Marko's monastery near Skopje

Marko's monastery, village of Sushica, Skopje region

Near the Skopje village of Sushica, situated in the picturesque valley of the river by the same name, the Marko's monastery and its church dedicated to St. Dimitrija are located.

The monastery complex, besides the church, is comprised of the renovated all lodgings, the new lodgings, the dining room where the remains from the old frescoes are visible, the belfry, the well with cold water, the utility buildings with warehouses, bakery, as well as the old mill further down in the monastery court, that is now only a monument of the times when the flour was made in that way.

This monastery has escaped the destiny of many other Macedonian monasteries that were destroyed during the Ottoman reign and was preserved with almost no significant damage. It is interesting that in the 19th century a prior of this monastery was the renowned Macedonian enlightener Kiril Pejcinovik.

In the inscription above the southern entrance to the naos, the year when the church was renovated by the king Volkashin and his son Marko, in the period between 1366-1371.

The church Sveti Dimitrija has the form of an inscribed cross in an rectangular area, in the middle of which, on four stone pillars, a highly elevated dome is positioned. The church was built of stone and bricks with which fine ornaments were made (especially impressive in the area of the altar apse and the external niches).

In the 1830-es, during the reign of the Skopje's Havzi-pasha, an open porch leading to the western side of this church was built. The interior of the church is completely fresco-decorated, and the frescoes are arranged in three horizontal zones. In them, portraits and scenes from the traditional iconography are presented. Illustrated are saints in full size, then scenes from the life of Holy Mother of God, sufferings and miracles of Christ, the twelve great feasts, as well as scenes from the life of St. Nikola. In the analysis of the frescos, certain differences in the painting technique were identified. It is an evidence that in the painting of the church participated several zographs. A common characteristic of all of these masters is the tendency for realistic depiction of the scenes with a certain level of drama. Most typical is the composition in which the human drama is depicted, through the slaying of Bethlehem children, presented in the composition “Rachael weeping”, then the donor's composition in which are depicted, in full size and in royal attire, the kings Volkaљin and Marko (Marko Krale) that are positioned on both sides above the entrance door.

Very important is the church iconostasis, made of stone pillars with ornamented capitols, and preserved in its original appearance.