Places to visit near Oreov lad  
 

Monastery Holy Mother of God, village of Glumovo
On the left bank following the valley of river Treska, on altitude of about 300 meters, the monastery Matka and the church dedicated to Holy Mother of God are situated. From the sometime big monastery complex, only the church succeeded completely to resist throughout the centuries.
In the 14th century the church was built by the son of the noblewoman Danica who was donor of the church St. Nikola  in the village Ljuboten, the noble Bojko. At the same time he appears as founder of many church objects in Skopje region. Throughout the centuries the church had been destroyed and rebuilt again. From the inscription above the entrance door, dated from the end of 15th century, we learn that its re-constructors were Milica, than Nikola together with his father and with the Metropolitan Atanasij.
The monastery complex today, besides the church, is comprised of mansion with the belfry, the Bishop’s residence, the housekeeper’s house and the monastery water tap with healthy and clean spring water. The church has shape of narrow written cross in which central part the eight-sided cupola elevates, with its four windows and niches leaned on pilastres. The eastern side finishes with three-sided altar apse.
The fresco-decoration in the interior of the church dates from the end of 15th century. It is divided in five zones that present number of figures in whole size and in medallions, as well as compositions with Sufferings of Christ and the Great holidays. The donors of the church, Milica and Nikola are presented in their civilian clothes. The fresco-decoration of this church is weaker artistic accomplishment and real contrast to the one in the neighboring church of Saint Andrea.

Church St.Atanasij, village of Šiševo
Close to the village Šiševo a church is located that was known in the past as St.Nikola and today has the name of St.Atanasij. It was built probably on the foundations of some older building. For that says some parts that peep out in the interior of the church. There are almost no historical data for this church.
Saint Atanasij is a small single-nave church above which elevates semicircular cupola. It is built of cut stone. In its inside could be entered from two entrances, placed on the northern and western side. The façade is simple, and its eastern side finishes with three-sided apse. The church is entirely painted and the frescoes are in a great condition. The inscription above the western entrance, in old Slavic language indicates the names of some civilian and church people who was probably deserving for its construction. There is another inscription, which is hardly readable because of the big damage that mentions the year 1565 as a year of painting the church. Its fresco-decoration, although roughly expressed and modestly colored is very interesting and contains in itself particular stylish-artistic qualities that indicate the time of the second half of the 16th century.

Konaci (lodgings) of Havzi Pasha in the village of Bardovci, Skopje region
One of the most impressive  monuments of the Islam profane architecture on the territory of Balkans peninsula in the time of the feudal society establishment are the Konaci (lodgings) of Havzi pasha in the village of Bardovci near Skopje. The mansions, as well as the ciflig (manor) of this Skopje’s pasha, were built in the first half of the 19th century. Compared to the others in the Balkans, the mansions in Bardovci distinguish by their size and by the extraordinary stylish manufacturing and decorative diversity and richness. However, basically they carry marks of a ciflig (manor). It is interesting that Havzi pasha conducted plan schedule of the buildings in this settlement that makes his ciflig from an open type of construction and urban disposition. This means that the lodgings are separated from the other houses of the settlement through which the pasha provided better living conditions for the people.
In the mansions the life was organized for the master and his family, but also for his vassals, servants and guardians of this property. The complex was surrounded by stone walls five meters high. On the outer side, on certain distance eight watchtowers were disposed, used for defense from eventual enemy attacks.
The inner part of the mansion’s complex is divided into three parts, separated by inner walls, high as the surrounding walls. In the central part the exclusively male people building was located. The eastern part was reserved for the female members of the family and their children. In the western part were the premises for keeping the horses. In each of these parts there were subsidiary buildings. By their richly decorated interior distinguish the premises where the master and his family stayed. For the constructors of the mansion there are still no data found.

The church St. Andreja, Matka, Skopje region, 14th century
In the magnificent environment of the locality Matka, surrounded by the high rocks, on the left bank of the artificial lake Matka, at several hundreds of meters from the monastery complex Matka, the monastery St. Andreja is located. It belongs to the eparchy of Skopje.
In the preserved inscription above the west entrance from the inside it reads that this monastery church was built in the year 1389 by Andreja, the second-born son of the king Volkašin. In another, fairly damaged inscription from the same church, noted are the locations that the donor has granted to this monastery as its property. Above the niche on the southern side of the altar apse the name of the monk Kalest Kiril is noted, because he contributed to the errection of the church, together with other people the names of whom are inscribed on the north side of the apse. Among them are the Metropolitan Jovan zograph and the monk Grigorij.
The inscriptions in this monument of culture are written in the Greek and in the Slavic alphabet.
The monastery church Sveti Andreja is designed as an elongated three-conchal church, in the middle of whish there is the dome. In the middle of the 16th century the porch was built.
The fresco-painting, by its stylistic and artistic properties, distinguishes this small church ofrom the other churches from that historic period in Macedonia. The zograph who worked in the churches in the vicinity of Prilep has painted scenes and figures that stand from the traditional iconographic scheme. In three horizontal zones, with vivid colors, frescos are painted depicting the figures of the Holy Warriors (Sv. Gjorgjija, Dimitrija, Teodor Tiron and Teodor Stratilat, characterized by their exceptional vital force and "profane" facial expression) and scenes from the life of Jesus Christ.
Besides the church, this monastery complex is composed by the great lodgings, the time of built of which is not known, as well as several facilities that are used as warehouse, summer kitchen with an oven and a big terrace, located on the very shore of the Lake.

Monastery church Saint Nikola Sisevski, Skopje region
In the canyon of the river Treska, opposite the monastery St. Andrea, is the location of the church St.Nikola of the Sisevski monastery. There are no certain sources for the time of its construction or the time of its fresco-decoration. It is mentioned in the 17th century and this tells us that in the time of the Turkish period there had been active monastery life. It seems that this object was completely abandoned sometimes in the 18th century. Later again the life in the monastery was renovated, but only for short period of time.
There is a fact that the fresco-decoration was done in 1630 and the cross on the iconostasis in 1645. The iconostasis of this church was replaced in the neighboring church St. Atanasij.
The monastery church Saint Nikola is comprised of two buildings. The first one is a small single-nave church with three-side apse on the east. The second building was annexed right to the older church in a form of written cross with consoles and cupola. Both buildings considerably differ by the way of construction, where the older part is built of cut stone and the later one of stone and brick.
There are three visible layers of frescoes. The oldest one is preserved in fragments. The next one dates from 14th century and is comparable with the ones in the monasteries in Zrze, Konce and Poloski monastery, as well as other monasteries from that period. The last layer, encountered on the walls of the priprata (porch), dates from the first half of the 17th century. It presents figures of saints as well as scenes from the life of Jesus Christ and St.Nikola.

 
 
 
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