Lesnovo Monastery — Attraction in Municipality of Probishtip

Serbian Lesnovo Monastery 1337 , Jovan Oliver of Serbian Tsar Dusan ( Stefan Urosh IV )

Jovan Oliver (born about 1310, died after 1356) was a Serbian nobleman who ruled the regions around Ovche Polje and along the left bank of the Vardar at the time of Stefan Uros IV Dusan (king 1331-1345, car 1346-1355) Macedonia) with the titles of the Grand Duke, the Sevastocrat and since the proclamation of the Serbian Empire of the Despot. He was one of the most important Dushan's troops during his conquests of Macedonia and Thessaly, in order to be one of the most powerful rulers in the time of the Empire. For his lifetime, he raised his endowment to

Lesnovo Monastery near Zletov where he was buried. After his death, his estates were distributed by the surrounding Serbian nobles (Mrnjavcevici and Dejanovići) during the breakup of the Serbian Empire, so that for his six sons there was nothing left for the administration Lesnovo Monastery near Zletov where he was buried. After his death, his estates were distributed by the surrounding Serbian nobles (Mrnjavcevici and Dejanovići) during the breakup of the Serbian Empire, so that for his six sons there was nothing left for the administration According to legends, the origin of this monastery is related to the life of the ascetic Gavrilo Lesnovski (11th century), whose cave is not far away. According to some sources, he was personally a monk of that monastery. The first written clue about the existence of the Lesnovo Monastery is from 1330 AD from the monastic chronicle written by the monk Stanislav (this manuscript is preserved in Belgrade today).

Serbian Lesnovo Monastery is located between the town of Kratovo and the village of Zletova. This was a rich and highly populated region in the Middle Ages. The whole area around the Ovchy field was under the authority of Mary, the members of the Serbian King Stefan Decanska. About 1337, her estate went to the hands of Grand Duke Oliver. The monastery was dedicated to Sv. archangels, and it consists of three buildings, built in three different times. The monastery itself was founded in 1341, and later built upon it.

Ktitor was the most powerful grandfather of then King Dushan - John Oliver. Serbian Emperor Stefan Dusan (Stefan Uros) issued in 1347 a church in Skopje, which established the episcopal chair in Lesnovo. The biography of Lesnov church preserved the performances of the characters of the first two bishops of Zletovo who resided in the Lesnovo monastery. The Lesnovo Monastery is one of the most famous and seen centers of the literary store of the 14th century, where many manuscripts are created.

At the monastery was a Serbian monastery school, from which many prominent clerics expired.

Thus, it formed a Serb Evstahija, a great Samokov martyr. This Samokov metropolitan, the Turks (Ottoman Jihad), lurched alive to the city gate in 1792, because he did not want to give up "Serbian Orthodox Faith and Serbian Name".

The Samokov metropolis existed until 1766, when the Patriarchate of Pecs was abolished. The second known name is Protopop Jovan from Kratovo, a 16th-century writer. In the Fruška Gora monastery Velika Remeta, the gospel was kept with silver-coated sheets, beautifully decorated, written in the Serbian-Slovenian language, in 1580 by the "Protopop Jovan Jovan...

Monastery St. Gavril Lesnovski is located in Lesnovo village in the vicinity of Probistip and Zletovo, 900-1000 meters above sea level. The monastery is dedicated to the archangels Michael and Gabriel, but also to the local Saint Gavril Lesnovski. The Lesnovo monastery was build at the time when Gavril Lesnovski became monk (first half of the 11th century) and got blessing from the abbot to leave on hermitage in Zletovos Mountains. In the saved script from 1330 in Lesnovo prolog written by Stanislav Lesnovski (Belgrade, SANU No.53) is mention the monastery dedicated to St.Archangels and was assumed that there was the grave of the Saint Gavril. At the end of the thirty’s of 14th century the monastery temple got devastated, and according to Efrem Karanov it was ruined shortly after that. Dushan’s warrior Joan Oliver has rebuilt the Lesnovo’s monastery and now he was its founder. This act was materialized with a script that was placed above the door on the church. In 1342 the monastery was connected directly with Mt. Athos. At that time Joan Oliver has given the monastery under jurisdiction of Hilendar monastery.

Today, Lesnovo Monastery is known for its manuscript-writing school and the wood-carved iconostasis from 1811, a work of art performed by the Miyak craftsman. The monastery is the centre of the Christianity in this part of the country and has been visited by many during religious holiday services. The monastery is famous for housing one out of three iconostases made by the famous Macedonian woodcarvers Frckovski and the Filipovski brothers. The other two are found in the church of St Spas in Skopje and in the monastery St Jovan Bigorski in the Mavrovo National Park.

Today, visitors can still see the mosaic floor of the 11th-century church on whose foundations the current church was built. On the ceiling of the narthex visitors can see frescoes of the sun and the moon and 12 animals of people in the sky. Despite they clearly show the zodiac signs, the monk says that they are not designed to depict the zodiac signs.

The Church of the Holy Archangels in Lesnovo The village Lesnovo is 17 kilometers from Probistip. An asphalted road leads to it. The village has its own authentic architecture and an enormous very old ethnological collection. The Lesnovo environment is very interesting - the landscape is predominately rocks, naturally sculptured, among which the most impressive one is the so-called "Virgin Mary with a Child".

Milestone Caves In the hills surrounding Lesnovo you will find many man-made caves. These caves were made by many generations of people who were cutting millstones from the rocks. You will see unfinished millstones everywhere on the walls of the caves. Trails lead from the village...

Before you reach Lesnovo Monastery the view from the hil is unbelivable, and don't miss to see the rock on the right side of the road where our ancient descendants used to extract the mill stones. Also there is a cavernous church nearby on the left bank of Lesnovska river. The monastery is another buty of Macedonian Orthodox Church located on the south-west slopes of Mounteen Osogovo in the northeastern part of the Republic of Macedonia. Build in Bysantine Arhitectural style looks stanning and inside the whole interior of the church is covered with frescoes, high valuable heritage of the 14th century. It is sarounded with the lovely nataural, picturescue environment and it is a great place to spend all day if you are looking for a calm, spiritual time and to recharge your mental and phisical batteries. In case you have forgoten to bring your food and drinks there is a new restaurant nearby serving traditional Macedonian...