Along side the highway Skopje-Ohrid, close to the village Leshani, one of the most interesting Macedonian monasteries called “Si Sveti” is located. Translated in English the name means All Saints and it is interesting that this is the only church building in Macedonia that is dedicated to all the Saints.
History doesn’t give exact dates of when this monastery was built, but according to some sources, it existed in the time of Tzar Samuel, that is, around the tenth century. A church building was constructed over the foundations of the older one in 1452.
This monastery played a big role in the history of Macedonian education. The first school classes in Debar took place in this building. Children from all over the area came to learn here. In 1868, this monastery opened a Bible school which was rare in Macedonia at that time. It also became the center of revolutionary movement and contributed a great deal in The Ilinden Uprising. As a sign of revenge, the angry Ottoman soldiers on 7th of August, 1903, burned the churches and killed many of the people that were serving there.
The fire damaged many of the frescoes that were inside the church. If not completely destroyed, some lost the magnificent color they once had.
One of the most beautiful things in this monastery is the fresco composition on the ceiling called, “The Holy Trinity.” It’s a huge masterpiece that shows The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. What is very unusual is that the painter is showing the face of the Father, something you will never find in any other Orthodox Church. While in the other churches there is some kind of blurry shapeless figure, here The Father is painted clearly showing his face, which quite clearly resembles Jesus Christ.
The whole church is covered with these complex frescoes, that tell the stories from the Old and New Testament as well as legends from the Saints’ lives.
The monastery complex with its two churches and two hospices are surrounded with big stone gates. The nature around the monastery is beautiful, peaceful and definitely worth experiencing.
History doesn’t give exact dates of when this monastery was built, but according to some sources, it existed in the time of Tzar Samuel, that is, around the tenth century. A church building was constructed over the foundations of the older one in 1452.
This monastery played a big role in the history of Macedonian education. The first school classes in Debar took place in this building. Children from all over the area came to learn here. In 1868, this monastery opened a Bible school which was rare in Macedonia at that time. It also became the center of revolutionary movement and contributed a great deal in The Ilinden Uprising. As a sign of revenge, the angry Ottoman soldiers on 7th of August, 1903, burned the churches and killed many of the people that were serving there.
The fire damaged many of the frescoes that were inside the church. If not completely destroyed, some lost the magnificent color they once had.
One of the most beautiful things in this monastery is the fresco composition on the ceiling called, “The Holy Trinity.” It’s a huge masterpiece that shows The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. What is very unusual is that the painter is showing the face of the Father, something you will never find in any other Orthodox Church. While in the other churches there is some kind of blurry shapeless figure, here The Father is painted clearly showing his face, which quite clearly resembles Jesus Christ.
The whole church is covered with these complex frescoes, that tell the stories from the Old and New Testament as well as legends from the Saints’ lives.
The monastery complex with its two churches and two hospices are surrounded with big stone gates. The nature around the monastery is beautiful, peaceful and definitely worth experiencing.
One interes
ting thing that our host, the monk, told us was that miracles happen very often here. One story in particular is from a night when there was no electricity in the village and 2 minutes before midnight, a beautiful light, lit the enitre area around the monastery. On the stroke of midnight, the light disappeared. Six months later, on the plaque above the main gate, people could see that the face of The Mother of Christ had been carved and under the face the hand of Jesus Christ blessing everyone that enters the monastery.
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