St. Dmitry, Marko Monastery – Skopje

The holy debt of the legendary King Marko

The monastery is composed of more buildings arranged in a form of a garland around the church of St. Dimitrija (St. Dmitry). Between them, a special meaning has the old dining-room. The monastery was dedicated to St. Dimitrija (St. Dmitry), and the name of Marko Monastery had gotten by the famous ktitor the King Marko. In the church had been found an inscription from which we can found out that it was built in 1345. Later it was renovated by the king Volkashin, and by his son Marko was completely finished and painted in 1370. The monastery had an important role in the 19th century, when here resided Kiril Pejchinovik, famous for his literary activity.

The church has a form of an inscribed cross in a rectangular area, with a dome elevated above the central part. The building is built of stone and bricks, with performed fine ornaments. Especially well is decorated the altar apse, on which has ten ornamental niches. In 1530, on the west side of the church was built a porch with the donation of the Skopje Hamzi-pasha. Between the buildings of the lodgings is also the old dining-room in a form of a mono sided church.