The church of St. Bogorodica Celnica

The church of St. Bogorodica Celnica

This church is characteristic by its shape, a two-naval church, and as such it is unique in Macedonia. The two naves are connected by arches, the northern nave is smaller, and the southern bigger since it is considered as the most important arch.On the eastern side the church is situated on the city ramparts.

The church probably was fresco painted in the XIV century.Only small sections of the frescoes in the southern and northern walls above the arch are preserved.

Much later, on the eastern side of the church a porch with a bell-tower was constructed. In the late XIX century, Master Dico repainted the church. In the beginning of the XIX century another master worked on certain frescoes.

The church of the Holy Mother – Kamensko

The church of the Holy Mother – Kamensko

The exact date of the construction and fresco painting of the church Holy Mother – Kamensko is not known. It is located in the old part of the town, up the street from the quarter Chinar (the famous old cedar three). Research indicate that it was built in the XVII century. An inscription was discovered in the interior of the church that indicates that the church was extended in 1832. According to another inscription found in the interior, in 1863 Dico the Master painted the frescoes in the church. Again, in 1924 certain interventions were performed on the frescoes.

One characteristic of the church is its iconostasis. Its author is unknown, but the assumption is that he was a Mijak master. The structure of the iconostasis is divided into five horizontal sections. The first section consists of 12 small pillars, six on each side of the royal ports, with bouquets between them painted with uniform flowers placed into vases. The secondsection also contains 12 small pillars that divide the throne icons. The third section consists of lunettes. The fourth section is actually a frieze ornamented by vine and grapes and with 12 medallions each depicting an angel. Two dragons, and a large cross with the scene of "The Crucifixion" with the Holy Mother on the left and St. John on the right side are painted on the top section of the iconostasis. The characteristic of this iconostasis is that it does not contain any human figures, nor does it have scenes with motifs.

The church of St. Dimitry

The church of St. Dimitry

A small church dedicated to St. Dimitry is located on the right side of the entrance to the compound of St. Clement. There are no records for the date of its construction. It is one-naval in shape with a spacious altar apse on the eastern side. The original church had two entrances, on the southern and on the western side. The latter was walled up. The traces of a semi-circled vault can still be seen, but today the spot where the vault started is walled up.

Presumably, the church originates from XIV century. The assumption is based on the frescoe study. They are divided into three zones. The first zone is filled with portraits of the Saints in their natural size, however most of them have been destroyed. The only one that is better preserved is the portrait of St. Dimitry to whom the church was dedicated to. In the second zone there are fairly preserved scenes of the life of Christ, such as "The Entrance into Jerusalem", "Crucifixion", and "The Resurrection of Christ". Portraits of several saints are painted above the second zone.

The Church of St. Bogorodica Bolnicka

The Church of St. Bogorodica Bolnicka

The church is located in the immediate vicinity of the town's ramparts near the Lower Gate. To the present day no relevant records have been found that could confirm the date of the construction and fresco painting of the church. However, the style of the architecture and frescoes indicate that it originates from the XIV century.

The church underwent numerous reconstructions, both in fresco painting and in the structure.

The first fresco painter showed good quality work, whereas the second phase of the fresco painting was done in a haste. That resulted in an uneven mortar surface.

A number of icons were also found in the church. Master Nicholas from Debar painted them during the construction of the iconostasis. An inscription on the iconostasis reveals the date of its creation, 1833.

There are numerous graves of priests and monks around the church.

The Church of St. Nicholas Bolnicki

The Church of St. Nicholas Bolnicki

This church, dedicated to St. Nicholas, is located in the immediate vicinity of the Lower Gate. The attribute "Bolnicki" refers to the name of the quarter it is situated. The church is a one-naval in shape with a semi-calotte vault. There is a bell-tower in the western side of the church, unique in shape in the region of Ohrid.

An inscription discovered in the interior of the church revealed that it was built and fresco painted in 1313. Between 1335 and 1345 the outside southern wall was fresco painted. It is covered with portraits of the Archbishop of Ohrid Nicholas, the Serbian King Dusan, his wife Elena, and Ss. Sava and Simeon. In 1381 the second phase of fresco painting was performed, this time in the exterior wall of the western part of the church. In XV century a chapel paraklis??? was added onto the southern side of the church, and in some later time a porch was constructed in the western side of the church.

The church of Mali Sveti Vraci

The church of Mali Sveti Vraci

The church is located in the immediate vicinity of the church Ss. Constantine and Helen. It's shape is that of one-nave. At the time it was built (unknown) it used to have semi-circled vault that do not exist today.

The frescoes are quite damaged. The XIV century is mentioned as the date of their origin. It is also presumed that several authors did them.

In the southern part of the church there is a portrait of St. Clement depicted as the protector of the town because he is holding a model of the town in his hand. From the more important figures the portrait of the Archbishop of Ohrid Constantiine Cavassila stands out.

The church of St. Bogorodica Zahumska - Zaum

The church of St. Bogorodica Zahumska - Zaum

The church St. Bogorodica Zahumska is located on the shore of Lake Ohrid, on its eastern part around 20 km of the town of Ohrid near the village of Trpejca. It is usually called St. Zaum. An inscription in the interior indicates that it was built and fresco painted in 1361. This church, like the churches of St. Bogorodica Perivlepta (St. Clement) and St. John the Theologian - Kaneo, is in the shape of a cruciform with a dome surmounting the central part.

The blind arches divide its three-sided apse. The church in its original shape also had a parvis. The frescoes of the church St. Bogorodica Zahumska are highly damaged.

The Saints portrayed to their natural size dominate the first zone. Amongst them are the portraits of the Hermits, Ss. Clement and Naum, Christ, The Holy Mother, and others. The second zone is filled with scenes of the Life of the Holy Mother with an emphasis on the innovative nature in depicting the interior in the scene of The Birth of the Virgin Mary. The eastern wall of the former parvis is covered with the scene showing Jesus Christ and the Holy Mother dressed in royal garments. There are also portraits of Ss. Peter and Paul, as well as of Ss. George and Dimitry dressed in noble robes.

The church of St.Sofija

The church of St. Sofia

The church of St. Sofia is one of the largest medieval churches on this territory. For a long time it was the cathedral church ("Great Church") of the Ohrid Archiepiscopate whose ecclesiastical authority covered the territories up to the river Danube to the north, the Albanian coast to the west, and the Bay of Thessalonica to the east.

The church was probably used as a cathedral way back in the past, in the period of the Czar Samuel who, in the late X century, moved his throne from Prespa to Ohrid. The other assumption is that there used to be another church on the same site during the reign of the Macedonian Czar Samuel, and that later on this church was ruined for unknown reasons. The date of the construction of that church is uncertain because there are no inscriptions that help reveal it. It is also mentioned that today's church was either built or restored during the period of the Archbishop Leo who was on the throne of the Church in the period between 1035-1056. His esteemed ecclesiastical principal became a donor of the painting decorations in the church of St. Sofia.

The original church had only one main dome. In the XIV century an opulent external nartex was constructed. Its original shape was a three-naval basilica with a transept, a dome, and galleries on the side naves. It had a parvis and separate chapels above the northern and southern altar sections even in XI century. Almost three centuries later, during the period of the Archbishop Gregorius, a new parvis was built. It represents the climax of the Macedonian XIV-century culture. The concept of the extended parvis was horizontal, with portico on the ground, and galleries on the first floor. Above the Gregorious Gallery, on the northern and southern sides, there were separate sections with towers.

With the arrival of the Turks, the church St. Sofia was converted into a mosque. They "took care" to reshape the church almost entirely so that it could serve the Muslim religion. The frescoes were whitewashed, the ornamented plates from the iconostasis were used for constructing the internal staircase, and a minaret was built above the northwest dome. These undertakings distorted the structure of the entire church.

In the period from 1950 to 1957 extensive conservatory and restoration activities were performed. The frescoes were cleaned and conserved, and also some reconstruction work was done. The fresco paintings in the church are amongst the highest achievements in medieval painting in Macedonia and even wider. At that time Ohrid was under the direct authority of the Constantinople Patriarchate, so these are the most important preserved works of Byzantine monumental painting. The donor of the fresco paintings, one of the most learned men of the time, the Archbishop Leo, directly influenced the selection of the compositions painted in the XI century.

Preserved frescoes from XI, XII, and XIV century can be found in the temple of St. Sofia.