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Home » Daily Tours » Skopje » Monastery of St. Andrea
The Monastery of St. Andrea, Matka Canyon
A one day tour
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.
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