa in Arta.
Painting:
Recently it was discovered traces of painting in the narthex of the church. There are two scenes preserved, one is the portrait of a founder with a model of the church in his left hand, and the other scenes is part of the Last Judgment composition. The Last Judgment scenes include a man-eating fish and several sea animals.
The donor portrait is depicted on the east wall, and the Last judgment is on the north?
Dating of the painting:
The painting most likely dates from the end of the 13th century. |
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134621
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Velse, Stobi, ancient and early Byzantine city and episcopal seat; medieval settlement and necropolis; the Episcopal Basilica and the Northern Basilica in the Middle Ages
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Place |
During the Middle Ages, a medieval settlement developed in the area of the early Byzantine town of Stobi near Veles (Diocese of Bitola), after which the area of the settlement was used as a necropolis, while the old basilicas were partially adapted and smaller, far more modest Christian buildings were formed within their spaces.
Stobi is ne of the most important trading cities of the ancient period; One of the most significant events in the history of late antique Stobi is the formation of the Christian community. The name of the first bishop - Budia was recorded at the council in Nicaea in 325, and the old episcopal basilica also dates from the 4th century. These are the earliest documented manifestations of Christianity on the territory of North Macedonia. In 388, Emperor Theodosius visited Stobi and issued two edicts here, which forbade the assembly of heretics and public debates about religion. The discovered sacral architecture in Stobi, and especially the episcopal basilica of Bishop Philip, from the beginning of the 5th century, show that the city was a fairly significant religious center with established Christian traditions. The fact that Stobi was the capital of the province Macedonia Secunda leads some researchers to believe that it was not only a bishopric but also had the rank of a metropolitan. In 447, Stobi, like seventy other cities in the Balkans, suffered from the Huns.
Medieval horizon, basic description:
Reliably confirmed traces of life activities in the area of the early Byzantine settlement and in its immediate vicinity date to the middle and late middle ages, more precisely between the last decades of the 11th and the beginning of the 12th century and the 14th century. This horizon(s?), formed by the use of space, was recorded through stratigraphy, immovable and movable archaeological material (mainly ceramics, jewelry and coins) from the context of the settlement and with two necropolises, one in the northern basilica and the other in the Palikura basilica. During the research of the eastern rampart in 2008 and 2009, four medieval coins were found three of which belong to the coinage of Alexos I Komnenos in the period 1092-1118. There is an indication of the systematic removal of bricks that occurred at the earliest in the period 1092-1118.
Episcopal Basilica in the younger period:
On the central and northern nave of the Episcopal Basilica, also after massive demolition, a Christian building of modest size and quality was erected.
Slavic necropolis southwest of the Northern Basilica:
In the area of the northwestern part of the building of the Northern Basilica and around the central nave, burials in graves made of stone slabs were found, which appears to be the main reason for the disturbed stratigraphy in the building (23 Slavic graves). The largest concentration of graves is southwest of the basilica. All graves follow the orientation of the building and are oriented southeast-northwest. They are dated to the period of 9-10th until the 12th century. We are talking about the necropolis that extends in the area between the northern and central basilicas and probably in their surroundings. They were probably grouped around a small church, built in the eastern half of the central nave of the basilica The northern basilica in the younger period: the eastern half of the central nave of the basilica was probably adapted and used as a small church; it is not possible to date more precisely.
Archaeological findings: During excavations in 1936 of the Northern Basilica, a ring with accentuated with a head in the form of a truncated pyramid was discovered. This ring has been dated to the period between the end of the 10th and the beginning of the 12th century. On the passage between the baptistery and the northern nave, silver coins of Dragutin (1276-1282), Dušan (1331-1345), Uroš (1355-1371), Vukašin (1365-1371) and Venetian coins were found, the latest of which was minted during the reign of Francesco Dandola (1329-1339). All were placed in a silver (gilded) box of Western provenance, dated to the 14th century at the latest.
dating of the necropolis: the graves are dated to the period of 9-10. to the 12th century |
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134119
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Velušina, Church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God
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Place |
Description: The Church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God is situated in the village of Velushina, 10 km south of Bitola, Republic of N. Macedonia, on the well-known Roman road Via Egnatia. It was most likely built at the end of the 10th or at the beginning of the 11th century. It is a small three-aisled basilica. The building was probably abandoned for a long period of time, until the first half of the 18th century, when many repairs were carried out. In the 19th century the Church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God received the new fresco layer and icons for the new, wooden iconostasis.
Architecture
First phase of construction: The original part of the building is the central aisle with triple arched passages (tribelon) towards the southern, northern and western sides of the nave. They represent the communication between the narthex and the nave, that is, the central and side aisles.
Parallels: Tribelons surrounding the central space of the church have their origins in early Christian architecture and were applied in some of the most significant and monumental domed basilicas or cruciform churches with ambulatories from the 9th to the 11th century. Examples include the Church of Chora Monastery in Constantinople, Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki, and the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary in Labova, Albania. The basilican type of small dimensions, like the church in Velušina, are characteristic of the regions of Thessaly, Epirus, and Macedonia from the 10th-11th centuries. Geographically, the nearest church is the Church of the Holy Apostles on the island of St. Achilleios on Prespa. Parallels also include the Church of Taxiarches at Kostur, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Kalambaka, the churches of Sts. Peter and Paul and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Voden (Edessa). A similar spatial concept was realized in the Church of St. Nicholas in the village of Manastir in Mariovo.
Dating: end of the 10th or the beginning of the 11th century
Reconstruction/Renovation:The western tribelon was reconstructed later on, while the passages through the northern and southern walls had been changed: the northern wall was expanded, while a part of the passage of the southern wall was blocked. The repairs carried out later on are the following: the upper demolished parts of the walls were rebuilt; new and much wider lateral aisles and a narthex was constructed along with a flat ceiling and tiled roof cover. The porch around the southern and western façades and both of the annex buildings on the western side were built at the beginning of the 20th century.
Painted Decoration
First Layer: A fragment of fresco painting was discovered during the research in 2002, beneath a more recent layer of paintings on the southern wall of the naos. It depicts a standing figure of a saint, dressed in an archbishop's vestments, next to which a Greek inscription Saint Simeon is preserved.
Parallels: the frescoes in the Church of the Holy Unmercenaries at Kostur
Dating: Based on the stylistic characteristics, this fresco is dated to the late 10th or early 11th century. However, the possibility that it might have originated later (end of the 12th - beginning of the 13th century) is taken into consideration, given the presence of reminiscences of older monumental painting during that time.
Second Layer: In the 19th century the walls of the central aisle were painted as well as the icons for the new wooden iconostasis.
Architectural Sculpture
Parts of a marble altar screen; a fragment of a marble ciborium with the representation of Christ the Good Shepherd; a capital with a relief representation of two confronted birds and acanthus leaves, and fragments of a marble column
Dating: Early Christian |
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134515
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Zadna Reka - Grmajte, Vitolište, Prilep
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Place |
Zadna Reka - Grmajte, late antique settlement and necropolis and medieval necropolis, Vitolište, Prilep
location: 1.2 km north of the village, on a gently sloping slope of the Zadna Reka riverbed
archaeological research: 1983 and 1999: The National Institute and Museum in Prilep: the remains of a late antique settlement and necropolis and a medieval necropolis were preserved
Slavic necropolis: a Slavic necropolis with row graves was formed on the territory of the late antique settlement and necropolis; by moving the riverbed of Zadna Reka, a large part of the necropolis was destroyed;
types of grave constructions: partially fenced pits, graves buried directly in the ground
grave finds: mainly jewelry for decorating the deceased (earrings, bronze rings, bronze and glass bracelets)
dating: 10-11. century
the necropolis belonged to a rural settlement whose location has not been determined; based on the grave finds, the settlement developed during the 10th and 11th centuries, and died out by the 12th century.
The finds are kept in the National Institute and Museum in Prilep |
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133715
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village Gorno Nerezi (Upper Nerezi), 8 km south-west of the town of Skopje
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Place |
None |