The cave church Holy Mother of God – tourists camp Gradishte
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About twenty kilometers from Ohrid, on the right from the road leading to the monastery St. Naum, in the rocky area of the tourists camp Gradište, on the east coast of the Ohrid Lake, is the cave church Holy Mother of God. |
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The cave church Sv. Bogorodica (Holy Mother of God) - Gradište |
Albeit the continuous penetration of moisture in the interior caused a process of decomposition of colour, the kept fresco-paintings present the greatest painting ensemble preserved at all in a cave church on the coast of the Ohrid Lake.
We would mention only the more important compositions and images of Saints which impress with their beauty.
Painted in the naos are the composition Deisis, Annunciation, the Birth of Christ, the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, the Baptism of Christ, the Resurrection of Lasarus, Palm Sunday, the Crucifixion and the Holy Women at the Sepulchre.
Also we would distinguish the Holy Warriors: Dimitry, Nestor, Artemy, Nikita, the Holy Theodors, St. Mina and Procopius. On the southern side of the church there are the images of the Holy Healers: Cosma, Damian and Panteleimon, then follow the patron and protector St. Clement and the miracle-worker St. Naum of Ohrid.
Nowadays because atmospheric influence in the interior of the church hinders a more systematic analysis of the painted entirety, but the indisputable conclusion is that this fresco-painting possesses manifold characteristic features of the Ohrid workshop of the 14th century, which is confirmed not only in the program realisation of the entirety, the iconography of certain compositions, but also in the choice of the painted saints.
We would end this with the conclusion that the cave church dedicated to the Holy Mother of God is not an isolated ascetic cell. It is a very important temple and a respectable sanctuary not only on the coast of the Ohrid Lake but also wider – in the region of the Devol Eparchy.
G. Angeličin - Žura
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