St. Demetrius church, XIV century
The current church in the past was situated in the middle of the settlement where a church had been built – a basilica in the early Byzantium (V-VI century). The preserved foundations as well as parts of the marble plastics witness the past and they can still be found in and around the church nowadays.
The medieval church was built over the basilica in the XIII or the XIV century, yet with smaller dimensions. The first decades of the XIV century, when the monastery church St. Demetrius dates, meaning the period of 1282 when parts of Macedonia were under the Byzantium and dominant Serbian medieval rulers. In XIV century, Macedonia gradually became one of the more significant artistic centres in Byzantium. Gravitating towards Thessaloniki, it was undoubtedly the main transferring point in the process of spreading the Byzantium art in Bulgaria, Serbia and Russia. There are data for the church that it had again been rebuilt and fresco-painted in the XVI century. In that time, on the place of the south-eastern corner of the ancient wall another church was built, dedicated to St. Elijah.
The preserved fresco painting in the altar apsis which dates from the XVI century is an important document of the artistic heritage of the medieval art (paleo logical period), not just for Macedonia, but for the history of art of the Balkan peoples and the Byzantium painting generally.
The fresco-painted part in the apsis of the altar space which is most astonishing represents the scene of the Bowing of the sacrifice or the Eucharist – holy communion. It is here that one can see the prelate saints of Gregory, Vasilie the Great, John Chrysostom, and the angels. Right above is the scene of the Holy communion of the apostles, where Jesus Christ is represented from the left side as he administered communion with wine, and from the right side with bread. The fresco painter, or the fresco painters who painted the church were probably amongst the greatest talented craftsmen in their master field.
