day 4 Ohrid to St. Naum.

Ohrid - the city and the lake

Ohrid, immortal Ohrid, is a kingdom of light and water, a repository of ancient ruins from Macedonia's earlier kingdoms and is the sublime lakeside town that for many represents the culmination of the Macedonian experience.

 

 

Ohrid's major attractions are all located within a remarkably concentrated and eminently walkable area, among and above the narrow streets of the Old Town, itself lined with restaurants and cafes perfectly suited for relaxing on cool summer evenings. Ohrid's many cafes, bars and nightclubs also make for vibrant nightlife.

 

 

As for the lake itself, it is so large and so deep that one might mistake it for a small sea. The full range of water sports, fishing and boating is available, and numerous churches alongside Ohrid's lake shores make for fascinating side trips.

The wooded ridge above the lake's eastern shore is largely taken up by Galicica National Park, a pristine wilderness area ideally suited for nature enthusiasts.

 

The uniqueness of Ohrid's lake and historical architecture have been attested by UNESCO, which honored the town with an official designation as one of the few places on the cultural institutions World Inheritance's list.

 

Ohrid- History and Museums

Archaeological finds indicate that Ohrid is one of the oldest human settlements in all of Europe. The lake itself is over three million years old. Ohrid town is first mentioned in Greek documents from 353 BC, when it was known as Lychnidos - or, the city of light. Only much later, in 879 AD, was it renamed Ohrid. The name probably derives from the Macedonian phrase "Vo Hrid" meaning roughly, the town on the hill.

 

Apart from its ancient theater (which is still in use today), the ancient Lychnidos boasted a classical agora, gymnasium, civil basilicas and temples to the gods of Greek Antiquity. Under Roman rule it developed more of the typical Roman architectural traits, and became an important transit point on the Via Egnatia trade route that bisected the Balkans.

 

The town as we know it today was built mostly between the 7th and 19th centuries. During the Byzantine period, Ohrid became a significant cultural and economic center, serving as an episcopal center of the Orthodox Church and as the site of the first Slavic university run by St. Clement and St. Naum at the end of the 9th century. At the beginning of the 11th century, Ohrid briefly became the capital of Macedonia's greatest medieval ruler, Samuel, whose fortress still presides over the city today.

During Ottoman times, Ohrid remained the seat of the autocephalous Ohrid archiepiscopacy (until 1726). During its Byzantine apogee, the town was renowned for its 365 churches and monasteries. These, and a large number of sacral edifices, have been preserved and make up a large part of Ohrid's rich medieval past.

 

Today, one of the city's museums has a collection of more than 800 Byzantine and post-Byzantine icons, most of which were painted between the 11th and 14th centuries. Art historians count this collection as being one of the most important in the world, along with those of the Tretiakov Gallery in Moscow and Mt. Athos in Greece.

 

A Church for Every Day of the Year
If you really want a lot of that old time religion, be sure to visit Lake Ohrid in Macedonia. Legend has it that in Ohrid there were 365 churches dating from the 4th century A.D. and onwards

Lake Ohrid is Macedonia's largest lake and one of Europe's deepest. Most experts also believe that the lake is also Europe's oldest, formed by tectonic forces two or three million years ago.Lake Ohrid is a popular resort for world travelers, not only because of its beauty, but also because it has so many interesting cultural and historical attractions. A recently restored Roman amphitheater, once used for entertaining audiences with human gladiators being munched on by lions, now features great acoustics for Lake Ohridâ's three-month long series of music festivals ranging from classical to jazz. Lake Ohrid trout could possibly be the world's most prized freshwater culinary treat. A featured entree on virtually every Macedonian menu, it is prepared traditionally with fine sauces and very disciplined timing. Getting to Lake Ohrid from Skopje is an easy two hour drive or you can fly there from Slovenia, Vienna and Holland. Numerous tour operators feature a stay in Lake Ohrid. 

St. Naum- Ohrid

The monastery of St. Naum, set amidst lush verdure where the River Crn Drim tumbles into the lake, is a refuge of tranquility at the very corner of the Macedonian Republic. Situated 29 km (18 m) from the town of Ohrid, and only 1 kilometer (0.6 m) from the Albanian border, the monastery brings the Macedonian experience to a dramatic culmination.

 

 

As with most Byzantine churches, St. Naum was chosen primarily for its location on a high, rocky outcropping over the lake, above deep forests and the life-giving springs of the Crn Drim. The monastic complex and church of St. Naum were built originally at the turn of the tenth century by the monk of the same name; Macedonians believe you can hear the saint's heartbeat by pressing an ear to his stone coffin inside the church.

 

The monastery has been renewed and enlarged several times over the centuries. While most of its icons and frescoes date from the 16th and 17th centuries, earlier etchings in the Byzantine Greek vernacular also remain. But numerous orthographical mistakes indicate that they were written by Slavic-speaking local monks. Other inscriptions in the church make up some of the oldest epigraphic evidence of Slavic literacy.

 

The icons of St. Naum are among the best achievements of religious painting in the Balkans. They date from the first half of the 18th century. The wood-carved icon itself was made in 1711 by an unknown artisan.

 

A final unusual element of St. Naum is located not on the inside of the church but on the outside: the preponderance of multi-colored peacocks strutting around and luxuriating in the grass.

 

St. Sophia - Ohrid

 

A large church with compound foundations and a complex history, St. Sophia is one of the most impressive medieval buildings in Ohrid. The church was the center of the Ohrid archiepiscopacy, which once had jurisdiction over the regions of the Danube, Thessalonica, and Albania.

 

Believed to have been built or rebuilt on the grounds of an early Christian basilica between the years 1035-1056, the church is one of the best representatives of Macedonian religious architecture.

 

During the time when Macedonia was part of the Ottoman Empire, the church was turned into a mosque and the frescoes were covered with plaster, thus luckily preserving them for future generations.

After World War II, the church was restored and the frescoes that date from the Byzantine period (11th -14th centuries) were revealed and cleaned. Since its builders blessed it with wonderful acoustics, the church of St. Sophia and its front yard are a main site for the annual Ohrid Summer Festival.

 

Plaosnik - Ohrid

Located in Ohrid's old town, Plaosnik is an utterly unique phenomenon: it was recently reconstructed, with loving attention to detail, precisely in the style of a Byzantine church, right down to the red bricks and mortar.

 

An early Christian sacral building dating from the 5th century was discovered here, built over the remains of an older antique building whose cistern was found in the atrium of the newly built temple. Today, Plaosnik is one of the most exhilarating Byzantine-style churches in Macedonia. Its floor is covered with mosaics of twenty wave-shaped tassel interspersed with the figures of flowers, birds and animals. The very fact of its reconstruction is evidence of the strong affection Macedonians still feel for their Byzantine heritage.

 

St. John Caneo - Ohrid

 

Just above a small fishing settlement, on a cliff rising up from Ohrid Lake, stands one of the most magnificent churches in all of Macedonia.

 

Built in the honor of St. John the Theologian, St. Kaneo with its sublime atmosphere and views of the placid lake below remains an inspiring place for spiritual contemplation.

 

 

The church, which was consecrated at the end of the 13th century, was built on a rectangular stone base. Its exterior is decorated with ceramic decorative sculptures and stone carvings. Though the fresco painters are unknown, the fragments that have been preserved are of exceptional quality; The Communion of the Apostles and the portraits of St. Clement, St. Erasmus and Constantine Kavasilas especially stand out. An extraordinarily unique construction, built as it is from a combination of Byzantine and Armenian architectural styles, St. Kaneo is indeed one of the most beautiful churches in Macedonia and in the whole Balkan region.

 

Samuel's Fortress - Ohrid

 

In Byzantine times, Ohrid was a large and important city and cultural center. For a short time in the early 11th century, it was also the capital of a Slavic empire ruled by Czar Samuel. His fortress, situated on the hill in the center of modern-day Ohrid, crowns the city.

Samuel's fortress consumes the city's skyline, and was once one of the most impregnable strongholds in the Balkans, with walls 3 km (1.8 m) long and 16 meters (48 feet) high. Today, 18 towers and four gates still remain from the original structure. With its strategic location, overlooking the town and the lake, it provides an ideal place for taking in the whole panorama of Ohrid and its surroundings.

 

Antique Theater - Ohrid

 

The builders of Ohrid's ancient theater calculated carefully when they put the building in the very center of the elevated old town. The open theater has a perfect location, as the two hills (Gorni Saraj and Deboj) keep it protected from winds that could interfere with acoustics during performances. Discovered by accident and later completely excavated, this four-thousand square meter monument to Antique Greco-Roman culture is today used during the Ohrid Summer Festival for performances of ancient tragedies and comedies. It offers a wonderful view of the lake and Mt. Galicica to the southeast.