Zrze and Tetovo: November 4, 2012

We finally made it to Zrze Monastery located northwest of Prilep.  From a distance, the monastery seems to hang from a mid-mountain cliff.  Caves formerly used as monk cells are located in the cliff face below the monastery. The last few meters of road are quite rutted and rough so we walked the last few hundred meters.

Zrze monastery houses the icon called Virgin of Pelagonia.  The original icon is now in the Icon Museum in Skopje, but there is a reproduction of this famous icon in Zrze's Church of Peter and Paul.  The icon was painted in 1422.  In Macedonian Orthodox tradition, the icon of Jesus is placed on the viewer's right and the Virgin is on the viewer's left.  In this church, the placement is reversed. The story goes that the monks placed Mary on the left side of Jesus but each morning, the icons were reversed.  Mary spoke to the monks and said that she must be on Jesus' right side because she would never turn her back to her son.

The composition is almost abstract in the body position of Baby Jesus; and the image has so much life in it. The virgin's eyes show such sorrow while the eyes of baby Jesus contain all the wisdom of the world.

The building below is the monastery which contains both the Church of Peter and Paul and the Shepherd's Church (closed for renovations).  No photographs are allowed, but the English-speaking monk is quite friendly and knowledgeable about the 14th-century frescos.  Even the walls of the porch area are covered with frescos.

A view of the Pelagonia Plain from Zrze Monastery

Horses grazing on the Pelagonia Plain below Zrze Monastery

The next day, with the rental car still in our possession, we drove west to Tetovo to do some sightseeing.  Tetovo is a town occupied mostly by persons of Albanian descent, and it has several interesting Ottoman-era structures.

Our first stop was the Painted Mosque.  Parts of the exterior of the Painted Mosque (Šarena Džamija) are under renovation, but the inside is finished.  We found the mosque locked, but we were handed the key to unlock the door and told to lock up when our visit was finished.

A mosque was first built on this site in 1459.  In the 19th-century (1833), the mosque was reconstructed and expanded by Abdurahman Pasha.  Abdurahman Pasha's creation, both inside and outside, is in Ottoman-Turkish baroque style.  Over 30,000 eggs were used to make the paint used out/inside this unusual mosque.

With all the decorative designs and colors, this mosque looks like a jewel box inside and outside.  To the right of the minbar, is a rare (for Macedonia) painting of Mecca.

The next photo is of the Turkish Amam (Ottoman-era bath house) that is located just across the small Pena river from the Painted Mosque.  It was also built in the 15th century.  Presently, it is an art gallery, but on the day we visited, it was closed.  A teenager saw us taking photos and wanted to know why--why we found these buildings interesting?

We also visited the small village of Lešok (northeast of Tetovo) to see the 14th-century church called Sveti Bogorodica.  The church was locked, but at the new church we were given a very large key to open the 14th-century church. Once again, we were allowed to visit without a chaperone.  When we were finished, we locked the door and returned the huge key.

14th- century Church of Sveti Bogorodica (Holy Mother of God)

The interior is completely covered, walls and ceilings, with frescos from the time of construction as well as from both the 17th and 19th centuries.  The 19th-century renovations were sponsored by Abdurahman Pasha--the same Pasha that renovated the mosque and many other structures in Tetovo.  Why? Because he was hoping the Orthodox Christians would support him in a revolt against the Ottomans.  This didn't work out quite the way he planned.  The Ottoman Sultan "volunteered"  Abdurahman Pasha to fight the in war in the Crimea from where he did not return. 

Ečka, Serbia: August 29, 2012

We're in the village of Ečka located about 45 minutes north of Belgrade.  I'm told that about 5,000 people live in this village.  I've only seen about 100 residents and wonder where the other 4,900 are hiding.  The village was settled during Austrian rule.  The hotel we're staying in, Kaštel Ečka, was formerly center for aristocratic hunting parties.  The castle or manor house was built in 1820 in English style and violinist Franz Liszt played at the opening ceremony.  The castle and its outbuildings were mostly destroyed by the consequences of WWII.  The castle has undergone extensive renovations and additions and looks like an English Manor house.

We were given a suite which is quite lovely.  It has a very large bathroom with a jacuzzi tub and bedroom and living room areas.  Dan's Serbian colleague told him that it was the "best room" at the hotel.  It did not make a good first impression, though.  The light over the tub did not work so it was a black hole.  The room has two air conditioners--they don't work.  The room has two televisions--while they work, most of the channels are "snow".  The hotel list of satellite TV stations lists three English language stations.  The satellite does not appear to be connected to this room.

So, I almost had the driver return me and Kali Cat to Belgrade, but after a walk around the village, I decided to stay.

We discovered that there are at least 3 churches in Ečka.  The first images are of the Austrian Catholic church (perhaps also called the Kaštel church) that seems to be permanently closed.  It is situated right outside of the hotel grounds.  The main road through town jogs around the church and continues on.

The next church is the new Romanian church which was also closed when I attempted to visit it.  It is called "new" because it is newer than the older church formerly used by Romanians.  

Only the steeple of the new Romanian Church is visible in this photo.  The church is probably at least 200 years old.  

The third church was open--in fact, the door was wide open.  It is an Orthodox Church dedicated to St. Nicolas.  It was formerly shared by both the Serbian and Romanian residents of Ečka hence the reason why the yellow church is called the "new" Romanian church.  It is a beautiful building that dates back to about 1711.  The roof and steeple are made of wooden shakes and panels.  

Dan and I were inside taking photographs when the priest walked into the church.  He smiled, turned on the lights for us and indicated that we should turn them off when we were done.  How refreshing.    Some parishioners also stopped by.  One woman even dusted some of the table tops and tidied up the interior a little for me. 

Interior of the Church of St. Nicolas and its iconostasis.  This is the church's second iconostasis as the original structure and icons were replaced in about 1750.  

The above photo is of the "royal doors" of the iconostasis.  Only the priest and males are allowed behind these doors.  

The back portion of the church houses several icons.  Worshipers place offerings along the ledge.

 

This icon of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus was part of the original 1711 iconostasis.  

  

After about an hour of taking photos, Dan left me to go to a meeting with his colleagues at the hotel.  I stayed and stayed.  I stayed until the cows came home--literally.  

After the cows, came children dressed in folklore costumes.  They were gathering for an International Children's Folklore Festival.  They gathered at the church and then paraded through the village toward the Cultural Center were they performed traditional dances.  

Dancers from Hungary

The festival has representative groups from Serbia, Slovakia, and Hungary.  

Despite my first impressions, Ečka rocks!