Marko's Monastery

Marko's Monastery contains a single cross-shaped church dedicated to Saint Demetrius. The monastery grounds also consist of lodgings, a belfry, a well, warehouses, a bakery, and a mill.^[4] The monastery still operates a special oven used to make rakija.^[5]

The church has a narthex, a central dome and a smaller dome on the western side.^[1] It was built of bricks and stone. The iconstasis is made of stone pillars.^[4]

The frescoes inside the church were done by a number of painters from the region.^[1] The Holy Mother of God, the twelve great feasts, Jesus Christ, and Saint Nicholas are some of the subjects depicted in the frescoes.^[4]

Construction of the Church of Saint Demetrius began under King Vukašin in 1346.^[2] The church, including the interior paintings, were completed 30 years later. Before Ottoman rule, the monastery had a school and many monks and priests would write manuscripts.^[5]

In 1392, Skopje fell under Ottoman rule, which led to the destruction of many churches and monasteries in the area. Marko's Monastery, however, suffered almost no damage.^[4] During the Ottoman era, in 1467/8 the monastery is recorded as having 20 monks.^[3] Kiril Peychinovich was the hegumen of Marko's Monastery from 1801 to 1818.^[6]

In 1830, Ottoman aristocrat Hamzi Paşa added an exonarthex to the church.^[3]

Frescoes showing the ktetor King Vukašin and his son Prince Marko were the most defaced by overpainting with a fat-based paint in 1894, an act of national fanaticism ordered by the Bulgarian metropolitan of Skopje. In the 1920s, attempts were made to restore the damaged frescoes.^[7]