Constructed on the site of a much older monastery and dating from 1347 or thereabouts, the spectacular Monastery of St. Gavril Lesnovski is without doubt one of the most important buildings in North Macedonia both for its architectural splendour and historical importance. Suffering enough upsets and misfortunes over the centuries to fill a large book, the ensemble has been reconstructed many times, and is positively bursting with glorious things to see inside including paintings, frescos, icons and an iconostasis carved between 1811 and 1814 that needs to be seen to be believed. Still active, and currently owned by the Macedonian Orthodox Church, check out the ancient mulberry tree in the immaculate gardens. Find it in the small mountain village of Lesnovo approximately 40km north of Štip.