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= The Treskavec Monastery = The Treskavec Monastery dates to c. 13th century and is an Eastern Orthodox Macedonian Church dedicated to the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God. It is located on Mount Zlatovr, in the northern section of Prilep, North Macedonia. It is the burial place of Serbian noblemen Dabiživ Čihorić (d. 1362) and magnate Gradislav Borilović (d. 1352) who served emperors Stefan Dušan (r. 1331–55), emperor Uroš V (r. 1355–71) and Stefan Uroš III Dečanski (r. 1321-1331).

Dimitar Kratovski, a Serbian writer monastery from the 16th century, is accredited to the monastery’s’ existence as he has been linked to funding multiple monasteries in Northern Macedonia, including the Treskavec Monastery. He also contributed to the renovations of the monasteries of St. Nikola Toplicki, St. Jovan Prodom in Slepche, Treskavaec and St. Panelejmon on Mount Athos. This was revealed in a 1542/3 letter addressed to the Archpriest Luka from Kratovo from the Slepche monastery monks whom created a beadroll with the names of Dimitar and his brothers Grigorij and Nikola Pepic to reward them for their financial contributions. The monastery was renewed in the 14th century after a period of neglect, estimated during the time of King Milutin, as indicated by the preserved fresco inscriptions. The present monastery contains preserved heritage items, such as Byzantine frescos, Greek and Latin inscriptions and chain mail that has been the subject of multiple scientific investigations.

Mail Armour
Archaeologists found parts of mail armours in the Treskavec monastery and has been described by metallurgists: “the material is a large fragment of mail armour, made of rings, which, according to archaeological findings, dates from the end of the 13th or the beginning of 14th century.”

They performed scientific tests including ‘X-ray, metallographic, SEM and EDX analysis’ to ‘determine the chemical composition of the material and to define the metallurgical processes used for the manufacture of the mail armour specimen’. The X-ray tests found that the rings had a chemical composition of mainly iron (‘minimum 75%’ at the time of manufacture).

The artefact has been preserved Museum of the city of Prilep, Macedonia since 1973.

Fresco Paintings
Preserved in the Treskavec Catholicon (cathedral) are several fresco paintings. Fresco paintings are wall murals that use a combination of powdered pigments, water and lime plaster. These paintings are fundamental within the Byzantine (Eastern Orthodox) Empire.

A painting from around 1334-1343 portrays a gallery of Saints amidst an execution scene. It appears on the outside porch of the Catholicon. The appearance of this mural has been skewered by renovations that included additional plaster and paint layers.

The Byzantine paintings include the earliest portrayals of the Courts of Heaven in the north-west dome and consists of Jesus at the top of the dome, in the centre with the Greek inscriptions that translate to ‘King of Kings’, dressed in a crown and gold thread. He is surrounded by angels, archangels, seraphs and cherubs. The mural also depicts King David, who is followed by many warriors and other people, and Mary, who is dressed in deep purple robes.

Another notable painting is a ‘rare depiction of Christ as a boy’, as well as portrayals of Heavenly Jerusalem, Christ on the throne, the Crucifixion, the Betrayal of Judas and the Deposition of the Holy Spirit. Remaining portraits include St Nicholas, St Basil, St. Gregory and St. Theodore Stratelates and the financier Gradislav Borilović.

The chapel of Gradislav was constructed in the 1350s, with his portrait located on the west wall of the structure. The image depicts the man physically carrying the chapel with a representation of Jesus in the background, and a light representing God’s gratitude from the sky. His wife was illustrated in a kneeling position, praying, but since the 14th century is no longer visible. This depiction signifies a cultural and religious shift within the later years of the 14th century as the artist uses ‘refined drawing’ and ‘realistically moulded shapes’.

Within the entrance of the church (exonarthex), The Melogium (Church Calendar) is depicted over a vast expanse of’ the monastery walls, the arches of the south nave and two-domed exonarthex’ and represents each day of the year containing a sequence of various religious figures and saints.

In the western entrance to the monastery is a portrait of Byzantine emperors Andronikos II Palaiologos (r. 1282 to 1328.), and his son and co-ruler Mihajlo IX which is approximated to have been painted in the 13th century when they ruled. It was repainted with reference to an older scene from between 1299-1316. The scene depicts the two rulers standing next to Mary, the Mother of God, receiving the royal crown.

Greek and Latin Inscriptions
Remaining inscriptions in the necropolis (300m south of the monastery in Gumenje) and on the medieval churches have been linked to the Greco-Roman world of Hellenistic and the later Roman settlements. Relating to the Roman period is the inscripted epithet on the holy temple (sanctuary) of the Greek and Roman deities Apollo in three forms: ‘Οτευδαυικόc, Οτευδαυόc, ετευδαυίcκοc’. In 1942, in the Classical Weekly article, an inscription was discovered on a marble altar of the monastery. The sixteen lines contained a manumission record which dated to c. 200 A.D., and mentioned the Ephesian Artemis.

The inscription ‘κολοβαιcη’ is a record of the Roman settlement in which the pagan believers practiced polytheism. Evidence of this include the ‘torso of a cult statue, parts of an architrave slab, altars and columns of an ancient temple’ which were replaced in the 5th century by an early Christian basilica. These basilicas were built from the mid-4th century onwards with an eastern orientation, facing the sun, to reflect the Christian teaching of Christ as a symbol of light. During the 14th century, the basilica was replaced by the Church of Sveta Bogorodica.

A broken marble stele with an intact tenon was studied and the inscriptions were deciphered and summarised as: ‘a sunk panel shows five fully dressed figures: three female and two male. Inscription engraved in a framed panel.’ It has been dated to the second century AD and depicts the earliest surviving inscription of the word ‘Priestly’ (Ιερατική) in northern Macedonia.

Architectural History
The base of the entire structure is asymmetrical as a result of its location on the uneven mountain surface, which subsequently creates the dome segment of the exonarthex and chapel on each side to be different lengths. The dual domed narthex structure is a feature of Late Byzantine architecture and serves as a burial place.

Built in the late 12th and early 13th century, the core section of the monastery is the Catholicon which is devoted to the ‘Dormition of the Mother of God’, it has undergone many alterations since its construction. The initial structure was simple and ‘was conceived as a small single-nave church superposed with a dome that relied on four massive pillars attached to the walls.’

Building on the existing structure, a narthex (a separate antechamber that still provided access to the main church) was added on the west side of the temple, which reflects the typical emphasis of vertical axis from Byzantine basilicas. The Treskavec monastery has been subject to many of renovations in accordance to financial power, emperor influence and cultural period. Following an appearance of King Dušan, the monastery was renovated to include new buildings within the complex, with feudal towers and a defensive wall (rampart) which was relative to the 14th century Medieval context. The towers and ramparts were destroyed as a result of natural disasters and passing Byzantine army forces. The living spaces for the monks were damaged by multiple fires in 1867, 1991 and 2013. The wall that established the narthex was demolished so the area currently extends the nave (main church area).

Historical Monument Testing
To evaluate the monastery’s seismic stability, scientific testing was completed by the Hellenic Association of Earthquake Engineering. The aim of the investigation was to test whether the complex could remain intact following an earthquake, and to identify if it could be categorised as a stable historical monument.

The process has been summarised by the engineers as: “The ambient vibration testing procedure consists of real time recording of vibrations and processing of records. The initial test is the dynamic calibration test after which the seismometers are placed at different levels and different points of the structure, but in the same direction, for simultaneous recording.’ Equipment used included a system of accelerometers, an acquisition system and a computer for processing of the signals. To analyse the dynamic characteristics of the complex, several different points were tested, which included segments of the walls (the outer points of all four sides), the altar, the roof (cupolas) and the floor in the chapel (a total of 23 tests were held).

The result differed according to the points they were tested from. The data is measured on a frequency range of 0-25 Hz (Hertz).

The testing was completed after the 2013 fire, which damaged the roof construction of the bell tower as well as the floor structure. Due to the complexity of its architecture, geometry, the additions throughout time and the overall deterioration of the complex, no clear vibration shape was determined.

The report findings included a concluding statement that revealed that, not including the dining room (which had a frequency of 5Hz), ‘the global integrity of the structures is solid’.

Tourism and World Heritage Recognition
The Treskavec monastery attracts travellers because of its historical longevity and resulting preserved features. Throughout history, the local civilians have related some of these preservations to history and have created legends. This includes a ‘footprint’ of King Marko, which was formed as a result of decomposition on the granodiorite rocks on the horizontal surface of the hill that forced recessed relief rock formations. The physical decomposition is a result of weather conditions, such as vast temperature fluctuations and the erosion which creates cracks in the rock, which is then filled by water. This creates depressions in the rocks (known as gneiss) which appear as holes on the surface and are likened to footprints.

There have been measures to protect the architectural heritage of the monastery complex, including the St. Mary’s Assumption Church and the monastery dining room. In 2008, the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organisation (Democratic Party for Macedonian National Unity), simplified as the VMRO-DPMNE, introduced a preservation project to ensure the survival of Macedonian heritage sites. The ‘Skopje 2014 Project’ included the reconstruction and renewal of church complex, including the Monastery of Treskavec in Prilep.

To be listed on the World Heritage List, the site must have ‘ an outstanding universal value and have at least one of the ten criteria selected based on 6 criteria for cultural heritage and four criteria for natural heritage’. In 2003, the site of ‘Markovi Kuli’ which consists of the monastery St. Archangel Michael, Treskavec monastery and the medieval towers was proposed by the UNESCO National Commission of the Republic of Macedonia to be a part of the UNESCO World heritage list in the category of ‘natural heritage’ which is the ‘outstanding physical, biological and geological formations, habitats of threatened species of animals and plants and areas with scientific, conservation or aesthetic value.’ The proposal was accepted by the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning and on 24 June 2004, the site was inscribed on the list. It is has been protected since the 10th of April, 2006 under the ‘Natural Monuments’ Category and is managed by the Public Scientific Institution Institute for Old Slavic Culture, Prilep.

Despite the current destroyed state, the monastery remains as a tourist attraction because of the historical artefacts and has been described by Lonely Planet: “One doesn't know which is more impressive – the bare granite boulder mountainside or the half-ruined monastery…. Earlier Roman remains are inside, along with graves, inscriptions and monks' skulls. The monastery is not always manned, so you may find yourself completely alone atop the hill.”