(Almost) All Saints: Manastir Sveta Bogorodica (English: Monastery of Holy Mother of God)
The area around Lake Matka, a half-hour drive west from Skopje, is a very popular place for weekend outings for citizens of Skopje. Lake Matka and its surroundings represent a rear pearl of the nature, offering to the visitors a unique mix of natural beauty, cultural and historical sights, sport thrills, gastronomical enjoyment and much more… The Matka Lake twists between imposing cliffs, offering an opportunity for hiking, boating or climbing. Rear and endemic species of flora and fauna can be seen only here. Numerous caves hide their secrets in their depths. Few national restaurants offer a wide palette of traditional Macedonian meals. There are many reasons (and several caches too) to spend a day here… The breathtaking beauty of the nature, rough and gentle at the same time, will conquer your eyes and your hearth.
The Monastery seen from the Golden Cross
One of a special features of this area are numerous sacral (religious) objects dating mostly from XIII - XV century. Such a concentration of monasteries, churches and crosses on such a small area is very unique and represents an answer to a strong orthodox feelings of Macedonian people during the ages.
My intention is to show geocachers this dimension of Macedonian cultural and religious past. I hope you will enjoy that laud silence and cold gloom which rule inside the churches, and a silent dignity of the saints watching you…
This cache is one of few in the series of (Almost) All Saints, located around the Matka Lake.
Behind the village Dolna Matka on the left bank of the River Treska, lies a Monastery dedicated to Holy Mother(Sveta Bogorodica). From an inscription of 1497 above the entrance you will learn of certain lady called Milica who, finding the church roofless and devastated, recovered it, frescoed it, erected a portico and bought a vineyard for the monastery.
The church
The church has a form of a narrow inscribed cross. Over the central section rises a cupola with four windows and four blind niches supported by pilasters. The altar apse is three-sided on the exterior. In order to gain more space for painting in the interior, the windows are small and placed high in the walls. The frescoes date from the end of the fifteenth century and mostly reflect the characteristics of painting during the Turkish period of ruling. In comparison with the frescos in the nearby St. Andrew's Monastery, the frescoes here have lower artistic quality. The master painter did not possessed the necessary skills and abilities, so the color of his frescos is a kind of muddy and the shapes are inaccurate. In terms of iconographic details the painter often neglected the traditional common sequences of scenes.
The Bell tower
In the floor level zone on the west wall are portraits of the patrons Milica and her son Nikola, dressed in dignitary clothes.
The quarters were built in 1886. In 1998 the monastery became once again a center of religious and monks life. A sisterhood of nuns is responsible for the Monastery and its religious role.
You can reach Lake Matka and this Monastery by bus, by car or a bike. The city bus (number 60) runs from central Skopje via Saray to the Matka dam (check the schedule on the JSP website, http://www.jsp.com.mk/VozenRed.aspx). By car or bike: go west from Skopje and turn left across a new bridge toward the municipality of Saray. Continue toward the village GLUMOVO. Behind the village Glumovo the road splits in two. Turn downhill left and continue through the village Dolna Matka about 2 km. During weekends and festivals the place is crowded by people and cars, so there can problem to park the car. However, if you come early in the morning it will be no problem to park.
The cache is a small glass jar. Bring a pen! Always be aware of snakes!! Check the cache place with a branch or stick first!
Photo spoiler
Sources: Wikipedia, other internet sources. Photos: Internet and original (by Galejnik)