Explore the treasures of Byzantine art in the churches scattered throughout the gorgeous mountainous countryside of this Balkan region known in classical Antiquity as Macedonia. The relative remoteness of those sites has served as a shield for the monasteries and churches, and even though most of them were ransacked and raided through history, the art remains. The art is absolutely phenomenal as the best artists from the imperial cities of Constantinople and Thessaloniki were invited to decorate those foundations. While seeing the sites, one can imagine the glory and splendor of the many monuments of the Imperial cities that did not survive.     

Your tour leader is David Hendrix. David is the creator of The Byzantine Legacy Website. The Byzantine Legacy aims at providing documented, quality information on art, architecture, and history from Late Antique, Early Christian and the Byzantine eras.  

Arrival to  Skopje International Airport (SKP). Group transfer to the hotel. Welcome Dinner. Orientation. Overnight in Skopje.

During our first day in the N. Macedonian capital, we will explore several important monuments on the outskirts of the city. Of greatest interest are three Medieval Byzantine“ jewels. 

The Church of St. George in the village of Staro Nagoričane near Kumanovo was originally built in the second half of the 11th century, but expanded and renovated early in the 14th century under the Serbian King Stephan Milutin. The frescoes of the interior come to us from the same period and done by the hands of the medieval iconographers Michael Astrapa and Evtikhije. 

Markov monastery was founded in the first half of the 14 century and the church dedicated to St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki was built in 1346 under King Vukashin. During the next 30 years church was decorated with beautiful frescoes. Despite the turbulent history, sacred images survive until the present day largely intact. The last stop of our trip will be at 

St. Panteleimon Monastery in Gorno Nerezi, near Skopje. This  Monastery was constructed in 1164 and is famous for its spectacular Komnenous-era frescoes. The  church was repainted in subsequent ages on several occasions, but in in the 1920’s original frescoes  were discovered and restored.          

This morning we will depart Skopje and will drive toward lake Ohrid. The city of Ohrid is one of the most historically and culturally significant cities in the Balkans. Its location on the hilly shores of Lake Ohrid gives it a very special feeling and beauty. Same time due to the presence of many important Ancient and Medieval monuments it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list back in 1980. Upon arrival, our visit will be to the church of the Holy Mother of Christ Perivleptos. According to an inscription on the inner wall of the narthex above the main entrance, the church was built under the name of the Holy mother of God Most 

Glorious (Perivleptos) in 1295 by the Byzantine military commander, Progon Zgur, a relative of the Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos. The church was fresco painted by the Mihail and Evtihije.   

The church of St. John in Kaneo enjoys a picturesque setting right above Lake Ohrid, with some surviving frescoes from the early 15th century. Although frescoes inside are not numerous or impressive, spectacular location of the church on the cliff above the waters of lake Ohrid makes the church an “icon” of Ohrid and all the Northern Macedonia at large. 

The church of St. Sofia (built in the 10th century and redecorated in the 11th century) is one of the largest medieval churches on this territory. For a long time, it was the cathedral church ("Great Church") of the Ohrid Archiepiscopate whose ecclesiastical authority covered the territories up to the river Danube to the north, the Albanian coast to the west, and the Bay of Thessalonica to the east. 

Our first stop will be at St. Naum Monastery on the shores of Lake Ohrid. St. Naum’s Monastery was founded early in the 10th century but hardly anything remains from that period. The frescoes that we can see today were done “only” in 1806. Still, St. Naum’s Monastery remains an incredibly important place in Slavic history and literacy.  

Our next stop will be somewhat “off the beaten path” at the village of Kurbinovo. Here we will see the church of the former Monastery of St. George (if accessible). Despite it size, this church is one of the most famous on the greater Balkans, and incredibly important to all students of the Byzantine Art due to the unique frescoes in the interior of the church. The holy site was built, frescoed and consecrated some time at the very end of the 12th century. 

Our first stop will be at the Archaeological Park of Heraclea Lycenstis, an ancient city, founded by Philip II of Macedon in the middle of the 4th century BC. The city was further expanded under the Roman Emperor Hadrian and was an important point along the Via Egnatia route. Under the Byzantines, city had Christian Bishopric, that came to end along with the destruction and decline of the city of the Slavic attacks sometime in the sixth or seventh centuries AD.  

Today we will travel out of Bitola for a day trip to a town of Prilep. Prilep is one of the oldest cities in our country, situated in the central part of Northern Macedonia. The incredible pieces of spirituality and art put in the frescoes, iconostases and building’s architecture in the monasteries and churches on the nearby hills and mountains with beautiful location and breathtaking views. 

St. Nicolas church - village Manastir. The original church was built in 1095 by Alexius, who was a cousin of the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Komnenos. In 1266, the abbot Ioannikios name has built the current church, which later, in 1271, was painted by John the deacon.  

The Monastery of Treskavec dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God is a monastery situated on the rocky Mount Zlatovrv, some 5 miles North of Prilep. Originally it was built in the 12th century, and still possesses a large number of Byzantine frescoes. The oldest remaining date from the 15th century.

In addition to these two important monuments, we will visit Church of St. Nicholas from the 13 century and Church  of St. Demetrius of Thessalonika from the 14 century in the village of Varosh.  

This morning we will leave Bitola and will drive to the town of Kastoria in Greece. On our way we will make a detour, to see the ruins of the basilica of St. Achillios on Prespa lake. The Agios Achilios Basilica was built by the Bulgarian Czar Samuel at the end of the tenth century. It was dedicated to the early Christian martyr St. Achilios. A tomb preserved in the church is thought to have contained the relics of Agios Achilios. During the Byzantine epoch, Agios Achilios was an important religious center, and soon after the area passed into the hands of Byzantium, it became the seat of the Byzantine diocese until the 15th century. The island has several others ecclesiastical edifices and among them the Panagia Porfira monastery is the most interesting as it has frescoes in its catholicon.

Kastoria, although small, is a very well-known destination for any lover of the Byzantine Art and Architecture. We will start our day with the most fascinating Byzantine museum of Kastoria with an smaller, but incredible collection of Byzantine icons. From here on we will continue with a walking tour of Kastoria, visiting a few Medieval monuments. Actually, there are several dozen (!) of the Byzantine and post-byzantine churches and chapels in this lovely town, however, the most interesting of them all are Panagia Koumbelidiki a small triconch church dated to the 10th century, has become the emblem of Kastoria; churches of St. Nicholas Kasnitzis and Unmercenary healers, both painted by an incredibly gifted iconographers that worked at the end of the 12th century. The church of St. Stephen is one of the oldest and most beautiful in Kastoria, with most of the frescoes dating back to the 12th or the early 13th, and some that likely date to the 9th or 10th century, which make them incredibly rare. Even more interest added by the fact, that some of these most ancient murals were left unfinished which led to the speculations that original decoration were never completed due to the military invasion. For a bit of a break and reconnection with the most beautiful nature we will travel to Monastery of Panagia Mavriotissa (if accessible), which may have existed on the site ca. 1000. The exterior of the church was frescoed in 1260’s, and the interior of the church has frescoes from mid 16 century, but of great quality and interest. Later in the afternoon, time permitting, we will make a short stop at St. George Church at Omorfoklessia famous of its highly unusual carved wooden statue of St. George of great size and venerable antiquity.  

This morning we will explore one of the most beautiful and holy places of Greece, the Meteora. Monasteries and convents sit on top of huge rock formations almost as bird nests. There are six functioning communities in Meteora. It will be difficult to visit them all, as some of them are reachable only by a very long and steep set of stairs. However, we will try to visit the most important and accessible ones. At least one monastery, that of St. Stephen is reachable quite easily as it is located on the same level as adjacent parking lot.  

This morning we will transfer to town of Veria (ancient Berea) known as one of the places where Apostle Paul preached the Good News (Acts 17:11). Of particular interest to us are two magnificent monuments. One, the Old Cathedral of Veria was built at the end of the 11th century. It is a magnificent Byzantine Basilica and is one of the greatest temples of the middle Byzantine period. The frescoes of the interior are multilayer, but all of high quality and date back to the 12th through 14th century. Restoration of the monument was completed in 2016 and the Sacred could be seen in all its splendor. Another interesting monument is a small church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is one of the most famous Byzantine monuments of the early 14th century in Greece. It was built in 1315 and about at the same time decorated with the exquisite sacred images by the iconographers Georgios Kallergis. Although not as well preserved, frescoes are very refined and are of the greatest quality. The last visit in Veria, and ultimately during our trip will be at the Byzantine Museum of Veria. This newer museum housed in a former mill contain a great collection of the Byzantine Antiquities, ranging from the earliest Christian tombs and mosaics, ending with very fine Post-Byzantine icons. The icon collection on the exhibit is one of the largest if not the largest in all of Greece.

Today we will explore the second largest city of Greece - Thessaloniki. We will start our day with a visit to the Basilica of St. Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessalonica, heavenly patron of the city. Its foundation dates back to the 7th century, and its undercroft incorporates even earlier Roman elements. Nearby, there is Basilica church of Acheiropoietos, dated to the second half of the 5th century. It is certainly among the earliest churches in Thessaloniki. The Rotonda of Thessaloniki is the most important Roman monument in Thessaloniki in 306AD as a grave of Roman tetrarch Galerius. However, the plan was never realized and sometime in the 4th century AD, Rotunda was converted it into a Christian church and adored with splendid mosaics, part of which is preserved until the present day. Our last stop before lunch will be at the church St. Sophia. The current church was built in the early seventh century on the site of an earlier church. The massive domed building is very imposing, and in the interior, you could see precious mosaics from the ninth century. In the afternoon we will visit the Church of Panagia Chalkeon built in 11th-century. Frescoes of the interior date back to the 11-14th centuries. Not far from the Panagia Khalkeon, there is a beautiful church of St. Panteleimon. It is a beautiful testimony of the Byzantine Architecture, even as very few of the original wall-paintings survive. Overnight in Thessaloniki. 

Today we will continue to explore the Byzantine monuments of Thessaloniki. We will start our day by the fortifications of the upper city. Our first visit will be to the  Vlatadon Monastery, built in the 14th century during the late era of the Byzantine Empire. Due to its architectural and artistic importance, it was added among other Byzantine monuments to the UNESCO World Heritage Site.  From here on we will start or descent toward the lower city, making a few stops along the way. First stop will be at the the Church of Hosios David, dedicated to the local dendrite saint. Very early church, of which just part is surviving preserves a fantastic eschatological mosaic of Christ contemporary to the building of the church, along with some frescoes from the 12th through 14th centuries. While continuing our descent we will come by the church of St. Prophet Elias. Fragments of the original fine late Palaiologan frescoes are still surviving in the interior. Next church is of St. Catherine. The church dates back to the early 14 century, i.e. to the Palaiologan period, but its exact date and original remains unknown. Unfortunately, as the case with many other churches in Thessaloniki, beautiful Sacred Art preserved in fragments, as during the Ottoman period most of the churches were converted to mosques and the interiors whitewashed. Next stop will be at the church of Holy Apostles. The interior decoration consists of rich mosaics on the upper levels, inspired by Constantinopolitan models. These are particularly important as some of the last examples of Byzantine. Frescoes complete the decoration on the lower levels of the main church, but also on the narthex and one of the chapels. These too show the influence from Constantinople. After lunch we will visit church of St. Nicholas Orphanos decorated by the renowned Byzantine iconographers Michael Astrapas and Eutychios who were active at the end of the 13 and early 14 centuries. We will finish our day with a visit to the Byzantine Museum of Thessaloniki, known for its wonderful collection of Byzantine Antiquities.  

Breakfast at the hotel and group transfer to the  Thessaloniki Airport "Makedonia"  [Airport code: SKG].