Pesterna crkva Sv. Bogorodica, s. Velgosti, ohridsko, Republika Makedonija

On two kilometres from the monastery St Petka, about half an hour walk from the village Velogosti, and somewhere in the middle of the south slope of the crest ‘Klucka’, a small cave church has been preserved consecrated to the Most Holy Mother of God. This monastic habitat is settled in a natural cave, with an irregular shape of a few square meters, fitted into the rocky area of the mountain Petrino as an eagle’s nest, more specifically on the south side of the hill ‘Olmec’. And in the depths of the canyon is the river Sushica.

The cave church Sv. Bogorodica, village of Velgo{ti -

The entrance of the church is almost inaccessible. The local inhabitants of the village Velogosti visit the church on the celebration of the Holy Martyr Teodor, six weeks before Easter (the first Saturday of the Great Lent).

From the fresco paintings only fragmentary leftovers have been preserved in the altar space. From these it can be concluded that the church has been used for monastic needs at the end of the 15^th century and the beginning of the 16^th century. This does not mean that it has not been used much earlier, even in the 13^th and 14^th century, when the anchorite monastic life has been much spread.

The painter of this fresco paintings in the portraying of the Most Holy Virgin with the young Christ included the heredity of the Ohrid school of painters from the 14^th century, which is most visible especially in the depiction of the parts of the face – lips, nose, eyebrows.

Originally this church has been dedicated to St. Petka. In this cave church there was an opening (a passage). It is located in the north wall of the cave, and the channel breaks out at the monastery St. Petka, about two kilometres away. When they built the monastery St. Petka, the icon dedicated to her every morning ‘ran away’ from the monastery, and was found in the cave church. In order to make sure the villagers let a goat in and it really came out at the monastery…

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.