Built in 1164 by Alexis Comnène (Aleksij Komnen), the grandson of Emperor Alexis the First, the humble looking Orthodox St. Pantelejmon Monastery hides within its walls a treat beyond comparison for anyone with even a passing intereSt. in Byzantine art. Inside the small stone and brick building lies some truly glorious frescos, many of them dating back to the building of the monastery. Famous for breaking the rules of what was up until then an intensely strict style of religious painting, the frescos depict the usual Orthodox themes including the Lamentation of Christ, Dormition of Holy Mother of God and others, but what sets these paintings apart from everything that went before them is that the artists have breathed life into the figures. Before Pantelejmon, the rules never allowed any characters to show emotion, making such pictures as the extraordinary fresco of Mary holding her dead son in her arms, complete with an anguished face and tears in her eyes, utterly extraordinary. Surviving several earthquakes, the artwork inside St. Pantelejmon Monastery is generally regarded as one of the three main examples of Byzantine art in the world, opening the doors for Giotto and the Renaissance a century and a half later. Excellent guided tours are available courtesy of the charming and exceedingly well-informed Bojan Stankovski. Give him a call on tel. +389 70 62 68 66. Hugely recommended.
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Gorno Nerezi
Open 11:00 - 17:00,
Mon Closed.
Open 11:00 - 17:00,
Mon Closed.
