Description of the attraction
The Orthodox monastery of St. Demetrius is located south of the village of Markova-Susitsa, on the left bank of the Markova River, in the Torbeshia region. It is 20 km away from Skopje, but you cannot get here by public transport. Regular buses do not go to Markova-Sushitsa, so those tourists who want to see the Markov Monastery will either have to rent a car or use the services of taxi drivers.
The monastery of St. Demetrius is an example of Serbian influence in the medieval Macedonian art of architecture. The monastery church of St. Demetrius was built in 1345, as evidenced by a memorial plaque above the southern portal. It was later rebuilt by King Vukashin. They were finishing the reconstruction and painting of the church with frescoes during the reign of the ruler's son, King Marco. In honor of him, the monastery received its second name. Now it is often called the Markov monastery by the people. On one of the walls of the temple, you can see the image of King Marco. For a long time, the valuable paintings of the temple were hidden under a layer of paint. According to one of the researchers, in this way the Bulgarians, who were in power here for some time, tried to hide the fact that the monastery was built by the Serbs. At the beginning of the 20th century, the frescoes were restored.
In the courtyard of the monastery there is the church of St. Demetrius with an open gazebo, which was built in 1830 at the expense of Hamzi Pasha, and an imposing bell tower. The entrance gates to the monastery are made of solid wood. On the right, just outside the gate, there are ancillary buildings. Also on the territory of the monastery you can find a well, an old mill and a refectory, built in the form of a one-nave church with an apse. The walls of the refectory are also decorated with paintings. There is also a small chapel in the monastery, which was built for baptism.
