Monastery Treskavec

The Monastery of Treskavec, or St. Bogorodica, is a monastery situated on the rocky Mount Zlato vrv, 8 km north of Prilep, in Macedonia. Built in the 12th century, it currently has only one monk. The monastery possesses a large collection of Byzantine frescoes. The oldest remaining date from the 15th century was built in the 13^th century. There were early-Christian (4-5^th century) shrines on the site before the current monastery was built. Ancient Hellenic marble monuments from around 3^rd century B.C have been discovered on site. It is at an altitude of 1280m, just below the Golden Peak (altitude 1422m).

The monastery possesses a large collection of Vyzntine frescoes. The oldest remaining date from the 15th century. It was rebuilt in the 14th century by Serbian kings Stefan Milutin and  Setfan Dusan In the mid-16th century it was renovated by knez Dimitrije Pepic (d. 1566) of Kratovo. However, the monastery was destroyed by a fire in the early 2010s, leaving the church remaimed untouched. The rebuilding of the monastery is in the last phase, and it is expected for the monastery to open at this year’s Orthodox Easter.

It only became reachable by car in 2013, when asphalt road was built. Before that visitors reached it mostly by foot. Some of the rocks along the trails were carved over the centuries to help climbers. According to some of the legends, the carved rocks quaked when sinners stepped on them. Due to its inaccessibility, it has been considered as one of the more mysterious places in the country. The drive up to the mountain is breathtaking and somewhat frightening. Not recommended to novice drivers. The oldest preserved fresco in the monastery is from the 14^th century. One of the frescos presents a rare depiction of Christ as a young boy. The view from the monastery plateau is definitely among the top 3 most-spectacular in North Macedonia. The monastery konaks (dormitories) burned several times over time, most recently in 2013.