Maps of Power

Ivanov 1906

Properties

ID 117307
System Class Bibliography
Bibliography Book
Case Study Byzantino-Serbian Border Zones in Transition (1282–1355) , Historical Region of Macedonia TIB 16

Description

Jordan Ivanov, Sěverna Makedonija. Istoričeski izdirvanʼja (Sofija 1906).

Relations

Actors (5)
Name Class Begin End Relation Type Description
Agapitь Person Mentioned in the charter of veliki sluga Jovan Oliver in favour of the Monastery of Saint Demetrius in Kočane. He was a protopopь.He composed between 1332 and 1341 the charter of Jovan Oliver, the veliki sluga of the Serbian lands and Pomorje, concerning the deserted settlement site Jastrebnica, which was reinhabited by Todor, who was in service of Jovan Oliver (protopopa Agapitь pisa).
Arsenije Person Mentioned in the sources from 1343 to 1353. He was the Abbot (igumen) of the Monastery of the Holy Virgin in Htětovo. He was the petitioner, who asked the Serbian King Stefan Uroš IV Dušan and Uroš, the Young King, to issue the chrysobull charter for the Monastery of the Holy Virgin in Htětovo (Si hrusovulь uspomenutijemь grěš’nago črnoriz’ca Arsenija, igumena htětovьskaago napisa gospodinь kralь Stepanь sь synom’ si Urošemь). It is obvious that Arsenije was Abbot of the monastery at the time, when the Serbian King Stefan Uroš IV Dušan, together with his son, granted the chrysobull for the Monastery of the Holy Virgin in Htětovo. He is probably identical with the Bishop of Zletovo, Arsenij, who is mentioned in the Lesnovo manuscript of Ephrem the Syrianʼs paraenesis from 1353 (poneže ne běh pisьcъ, nja povelěnïemь gospodina mi episkopa Arsenïa načrьtoh sih knigь). Arsenij was portrayed on the painting in the narthex of the Monastery of Archangel Michael in Lesnovo.
Mpogdanos Person Mentioned in the sources between 1342 and 1371. He was a local ruler (governor) in Macedonia. He controlled the area of the Rhodopemountains according to the later byzantine historian Laonikos Chalkokondyles (Μπόγδανον τὸν τὴν Ῥοδόπην κατέχοντα). His brother was the Despot Jovan Oliver (Ioannes Liberos). He was sent by Stefan Uroš IV Dušan to the Byzantine Emperor Ioannes VI Kantakuzenos in order to greet him and to let him know that the Serbian king will soon arrive (πέμψαντες δὲ πρὸ αὐτῶν Μπογδάνον τὸν Λιβέρου ἀδελφὸν, ἠσπάζοντό τε βασιλέα καὶ ἐδήλουν, ὡς ὀλίγῳ ὕστερον ἀφιξόμενοι πρὸς ἐκεῖνον). The Serbian King Stefan Uroš IV Dušan entrusted the region between Serres and the river Vardar to him, because he was skilled warrior and a good man according to the later byzantine historian Laonikos Chalkokondyles (τὰ δὲ ἀπὸ Φερρῶν ἔστε ἐπὶ Ἀξιὸν ποταμὸν Μπογδάνῳ ἀνδρὶ ἀγαθῷ καὶ τὰ ἐς πόλεμον οὐκ ἀδοκίμῳ). After the battle at the river Marica he became a vassal of the Ottoman Sultan Murad I. (μετὰ ταῦτα Μπόγδανον τὸν ταύτῃ ἡγεμόνα ὑπαγόμενος, ὥστε οἱ ἕπεσθαι σὺν τῇ αὐτοῦ στρατιᾷ).
Simeōnь Person Mentioned in the charter of veliki sluga Jovan Oliver in favour of the Monastery of Saint Demetrius in Kočane. He was the Hegumen of the Monastery of Saint Demetrius in Kočane (igumenu Simeōnu). The Monastery of Saint Demetrius in Kočane owned a deserted settlement site in Jastrebnica. Jovan Oliver, the veliki sluga of the Serbian lands and Pomorje, showed favour to Simeōnь, the hegumen of the Monastery of Saint Demetrius in Kočane (ja sluga veli Ōliverь stvorih milostь gospodinu mi Svetomu Dimitriju iže u Kočěnehь, a na lice igumenu Simeōnu/a siju milostь učinihь u Kočaněhь na lice igumenu Simeōnu, da ōnь ōbladuje) and entrusted Todor with the task to settle Jastrebnica (Naidohь selište pusto Svetago Dimitrija u Jastrebnicě i podahь moga člověka Todora, koi mi se prěda izь Grьkь, po ruce da naseli ōmozi selo). Jovan Oliver issued between 1332 and 1341 a charter, which specified the rights and duties concerning the reinhabited monastic land.
Stanjevikь Nikola Person Identical with the nobleman Nikola, who is mentioned in the inscription above the southern entrance of the Church of the Holy Virgin in Drenovo? He was the petitioner of the charter of the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš V concerning the donation of the Church of Saint Stephen in Konče with all its possessions to the Hilandar Monastery on Mount Athos from the 9th May 1366. He appears as "mnogovьzljublenni vlastelinь i brat carьstva mi" in the charter. He was the grand duke (veliki vojevoda). He became a land near the village Konče probably after 1346 from the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan. He erected the Church of Saint Stephen in the village of Konče (priloži i da mu potpiše carьstvo mi materi Bōžijei hilandarьskōi crьkьvь u Kon’či Svetago Stěfana što si jestь sьzidalь svoimь trudōm i ōtkupumь u svojei baštině zapisanoi, što mu jestь zapisalь i utvrьdilь roditelь carьstva mi, u baštinu do věki, svetopočivьši carь). The marble tomb slab, which was kept in the narthex of the Church of Saint Stephen in Konče, bore an inscription mentioning him as the grand duke and founder of the church († Nikola Stanevikь veliki voevoda ktitor). He donated people, vine stocks, fields and fruit trees (dade gospodinь vojevoda podь svetoga Stefana svetogorcemь: ljudi, lozija, nivija, vokija) to the Church of Saint Stephen in the village of Konče. On 9th May 1366 the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš V carried out the desire of the grand duke Nikola Stanjević and donated the Church of Saint Stephen in Konče, several villages in the surrounding of the village Konče and other possessions to the Hilandar Monastery (I tuzi crьkьvь prilaga i potpisuje carьstvo mi materi Božijei halandarskōi, vь pomenь brata carьstva mi vojevode Nikole i vsěmi seli crьkve Svetago Stěfana...i sela ina koja se nahode u meteseh kōnčkihь, mala, golěma kude jestь posadilь vojevoda ōtroke svoje. I sijazi sela više pisanna Svetago Stefana da si ima i drži božьstvnnaja crьkьvi mati Božija Hilandarska s ljudmi, s vinogradi, s planinami, s vodeničijem, sь je livadijemь i prosto rekše sь vsěmi megjami i pravinami i sь vsěmь periōrōm selь tehь). His possessions near the village Konče, Lubnica and Trěskavec are mentioned in the land-inventory of the church of Saint Stephen in the village of Konče, which was created after the church became a possession of the Hilandar Monastery. He owned two so-called stlps (vojevodinь stlьpь podь Vodeni Dolь; i podь Ōhrьčevemi kukami stlьpь vojevodinь koi Ōhrьčь drьži i Luka podь vojevodinu vodenicu i stlьpь koi drži Ōhrьčь i Dragina livade), a field (niva vojevodina na brode Prьševьskomь), a mill (trěbežь ōtroka Novakova konь mlina vojevodina), a watermill (vojevodina vodenica) and a vineyard (niva Dodejeva nadь lozijemь vojevodinemь). He donated an illuminated gospel manuscript (Hilandar Nr. 14) written by the monk Theōktistь to the Hilandar Monastery (Azь rabь Hristovь Stanjevikь velikyi voevoda Nikola priložihь sii světii i božьstvьnii tetravan’gelь prěčistoi Bogorodici hilan’darьskoi i molju jegože izvoli Bogь igumena i vsu bratiju vь domu svetije Bogorodice hilan’darьskyje ili gos’podьstvujušta srьbskoju zem’ljeju sije směreno trudoljubije ne ōtneti ōt domu Bogorodice hilan’darьskyje).
Places (13)
Name Class Begin End Description
Halinci Place The village of Halinci is mentioned in the Pšinski pomenik from the 15th century. It is registered as Halince in the Defter for the Sanjak Köstendil from the years 1570 to 1572. The exact location of the Church of the Presentation of the Holy Mother of God in the village of Arhiljevica and of the village of Arhiljevice itself is unknown. There are several suggestions. One of them identifies the church with the Monastery Sveta Bogorodica Karpinska and the village of Arhiljevica with the village of Halinci.
Kočane Place The Monastery of Saint Demetrius in Kočane owned a deserted settlement site in Jastrebnica. Jovan Oliver, the veliki sluga of the Serbian lands and Pomorje, showed favour to Simeōn, the hegumen of the Monastery of Saint Demetrius in Kočane (ja sluga veli Ōliverь stvorih milostь gospodinu mi Svetomu Dimitriju iže u Kočěnehь, a na lice igumenu Simeōnu) and entrusted Todor with the task to settle Jastrebnica (Naidohь selište pusto Svetago Dimitrija u Jastrebnicě i podahь moga člověka Todora, koi mi se prěda izь Grьkь, po ruce da naseli ōmozi selo). Jovan Oliver issued between 1332 and 1341 a charter, which specified the rights and duties concerning the reinhabited monastic land.
Lukovo (1) Place Saint Gabriel of Lesnovo entered a hermitage near the Monastery of Lesnovo and the place of Zletovo (skitъ blizъ prjamo manastirъ, vъ dolъ prjamo Zletovo). The lively influx of people, who were sick and obsessed, caused that the Saint sought solitude in Lukovo (i preide vo stranu Lukovo). The hamlet Lukovo is mentioned in the Slavic donor inscription of the Monastery Lěsnovo (1) from the year 1340/41 as a monastic property (sь zaselkomь lukovu). Furthermore, the hamlet Lukovo appears in the founding charter of the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš IV. Dušan for the Eparchy of Zletovo with its seat in the Monastery Lěsnovo (1) from the year 1346/47 (sь zaselkomь Lukovu vyše crьkve). The Serbian local ruler Konstantin Dragaš donated on the 15th August 1381 the Monastery Lěsnovo (1) with all its possessions, including the village Lěsnovo (2) with its hamlet Lukovo (selo Lěsnovo i sь zaselkomь Lukovōmь), to the Hilandar Monastery.
Nagoričino, Church of Saint George Place According to the Life of Saint Prohor Pčinjski (11th c.) Prohor settled in a small cave in the deserted area of Nagoričino in Žegligovo as a hermit (vь glubokuju pustynnju Nagoričeskuju). In Nagoričino also his hermitage (cave) is to be found. The original construction of the Church of Saint George in Nagoričino is dated to the 11th century and associated with Saint Prohor Pčinjski or the Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes (reigned 1068-1071). The Life of Saint Joakim Osogovski from the 12th century gives an account on the building activity of an anonymous Emperor (hram prpodbnomu vъ ime svjatogo velikomčenika Hristvo Gjeōrgia). The church fell without doubt into disrepair in the last quarter of the 13th century. According to the Slavonic inscription at the Western entrance to the narthex, the church was renewed by the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin (reigned 1282-1321) in the year 1313. In this inscription a certain abbot called Andonij is also mentioned. This hint suggests that a monastery existed at that time near the church itself (Izvoleniemь božiemь sьzda sja domь svetago i velikoslavnago mjačenika Hristova Geōrgijě vь dny svjatorodnago i prěvysokago kralě Uroša Milutina, bogomь samodrьžьcu vsei srbьskoi zemli i primorьskoi, pri bogočьstivěi kralici Simonidě, i pri igumeně Andony, v lěto 6821 [1313]). According to the Slavonic inscription from 1318 in the interior, the church was decorated with frescoes by order of the Serbian King Milutin under the abbot Benjamin (Božiemь izvoljenijemь sьzʼda se ōt osnovanie, i popisa se, čьstnii hramь podaijemь vsakiim prevysokago krala Stefana Uroša, vь lěto 6826, pri igumeně Beniamine). Another inscription in the interior above the Western entrance has not been preserved. Between 1300 and 1318/21 a certain anagnost Radin from Nagoričino in Žegligovo (anagnosta Radina Nagoričanina izь Žegligova) wrote a gospel for the priest Zagoranin in Sušica. The old Serbian Genealogies (rodoslovi) and Annals (letopisi) report that the Serbian King Milutin had founded or endowed numerous monasteries, amongst others also the Monastery of Saint George in Nagoričino (Nagoričino svetomu Geōrgiju; i vь Nagoričine svetago Gjeōrgija; i druguju vь Nagoričinu; i vь Nagoričine Georgia). In the same sources Žegligovo and Nagoričino are subsumed in one geographical unit (i u Nagoričinu na Žegligovo crьkov svetago velikomučenika Georgia; i u Nagoričinu na Žegligovu crkovь svetago velikomučenika Georgia; i u Nagoričinu na Žegligovu crkovь svetago mučenika Georgia; i u Nagoričinu na Žegligovo crkovь svetago velikomučenika Georgia; i u Nagoričinu na Žegligovu crkovь svetago velikomučenika Georgija). The Lives of the Serbian Kings and Archbishops by Archbishop Danilo II and his successors confirm the renewal of the church under the Serbian King Milutin (i crkovь svetaago Georgьgija nagoričьskaago). The abbot Benjamin from Nagoričino is named in the list of abbots in two Serbian charters (1317 and one forgery from the 15th century, where he is referrred to as nagoričkii Beniaminь, respectively nagorički Beniaminь). According to the aforesaid Lives of the Serbian Kings and Archbishops, the Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski (reigned 1321-1331) gathered his army in the forefront of the Battle of Velbužd in the first half of 1330 on a field called Dobrič, located in today's South-Eastern Serbia at the confluence of the rivers Južna Morava and Toplica. He intended to confront the Bulgarian Tsar Michael III Šišman (reigned 1323-1330) at this place. When messengers informed him that the Bulgarian Tsar had intruded Serbian territory near the castle of Zemen on the upper reaches of the river Struma, where the then border of the Serbian Kingdom lay, he set his army in march and first moved to Nagoričino, where he prayed in the Church of Saint George (priide vь monastirь svoi kь svetomu mučeniku Hristovu Georьgiju Nagoričьskomu). The victory of King Stefan Dečanski at the Battle of Velbužd on 28 July 1330 is described by the Serbian annals and the aforesaid Lives of the Serbian Kings and Archbishops. According to the Serbian annals, King Stefan Dečanski captured Michael Šišman and brought him to Žegligovo (aduxere eum in Segligovo), where the Bulgarian Tsar died and was buried in the Church of Saint George in the village of Nagoričino (et sepulchro datus est in Ecclesia sancti Georgii in pago Gorichina). On the contrary, the Lives of the Serbian Kings and Archbishops describe that the Bulgarian ruler had already died in the battle. His corpse was brought to the Church of Saint George in the place called Nagoričino (prěnesenu Georьgija vь městě rekoměmь Nagoričьskaago) and entombed there. In a ledger containing a list of debtors and guarantors of the Ragusan merchant Mihailo Lukarević from Novo Brdo, dated to the period from 1432 to 1438, a certain Radiuoj Tatich from Nagoričino, who was born in Kokÿno (de Chochina in Nagorizno/Nagorzno) is mentioned. On his campaign against the town of Skutari (now Shkodra in Albania) in May 1474 the Ottoman Pasha of Rumeli stayed with his army in Nagoričino, which was three days of journey away from Kosovo Polje (Bassa Romanie cum numeroso et valido exercitu dimissus est in loco dicto Nagoricino, distanti a Cossovo itinere dierum trium). In the Pšinski pomenik (15th c.) Nagoričino is attested as Staro Nagoričino ("Old Nagoričino"), while the toponym of Nagoričino is obviously used for Mlado Nagoričino. Nagoričino is registered in the Defter for the Sanjak Köstendil from 1519 with the attribute "Staro" and from the years 1570 to 1572 as Gühne Nogoriç, Köhne-i Nagoriç and Köhne-yi Nogoriç (with the meaning of "Staro Nogorič"). The assumption that Edward Brown (1668-1669, published in 1673) saw the Church of Saint George in Nagoričino, while passing through Kumanovo, is probably incorrect ("near which [scil. Kumanovo] there is still a Greek Monastery, upon the side of the hills"). Rather he wrote about Sveta Bogorodica Črьnogorska in the Skopska Crna Gora, to the West of Kumanovo. In 1704 the Serbian scribe Jerotej Račanin refers to Nagoričino as 40 churches ("40 crkvy" or Turkish "krka klisa"). From the viewpoint of Art History, it should be emphasised that the Serbian King Milutin had the upper part of the Church of Saint George built on the destroyed walls of an older edifice in 1312/13 as evidenced by the aforesaid inscription above the Western entrance. The frescoes in the church were completed in 1317/18 according to the aforesaid inscription from 1318 in the interior and were executed by the painters Michael and Eutychius. The Church of Saint George is in the form of an inscribed cross with five domes, with barrel and groin vaults and a semicircular apse on the East (the altar space is relatively large and is continuing to the space of the nave), while the older edifice is clearly visible (especially on the Northern side of the church).
Oblovъ Place The Saint Gabriel of Lesnovo escaped from Lukovo and found refuge in the mountains, where he stayed on the mountain top Oblovъ (verhъ Ōblovъ). His relics were found there and brought to the Monastery of Lesnovo. From a toponomastic point of view, it is noteworthy that in the Life of the Saint also a greek variant (στρογγύλος) of the slavic toponym is used (verhъ Ōblovъ, jakože skazaet sja grečeski Strongilo). Both expressions can be translated as "round", "rounded", "spherical“.
Osiče Place Saint Gavrilo Lesnovski came, according to his detailed Vita, from a rich family in Osečko pole (ōt strani Ōsečkōmъ pole, roditelemь bogatu sělo i blagočestivu). After a vision he built a Church of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God with the funding of his parents on the field of Osiče (na pole Ōsiče). The secondary literature identifies Osečko pole with the current village of Osiče. The expression "pole" ("polje"), which means "field", "open area" or "plain", might indicate that Osiče was a scattered settlement.
Sarandaporь Place The Vita of Saint Joakim Osogovski from the 12th century relates that the Saint came to the deserted mountains of Osogovo (vъ strani gōry pustiny Ōsogovskie). At first, he stayed in the vicinity of the village of Grad’cь (въ selě… Grad’cь). Then, he settled in a cave in Babinь Dōlь at the foot of the Osogovo Mountains (pōdkrilïe gory Osogovskïe) near the river Skupica (pri rěcě gljeměi Skupice). Finally, he went to a plot of land called Sarandaporь (vь pōdkrily gory Osogovskye na městě gljemě Sarandaporь). A certain priest called Theodorь came, after the death of Saint Joakim Osogovski (approximately 1105?) and during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos (reigned 1143-1180), from the village of Osmir Dolě, allegedly in Ovče Pole, to Sarandaporь (Vъ dni tie běše ierei imenemь Theōdorь vь stranah Ovčepolьskyh. Vь vsi zovoměi Osmir dolě). Theōdorь was led by divine inspiration and came with the blessing of the Saint. He became a monk and changed his name to Teofan. He built a church in honor of Saint Joakim Osogovski and kept his relics there. He was also the first abbot of the monastery. A monk called Arsenije from the city of Veles (ōt Velesa grad) experienced his conversion in the monastery's church. The genealogical tables of the Serbain rulers attest that the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin (reigned 1282-1321) founded several monasteries, including that of Saint Joakim (Sarandaporь svetomu otcu Їōakimu). Actually, King Milutin did not found it, but gave order to renew it. The Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski (reigned 1321-1331) crossed, in the run-up to the battle of Velbužd on 28 July 1330, the region of Slavište. He followed the upper course of the Kriva reka and reached Kriva Palanka, where he prayed with his noblemen at the Monastery of Sarandaporь in front of the relics of Saint Joakim Osogovski (Takožde i kь svetomu otьcu Ioakimu suštemu vь Saranьdaporě molьbu tvore prišьdь kь grobu těla jego). News reached him in Sarandaporь that the Bulgarian Tsar Michael III Šišman (reigned 1323-1330) had arrived at the castle of Zemen and had begun to pillage the surrounding area. The Byzantine short chronicles relate that the Ottoman Sultan Bāyezīd I (reigned 1389-1402) handed over the relics of the Saint Ilariōn of Moglena to the Serbian nobleman Konstantin Dragaš in 1393. According to this written source, Konstantin Dragaš, who resided in Žegligovo (ὁποῦ ἐκάθετον εἰς τὸν Ὀζίγλοβο), brought them to the Monastery of Saint Archangel Michael (sic!) in Sarandaporь (τοῦ ἤφερεν εἰς τὸ ἅγιον μοναστήριον τοῦ Ταξιάρχου εἰς τὸ Σαραντάπωρον). The Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II (reigned 1451-1481) stayed in the Monastery of Sarandaporь in 1463 on his campaign to Bosnia (i dohodi u manastirь Sarandaporь na Krivoi rěcě). The Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik) decided in 1474 to give a donation of 20 perper to the Monastery of Sarandaporь (elemosinam monasterio Sancti Joachim partium Bulgarie). Arsenij, who was the abbot of the Monastery of Sarandaporь, died in 1488 (prěstavi se igumenь Sarandaporskyi, kyr Arsenїe). 41 Monks lived in the monastery according to the Ottoman Defter from 1519. Sarandaporь is registered as Sveti Otec in Egri Dere (Kriva Palanka; Kriva reka) in the Defter for the Sanjak Köstendil from the years 1570 to 1572. The monastery had three churches and twelve chapels. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1585 and rebuilt afterwards.
Spasovica Place According to the Lives of Serbian Kings and Archbishops by the Serbian Archbishop Danilo II (ca. 1270/75-1337) and his successors, the Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski (reigned 1321-1331) gathered his army in the forefront of the Battle of Velbužd in the first half of 1330 on a field called Dobrič (Dobričko polje), located in today's South-Eastern Serbia at the confluence of the rivers Južna Morava and Toplica. He intended to await the Bulgarian Tsar Michael III Šišman (reigned 1323-1330) for a battle at this place. As messengers informed him that the Bulgarian Tsar had reached the region near the castle of Zemen at the Upper Strymon (Struma), where the then border of the Serbian Kingdom lay, he also set his army in motion and moved to Nagoričino, where he prayed in the Church of Saint George (priide vь monastirь svoi kь svetomu mučeniku Hristovu Georьgiju Nagoričьskomu). After that he crossed the region of Slavište, followed the upper course of the river Kriva Reka and arrived at Kriva Palanka, where he prayed in the nearby Monastery of Joakim of Osogovo (Sarandaporь). According to the Lives of Serbian Kings and Archbishops the Bulgarian Tsar came probably from his residence in Veliko Tărnovo and went through the town of Vidin to the castle of Zemen. Stefan Dečancski advanced by forced march to the river Sovolštica. According to the Byzantine Emperor and historian John Kantakuzenos (reigned 1347-1354) Michael III moved to a place, which was called Belmasdis (ἐν τόπῳ Βελμάσδιν, today's Kjustendil) by the locals, where he pitched his camp. The Byzantine historian Nikephoros Gregoras relates that Michael III invaded the land of the Serbs (ἐς τὴν τῶν Τριβαλλῶν χώραν) in the place, where the river Strymon has its source (ποταμοῦ τοῦ Στρυμόνος εἰσὶν αἱ πηγαί). Before the decisive battle, the Bulgarian army encamped in the area between the present villages of Šiškovci and Kopilovci. The battle took place on Saturday, 28 July, 1330 and ended with a victory of the Serbian army. Stefan Dečanski killed or captured Michael III Šišman and brought him to Žegligovo (adumere eum in Segligovo), where he was buried in the Church of Saint George in the village of Nagoričino (et sepulchro datus est in Ecclesia sancti Georgii in pago Gorichina). The Serbian King erected the Church of the Ascension of Jesus Christ (i crьkovь svetago vьznesenïa sьzdati tu; also called Sveti Spas, therefore Spasovica) on the hill of Spasovica in memory of the battle. The Church of Sveti Spas does not exist anymore. The entire hill is now abundantly covered with coniferous trees that have been planted systematically. On the highest point of the hill there is a clearing, on which no traces or remains of the church exist. Originally, the entire plain of Kjustendil could be overlooked from this point, which is now impossible due to the vegetation. The Church of Sveti Spas began to decline most likely in the 16th or 17th centuries. Already at the beginning of the 20th century only parts of it were preserved, as can be seen from the documentation of the Bulgarian scholar Jordan Ivanov (1872-1947). In or after the Second World War the church was completely ruined. The published descriptions and the photographic evidence enable an approximate architectural reconstruction of the Church of the Ascension of Jesus Christ. It was a cross-domed church (with four pillars). Above the narthex in the West there were two domes, above the naos one dome (diameter: about 3,7 m). The church had a rectangular ground plan (about 12 m x 8 m). The main entrance was in the West (in the narthex), a second in the South (in the naos). The narthex and the naos were interconnected with a door. The construction of the church was most likely completed after the death of the Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski (after 1331).
Stracin Place In January 1531 Benedikt Kuripešič travelled through Stracin (Stratzin). The village of Stracin is not to be confused with the mountain pass of Sracin. The Venetian official Gaspare Erizzo crossed Stracin (Strasino) in 1558 on his journey to Samokov. Stracin is also mentioned in an Italian itinerary from 1558 (Strazin). The village of Stracin is registered in the Defter for the Sanjak Köstendil from 1519, 1530/31 and from the years 1570 to 1572. Stracin appears in a note of a Slavic manuscript from the 17th century among the accommodations on the road to Constantinople (Stracinь).
Sveta Bogorodica Karpynska Place In a note (probably from 16th century), which is part of the "Gospel of Karpino" (Karpinsko evangelie) from the 14th century, the Sveta Bogorodica Karpynska (priloži ste bce Karpynske) and the village of Kanarevo are mentioned. The exact location of the Church of the Presentation of the Holy Mother of God in the village of Arhiljevica and of the village of Arhiljevice itself is unknown. There are several suggestions. One of them identifies the church with the Monastery Sveta Bogorodica Karpynska and the village of Arhiljevica with the village of Halinci. Another notice from 1592, which is written in the "Gospel of Karpino", attests the variant Krapino (vь monastyrь Krapino). Originally, there was a village called Karpino/Karbino in the vicinity of the monastery, but this village is already registered in the Defter for the Sanjak Köstendil from the years 1570 to 1572 as mezra Karbino (deserted village Karbino). It is not clear, which of both names (Krapino or Karpino) represents the older one. It is strongly assumed that there was a predecessor of the current church in the 14th century, on whose foundations the new church was built before 1592 (i.e. towards the end of the 16th century). The present church is a single-nave edifice with a main entrance in the West and a side entrance in the South. The apse consists of an atypical triconch. The church is composed of a narthex, a naos and the bema (frescoes from the end of the 16th century and from the end of the 19th century, iconostasis from 1606 and 1892). The church was renewed in 1892, and conservation work was done in 1987 and from 2009 to 2012.
Sveti Vrač, The Church of Saint Cosmas and Damian Place The Serbian Despot Jovan Dragaš and his brother Konstantin Dragaš donated after 1376/1377 the Church of Saint Cosmas and Damian with people, vineyards and a watermill to the Monastery Hagios Panteleemon on the Holy Mount Athos (I ešte priložismo u Petrьči crьkovь Prečistyje Pandanosa duhovnika Iosifa i Svetyhь Vračevy sь ljudmi, sь vinogrady, sь vodeničiemь). Ivanov and Matanov assume that the church was in the city Sandanski, which was called Sveti Vrač till 1949.
Zletovo Place The first written reference to Zletovo comes from the charter of the Byzantine Emperor Basileios II for the archiepiscopal see of Ōhrid from the year 1019. Zletovo (καὶ τὴν Σθλετοβὰν) is listed as part of the Bishopric of Morozvizd (Morobisdos). The Saint Gavrilo Lesnovski departed for the Lěsnovo Monastery (vь monastirь Lesnovskyj), from which he was released after a probationary period with the blessing of the abbot to enter a hermitage near the monastery and Zletovo (za nekoj skïtь blizь prjamo manastirь, vь dolь prjamo Zletovo). According to the Vita, the Saint Gavrilo Lesnovski also came to the aid of a local Bulgarian prince named Mihail in the fight against the Pechenegs and Cumans. Mihail had to flee from his opponents to Ratkovica (vo stranu Ratkovicu). He was able with the assistance of the saint to sidle up to the opposing general Mavragan near Rataica in Zletovo (u Slětovo) and to kill him (u Rataicě i ubi Mavragana). Zletovo was withdrawn from the sovereign authority of the Byzantine Empire in 1282/1283 during the reign of the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin (i Zletovu). Zletovo is mentioned in the charter of the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin for the Gračanica Monastery from 1315 (or 1321?) (i po Zletovoi). The scribe Stanislavь completed in 1330 a Slavic manuscript in the Monastery of Saint Michael the Archangel in the mountains of Lěsnovo, which was in the domain of Ovče Pole and the region of Zletovo (vь ōblasti ōvčepolьskoi vь horě zljętovstěi, v gorě lěsnovьstěi, v monastiri stgo arhistratiga Mihaila). The scribe Stanislavь finished his prologue of the manuscript in the time, when Dragoslavь ruled over the land of Zletovo as Župan (ōbdrьžjaštu horoję Zlętovьskoję županu Dra’goslavu). According to the Slavic founding inscription for the Lěsnovo monastery from 1340/41, the monastery received annualy 100 perpers from the revenue of the market in Zletovo (ōd zletovьskago trьga na godine sto perperь). The same inscription mentions the vineyards of the town of Zletovo (nadь gьrdsko lozie). However, Zletovo with its urban metochion was not included in the endowment for the Lěsnovo Monastery in 1340/41, 1346/47, or 1381. The scribe Stanislavь copied a Menaion at the request of Jovan Oliver destined for the Monastery of the Saint Michael the Archangel in Lěsnovo in 1342 in Zletovo according to the colophon of the manuscript written in Slavic language (vь horě Zletovcěi). In the founding charter of the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš IV. Dušan for the Eparchy of Zletovo with its seat in the Monastery Lěsnovo from the year 1346/47 the erection of the monastery by the Serbian Espot Jovan Oliver is mentioned. Jovan Oliver built a church in honor of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel in the Zletovo region in Lěsnovo (sьzdati jemu hramь vь ime velikoslavnyhь i besplьtnyihь činonačelnikьь arhistratiga Mihaila i Gabrïila, vь straně že zletovьscěi rekomōje Lěsnovo; crьkvi Arhanggelu u Zletovoi; crьkvi Arhanggelu u Zletovoi). Zletovo appears in the boundary description of the hamlet/village Globica in the founding charter of the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš IV. Dušan for the Eparchy of Zletovo with its seat in the Monastery Lěsnovo from the year 1346/47 (i što se kь Zletovoi kami vali tozi Zletovu budi a što se kь Globici vali tozi crьkvьno). In addition, the charter confirms the annual revenue of 100 perpers from the market in Zletovo for the Eparchy of Zletovo with its seat in the Monastery Lěsnovo (ōtь zletovьskago trьga). The Bishopric of Zletovo (episkopi zletovьskoi) owned also possessions in Pianitza according to the same charter. A note in the Slavic manuscript Lesnovski parenesis relates that it was written in Zletovo at the place called Lěsnovo in the Monastery of the Holy Archangel Michael in 1353 (vь zemli zljatovsьskoi, vь městě rekoměmь Lěsnovo, vь ōbiteli svetago arhistratiga Mihaila), as Arsenije was the Bishop of Zletovo. In 1354/55 the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan gave permission to his nobleman Vlatko Paskačić to donate the Church of Sveti Nikola in Psača, which Vlatko had erected on the inherited property of his father, together with the appertaining metochion to the Monastery of Hilandar (I vьspomenu carstvu mi prěvьzljubljenʼny i pravověrnii vlastelinь carstva mi Vladko ō crьkvy svetago Nikoly jaže jestь sьzdalь na svoōi baštině Pʼsači a sь blagoslovljenijemь carstva mi...i poljubi prěd carstvomʼ mi i priloži svoju baštinu crьkvь svetago Nikoli na Psači prěsvetěi Bogorodici hilandarьskoi sь vsěmь metehōmь). Stefan Uroš IV Dušan enlarged Vlatko's endowment with land near Krilatica, where a certain Neōr had resided and where the Emperor had moved miners from Zletovo (I na Krilatici zemlja koja jestь ōt Trnov’ca na čimь jestь sědělь Neōrь, posadi rudare koje prěseli ōt Zljetove). The Eparchy of Zletovo was probably abolished around 1370. After 1376/77, the Serbian Despot Jovan Dragaš (Ioannes Dragases) and his brother Konstantin Dragaš (Konstantinos Dragases) confirmed that the Monastery Hagios Panteleemon on the Holy Mount Athos possessed the churches of Saint Dimitrije and Saint Nikola in Zletovo (u Zletove stgo Dimitrïa, i svety Nikola). The Serbian local ruler Konstantin Dragaš confirmed on the 15th August 1381 that the Hilandar Monastery had the right to become the annual revenue of 100 perpers from the market in Zletovo aimed for the Lěsnovo Monastery (I ōd trьga zlětovьskoga da uzima Arhanggelь lěsnovьski na vsako gōdište r. Perьperь, jakože pišetь u hrisovuli carskomь). A forged charter from the 15th century, also known as the charter of the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin concerning the settlement site Ulijare settlement from 1318, relates, among other things, about the conquest of Zletovo by the Serbian King Stefan Uroš II Milutin between the years 1282 and 1284 (Zletovu). The Lěsnovo Monastery is registered in the Defter for the Sanjak Köstendil from 1570 to 1572 as Arhangel. The Lěsnovo Monastery possessed in Zletovo five watermills. Zletovo appears also in the Defter for the Sanjak Köstendil from 1570 to 1572 as as Izltva.
Žegligovo Place According to the Life of Saint Prohor Pčinjski (11th century) Prohor settled in a small cave in the deserted area of Nagoričino in Žegligovo (vь Žegligovskoj straně). The Saint met the later Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes (reigned 1068-1071), who was hunting in Žegligovo. Between 1300 and 1318/21 a certain anagnost Radin from Nagoričino in Žegligovo (anagnosta Radina Nagoričanina izь Žegligova) wrote a gospel for the priest Zagoranin in Sušica. According to the Lives of the Serbian Kings and Archbishops, written by Archbishop Danilo II and his successors, the Serbian King Stefan Uroš III Dečanski (reigned 1321-1331) gathered his army in the forefront of the Battle of Velbužd in the first half of 1330 on a field called Dobrič, located in today's South-Eastern Serbia at the confluence of the rivers Južna Morava and Toplica. He intended to confront the Bulgarian Tsar Michael III Šišman (reigned 1323-1330) at this place. As messengers informed him that the Bulgarian Tsar had reached the castle of Zemen in the upper course of the river Strymon (Struma), at that time the border between the Serbian Kingdom and the Second Bulgarian Empire, he set his army in march and first moved to Nagoričino, where he prayed in the Church of Saint George (priide vь monastirь svoi kь svetomu mučeniku Hristovu Georьgiju Nagoričьskomu). After the Serbian victory at the Battle of Velbužd near today's Kjustendil on 28 July 1330, Stefan Dečanski captured Michael Šišman and brought him to Žegligovo (aduxere eum in Segligovo), where he died and was buried in the Church of Saint George in the village of Nagoričino (et sepulchro datus est in Ecclesia sancti Georgii in pago Gorichina). In the year 1349 (u zemli žegligovьskoi) and 1354/55 respectively (u zemli žegligovьskoi) the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš IV Dušan (reigned 1331-1355) mentions Žegligovo in his charters for Church of the Presentation of the Holy Mother of God in the village of Arhiljevica. The localisation of Arhilevjica remains unsolved. It might have lain near Preševo (today in Serbia) or in the Skopska Crna Gora in the triangle of the villages of Belanovce, Domanovci and Izvorь. In the Serbian Annals a church in the Skopska Crna Gora above Žegligovo is mentioned (u Črьmьnyje Gory, vyše Žegligova; eius vero mater aedificavit Ecclesiam in Nigro Monte, supra Segligovo). The same source often conflates Žegligovo and Nagoričino in one unit (I u Nagoričinu na Žegligovo crьkov svetago velikomučenika Georgïa; i u Nagoričinu na Žegligovu crkovь svetago velikomučenika Georgïa; i u Nagoričinu na Žegligovu crkovь svetago mučenika Georgïa; i u Nagoričinu na Žegligovo crьkovь svetago velikomučenika Georgïa; i u Nagoričinu na Žegligovu crkovь svetago velikomučenika Georgïa). Žegligovo is mentioned by the Serbian Janissary Konstantin Mihailović (15th century) in his memoirs ("and as he [scilicet the Serbian Emperor Stefan Uroš V] reached the land of Constantine, he pitched his tent in the field of Žegligovo" and "as the Sultan Mehmed [II] arrived near the field called Žegligovo on the border of Rascia"). The term "Land of Constantine" relates to the Serbian Despot Konstantin Dragaš, who ruled over Žegligovo in the second half of the 14th century and was therefore called "Žegligovac". Žegligovo served probably as a deployment area for the Ottoman Sultan Murad I (reigned 1360-1389) before the Battle of Kosovo in June 1389 against the Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović (reigned 1373-1389). The Byzantine Short Chronicles report that the Ottoman Sultan Bāyezīd I (reigned 1389-1402) handed over the relics of Saint Hilarion of Moglena (11th/12th centuries) to Konstantin Dragaš in 1394, who resided in Žegligovo (ὁποῦ ἐκάθετον εἰς τὸν Ὀζίγλοβο). Thereupon, Konstantin brought the relics to the Monastery of Sarandaporь. In the year 1395 Konstantin Dragaš fell in the Battle of Rovine against the Wallachian Voivode Mircea the Elder (reigned 1386-1418). In the year 1479 the scribe Vladislav Gramatik compiled a liturgical book (Panegyrikon) in the Monastery of Saint Bogorodica Črьnogorska at the foot of the Črьna Gora (Skopska Crna Gora) in the region of Žegligovo (vь prědělě žegligovscěm). The humanist and diplomat Felix Petančić (ca. 1455-after 1517) refers to Žegligovo as "Gegligove". In 1512 Ottoman troops pillaged Žegligovo and Ovče Pole (To lěto plěniše Turci Žegligovo, Ovče Polě). In the summer of 1550 Klementios was appointed Metropolitan of Skopje, Vranje and Žegligovo (μητρόπολιν Σκοπίου, Βράνιας καὶ Ζεγληγόβου). Žegligovo is mentioned in the Vodičnički pomenik from the 16th century. The župa of Žegligovo roughly included the area to the South of Preševo (today in Serbia), to the West of Slavište, to the North of Ovče Pole and the valley of the river Vardar and to the East of the Skopska Crna Gora.