Sv. Gorgi, s. Kurbinovo, Prespa, Republika Makedonija

In the Prespa region, near the picturesque village of Kurbinovo, embraced by the mountain Pelister there is the church dedicated to St, George. According to the time of its fresco-decoration, it is supposed that the church was built in the year 1191. There are still no other reliable documented data on it.
	Fresco-painting from The church St. Gjorgji, village of Kurbinovo, Prespa

	It is a modest building and belongs to the type of single-nave churches, with a semi-circular altar apse. It was built of broken stone. The analyses performed evidence that the temple, during its existence, has been subjected to certain destruction, most probably caused by fire, after which was completely abandoned.
The church St. Gjorgji, Kurbinovo, 12th century

In the 19^th century, the church in Kurbinovo was renovated, and in the first decades of the 20^th century, a wooden ceiling and the porch were built, and the southern and the northern entrances were closed and transformed into two windows.

What impresses and amazes in this church is its fresco-painting, which, coupled by the one in the church Sveti Panteleimon near Skopje, represents an original and a peak of the artistic mastery in the times of the art of Komnens in Macedonia.

On the west façade, there are visible remnants of frescoes with depictions of female and male characters in full size, vested in imperial clothes, as well as a figure of a church nobleman. It is most probably a depiction of the people who built the original small church.

The fresco-painting in the interior of the church is divided into three zones. The drawing is expressive, dynamic, with accentuated slenderness, vivaciousness and movement of the painted figures. Typical is the depiction of the drapes that are vivacious in baroque style, with a great number of animated folds. The frescoes illustrate scenes from the life of Jesus Christ and Virgin Mary. In the altar apse, the composition Annunciation is painted, that has made this church exclusive and a part of the annals of the peak achievements of the Byzantine fresco-painting. The depiction of the Archangel Gabriel stands out in it. It has almost become a symbol and landmark of the church in Kurbinovo. Interesting and rare are the depictions of Jesus Christ and the patron of the church, St. George, from the north and the south wall, with a monumental size. Outstanding among the frescoes are the portraits of Ana and its daughter Mary, the Mother of God, painted in the lower zone of the south wall of the naos, as well as the portraits of the Macedonian enlighteners Cyril and Methodius, in the altar space. The depiction of St. Methodius is its oldest portrait known in the entire Slavic-Byzantine world. Opposite from them, there is the figure of St. Clement of Ohrid.

The fresco-painting in the temple St. George is a synthesis of infusible into a single entity, a junction of its pinnacle elegance and the high expressiveness.

The visit to this church is an experience beyond the personal, because the encounter of these paintings conquers the feeling of loneliness and transience and takes us to the realms where the indifference and lovelessness have no existence.

All rights reserved. Any reproduction of the content or any of its parts or any modification, in any form or by any method, known or yet to be invented, for any use besides private, without prior written permission by the authors is prohibited.