Holy Mother of God Perivleptos church

elevation / altitude

749 meters

distance

0.34 km from main square / Ohrid

visiting Holy Mother of God Perivleptos church

Guided tour, individual

  about Holy Mother of God Perivleptos church

The Holy Mother of God church was built in 1295. The fresco painting in this church represent some of the first works of the most prestigious Macedonian icon-painters Michail and Eftihije.
On the walls of this church, with extraordinary vitality and power, those two icon-painters have painted scenes from the life of Christ and the mother of God.
After the destruction of Clement's church St. Pantelejmon, which was burned and converted into a mosque by the Turks, the relics of St. Clement were transferred here, and ever since the citizens of Ohrid named the church St. Clement.
When the biggest church in Ohrid, St. Sophia, was transferred to a mosque, St. Holy Mother Perivleptos became synod Ohrid Archbishop.
The most important treasures of the Holy Mother of God Perivleptos church are the old ecclesiastical books, perchament manuscripts of 11^th and 12^th century, old music notes of Byzantine church songs, icons. Worth mentioning are the Litian icons, one of which is valued as a master piece from 18^th century. It presents "Holy Mother of God with Jesus Christ" on one side, and "Christ's crucifying" on the other. The other two-side Litian icon presents St. Clement on one side, and St. Naum on the other. The icons were supposed to be "miraculous" because the inhabitants believed that the city protector can defend the city from the events that happened in Ohrid at that time. The tombstone of the mutual grave of St. Clement of Ohrid and the archbishop Prohor is saved in the south part of the church.