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Cultural & Spiritual / Ohrid – Balkan Jerusalem / Ohrid and West Macedonia

    6

Ohrid and West Macedonia

Use the opportunity to experience the wonderful cultural diversity and beautiful scenery while traveling along the Radika and Crni Drim canyon to Ohrid – the Balkan Jerusalem. Nowhere else in the world so many masterpieces of medieval Byzantium art at such small area can be found, once up to 365 churches and monasteries for each day of the year, now more than 30 preserved spiritual temples. Ohrid has always been “a torch which has always equally shed lightness on all Slavic people, a center from which literacy, culture and civilization irradiates”.

Tour itinerary

Tour features

BOOK A TOUR

  • 08:00 Departure from Skopje

  • 10:00 Visit to the monastery of St. John BigorskiThe church is dedicated to St. John the Baptist. According to the monastery's 1833 chronicle, it was built in 1020 by Archbishop Jovan. However, the information is believed to be a legendary one. In the XVI century, the Ottomans destroyed the monastery, only an old church survived. In 1743 it was restored by Ilarion the monk, who also built several cells. The wood carved iconostasis of St. John Bigorski is one of the most beautiful in the world.

  • 11:30 Visit to the monastery of St. George the Triumphant - RajchicaSituated on the outskirts of Debar in the village of Rajchica lies the women’s monastery St. George the Triumphant. It is believed that the monastery was built in the beginning of the 14th century and fully restored in the year 1999. Now the monastery is one of the most beautiful in the region and celebrates the name of the saint on St. Gorge’s day every year in a village celebration.

  • 13:00 Lunch and walking tour of eco village of Vevchani 1 h.

    Vevchani is one of the most beautiful and richest villages in Macedonia in the Struga region located in the bosom of Mount Jablanica and enfolded by woods and water. Here you can feel the atmosphere of life in at the beginning of the XX c.

    • Vevchani springs

    • The house of Mihailo Pupin

    • The Church of “St. Nicola”

  • 15:30 Nativity of Virgin Mary - KalishtaNear the village of Kalishta, there is a monastery compound with a church dedicated to the Holy Mother of God, monastery lodging houses (konaci) and one new church, built in accordance with the old tradition. The church of the Holy Mother of God is a cave-church, placed on a cliff near the lake. This small church was built in the 15th century..

  • 16:30 Cave Church – Archangel Michael, RadozhdaNear the village of Radozhda, in one of the most beautiful landscapes on the coast of Lake Ohrid, there are natural caves situated one above the other, high in the rocks, hidden from the eyes of tourists, and monastery compound with a church dedicated to the Holy Archangel Michael.

  • 17:30 The church of St. Erasmus The church dedicated to the Antiochian bishop Erasmus, who was the first one to bring Christianity to the area by the end of the 4th century, stands in the rocks on the northern approach to Ohrid. It is believed that the painting in this cave church was made in the 13th century.

  • 18:30 Arrival in Ohrid

    - Accommodation in the city center

  • 19:30 Enjoy in the masterpieces of local craftsmen

    Use the opportunity to experience the old traditional trades and enjoy the masterpieces of local craftsmen visiting their workshops:
    • Filigree art shop, Ohrid Pearls, Wood carvings, hand made paper

  • 20:30 Dinner by the lake


    Day 2 Ohrid

  • Breakfast at the hotel

  • 08:30 Sightseeing of Ohrid

    Visit of the church of St. Sofia – (Holy Wisdom) The church of St. Sofia is one of the largest medieval churches and for a long time was the cathedral church of the Ohrid Archiepiscopate whose ecclesiastical authority covered the territories up to the river Danube to the north, the Albanian coast to the west, and the Bay of Thessalonica to the east. The preserved frescoes from XI, XII, and XIII century give the magnificence of this church. The most visible in the altar's area are rather impressive figures of the church's dignitaries, the monumental Old and New Testament compositions and angels are depicted.
    The most beautiful XI c. Orthodox Church in the world St. Sofia home of original frescoes paintings considered as the peak of Byzantium art.

    Antique theater - dating from Hellenic - Roman period This ancient theatre was built on the hills of the old town of Ohrid in the 3rd century B.C. In the 2nd century several rows of seats were added and a radical intervention in the orchestra pit was made in order to adjust it for fights with animals. The cages for the animals are adjacent to the surrounding walls.

    The Holly Mother of Christ Perivleptos - XIII Century According to an inscription in the inner wall of the narthex above the main entrance, the church was built under the name of the Holy mother of God, Most Glorious (Perivleptos) in 1295 by the Byzantine military commander, Progon Zgur, a son in law of the Emperor Andronicus II Paleologus. The frescoes in the church represent last phase of the Byzantine culture known as the Palaeologus Renaissance and reveal the work of two artists, Michael and Eutychius, who for nearly three decades dominated the art of fresco painting in Macedonia and Serbia.
    • Ohrid - Icon Gallery

    Samuil's fortress - III century B.C – X century The earliest historic record of the Ohrid Fortress is its mention by the classical historian Livius in the III century B.C., when it was the fortress of the town of Lychnidos. The Ohrid Fortress of Tsar Samuel was described by the chronicler as a mighty stronghold that even Theodoric, King of the Ostrogoths, was unable to seize.

    St. Clement Monastery Plaoshnik St. Clement built the monastery in 893 A.D. and dedicated it to St. Panteleimon, the protector of health. It lies near the remains of an old Christian basilica and is dedicated to Clement one of two famous disciples of Cyril and Methodius whose mission was to spread the Christianity and literacy among the Slavs. It is one of the oldest Slavic monuments of culture.
    One is left breathless on most holly location in Ohrid, Plaoshnik, where the temple of Dionysus, replaced by most glorious basilica dedicated to St. Paul is now the home of the rebuilt X c. St. Clements monastery – the protector of the city.

    St. John the Theologian - Kaneo - XIII century The location of the church is among the most beautiful on the shore of Lake Ohrid. It stands on a high rock above the former fishermen's settlement of Kaneo and one of the most beautiful beaches in the old part of the town.

    - Boat ride to the centre of the city

    City Museum – Robevci House The City Museum in Ohrid is located in the centre of the town in the Robevci family house, a true example of the 19th century local architecture. The museum exhibits an archaeological collection from prehistoric times, a number of items originating from the Classical and Mediaeval periods of Ohrid’s history and 9,000 coins dating from the Classical Age.

  • 12:00 departure towards St. Naum monastery

  • 13:00 Rowboat tour around the springs of Ohrid Lake

    Enjoy in the beautiful colors of untouched nature at the springs of the Lake. Rest your eyes and soul.

  • 14:00 Lunch in the restaurant at St. Naum monastery

  • 15:30 St. Naum churchThe monastic complex and church of St. Naum were built originally at the turn of the X century by the Macedonian saint Naum. The monastery has been renewed and enlarged several times over the centuries. While most of its iconostases and frescoes date from the 16th and 17th centuries, earlier etchings in the Byzantine Greek vernacular also remain.

  • 17:00 Valley of the bonesA reconstruction of Neolithic settlement which is now in the waters of the Ohrid Lake. As a result of the exploration 6000 wooden poles stuck in the bottom were discovered as well as a very important archaeological material of the production of ceramics of that age.

  • 18:00 Departure for Skopje

  • 21:00 Arrival to Skopje

  • Location: Ohrid and West Macedonia

  • Duration: 2 days

  • Term: all year long

  • Group Size: min. 2

  • Departure point: is to be arranged on booking

  • Tour technical difficulty: moderate

  • The tour includes: Transportation, hotel accommodation, meals mentioned in the itinerary, refreshments during the travel, full escort by professional tourist guide, all sightseeing’s (with entrance fees included).

  • Necessary equipment: comfortable walking shoes

  • Price per person: On request and depending of the number of participants

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Monastery of St John Bigorski St George the Triumphant Rajchica Vevchani Vevchani springs The house of Mihailo Pupin Virgin Mary Kalishta Cave Church Archangel Michael Radozhda Church of St Erazmo Church of St Sofia Antique theater Holly Mother of Christ Perivleptos Samuil's fortress St Clement Monastery Plaoshnik St John the Theologian Kaneo St Naum Monastery Valley of the Bones

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Ohrid – Balkan Jerusalem

Ohrid, one of the oldest towns in Europe was the centre of ancient civilization. It is where the first Slavic university in Europe was founded, the home town of St. Clement and St. Naum; the centre of entire orthodox culture and literacy and the town by the oldest lake! There are millions reasons to visit Ohrid; like 365 churches and monasteries for each day of the year, its unique flora and fauna characteristic of the tertiary period (2-4 million years ago), the masterpieces of local craftsmen… and the rest of them you will discover yourself. In one of the most beautiful landscapes on the coast of Lake Ohrid, there are natural caves situated one above the other, high in the rocks, hidden from the eyes of the tourists. Here, in all the different caves, many hermits lived and practiced mysticism, miracles and prophecy. By painting the caves they were telling the truth of God. In those spiritual churches in the vicinity of the city where monasticism laid its wisdom you can forget about time and experience an amassing tranquillity.Discover the sacred mysteries which in Ohrid are reality.

Cultural & Spiritual

Ohrid – Balkan Jerusalem Тours

  • a
    Two Day Tour in Ohrid and Resen
  • a
    Cave Churches on the Shore of Lake Ohrid
  • a
    Ohrid - The City of Light

Contact Info

Address: Bul. "8mi Septemvri" 18, 1000
Skopje, Macedonia
Telephones:+389 2 3104 520
E-mail: contact@gomacedonia.com

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