Showing posts with label the. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the. Show all posts

Friday, December 4, 2009

The Iron Age


Excavations carried out near the village of Gorenci, around 9 km from Ohrid (Suva Cesma, Tri Celusti and Vrtulka), have shown the presence of certain material indicating that the site dated back from the late period of the Iron Age II. Going back chronologically through the Iron Age in Macedonia, new cultural developments can be traced back to the VI and V century BC This period is marked as the Iron Age III, or the period of formation of the Macedonian archaic style manifested by the "principal's crypts". These tombs were discovered in the necropolis "Trebenista" near village Gorenci. Another necropolis from the same period was discovered near the village Recica, northern of Ohrid.



In the archaeological excavations that started in 1918 and were carried out with interruptions until 1972 a total of 56 burial structures were discovered. The majority of them contained wealthy funeral artifacts.

During the VI century BC formation and presence of certain ethnic groups in the Balkans was already evident. In the Ohrid region, the Enhelians were mentioned. The most significant findings are the golden funeral masks contained in the rich "principal" crypts in Gorenci. The masks were made out of golden tin and they are subjects of a series of observations in the scientific world. According to some scientists, the characteristics of their style, i.e. the incrusted ornamental patterns, are characteristic for the Greek art from VI century BC Others claim that these patterns can be related only to the Macedonian art.

Today the precious findings of the necropolis "Trebenista" beautify the exhibition stands of the museums in Sofia - Bulgaria and Belgrade - FR Yugoslavia.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

The church of the Holy Mother – Kamensko




The church of the Holy Mother – Kamensko

d14.JPG (20882 bytes)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 secondd13.JPG (36558 bytes)section 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.