Poloski manastir

	The only possible way to reach this monastery is to cross the artificial Tikves Lake by boat. This monastery, with its huge cultural importance for the Tikves region, has incited people’s creativity so that it give birth to a story about its rise, that has been always linked to the construction of the church "Saint Virgin Mary" in the village of Drenovo.
Dormition of Holy Mother of God, fresco-painting

People tell stories about the two magnificent masters-builders, a father and a son from Prespa, who built monasteries and churches all around Macedonia together with their assistants. Since there was no church in the village of Drenovo, and simultaneously several rich men from Kavadarci collected enough money to build a monastery, the father and son promised to build a church and a monastery, so that the son stayed in the village to build the church, and the father departed to the place where he was supposed to raise the monastery.

After the father completed the construction of the Poloski monastery together with his assistants, where he also built several additional rooms, each of them dedicated to a different village, he came back to Drenovo where his son was doing his job.

They set down to talk about their work. The son was bragging that the church he built is so beautiful and well built that even if Saint Ilija comes down from heavens, he would not be able to destroy it. At that moment, caused by this fanfaronade, a lightning struck out of the blue sky, and angry Saint Ilija split the new church in two halves, and as a result of that, people learnt a lesson that one should never compare his capabilities with the ones possessed by saints.

The church from the complex of Poloski monastery is dedicated to Saint Gorgija and it was built prior to the 14th century, and renovated during the reign of emperor Dusan and his brother Dragutin, who is buried in the porch that was built additionally. Later on, it was reconstructed again, and for the last time that was the case in 1881.

It is a single-nave construction with facades made of stone and brick and a dome placed on top of the middle trave of the three traves that exist.

The fresco-art, according to its characteristics, dates from the 14th century, except the one in the narthex that was made during the 17th century. It is valuable to emphasize that the fresco-art in this church differs in its characteristics from other fresco-art that originates from the same period. Out of the painted compositions, the following can be singled out: "Communion of the apostles" and "Virgin Mary of all heavens" in the altar apse, "Dormition of Virgin Mary" on the western wall, a composition where one can notice the unusual posture of Jesus Christ who stands over Virgin Mary presenting her with the last kiss.

Additional elements of interest in the church are the two beautiful entry wooden doors of the porch, engraved in shallow technique, as well as the iconostas that originates from the year 1679.

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