Church of the Ascension of Jesus, Skopje, North Macedonia

The Church of the Ascension of Jesus was built in the mid-16th century and is three-nave, with the middle vessel arched and flat pages covered with gains in domes. In the west is the gallery for women. On the south wall, above the present level of the floor during the repair of the church year 1963-64 was discovered a flat painting dating from the 16th-17th century. During the 19th century the church was given the inal look. In 1824 the iconostasis was completed and in 1867 it was part of the throne icons. The iconostasis and icons were made by cooperatives and traders from Skopje.

The Orthodox congregation under Ottomans was included in a specific community under Greek domination. With the rise of nationalism, the Bulgarian population of the area voted in 1874 overwhelmingly, by 91% in favour of joining the Bulgarian Exarchate. This remained so until 1890 when it was taken back by the Greek priests. In 1901 the church was taken from the Serb community and became the seat of the Skopje Metropolitan, Firmilijan and his successors.

The door for entering in the yard is heavy and made from oak. In the yard is a white sarcophagus containing the remains of the revolutionary Gotse Delchev.

References:

Wikipedia

Religious sites in North Macedonia

User Reviews

Suzana Sich (4 months ago)
Extraordinary iconostasis and very friendly staff.

Zoran (8 months ago)
In the yard is the grave of the Macedonian hero Goce Deličev. The church has one of the most beautiful wood carved iconostasis in Macedonia. There is also a very interesting museum.

Seth Bohen (9 months ago)
This was my favorite stop in Macedonia. It is so beautiful, definitely worth the stop.

worm earth (10 months ago)
It's great treasure for Macedonian and humankind.

Jordan Kocevski (16 months ago)
If you are interested in seeing one of the best wood carvings in Macedonia, this is one of the churches you need to visit.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Martin M. Miles

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