Berovo
Encyclopedia
Berovo is a small town near the Maleševo Mountains, 161 km (100 mi) from Skopje
, 47 km (29 mi) from Strumica
and 52 km (32 mi) from Kočani
, in the Republic of Macedonia
. It is the seat of Berovo Municipality
.
Sustained by the Bregalnica River
, Berovo stands at 830–900 m (2,723.1–2,952.8 ) above sea level
and can be reached by car using a single asphalt road leading to the city. Berovo lake and the forest of the Malsevo Mountains are two popular sites for tourists and Berovo craftsmen are well known for their skill in traditional wood crafting. Berovo cheese is also a well-known commodity.
In the early 19th century Berovo was a rural settlement with around two hundred houses and one small church that had fallen into decay. The inhabitants at the time decided to have a new church built at the site known as Mogila
. The parish priest, Friar Peco, was assigned to obtain a building permit from the Turkish
authorities in Radoviš
. The Turkish governor Vali gave a building permit but made sure to set conditions for construction of the church as difficult as possible. The church was to be built low, below the road level and not to be seen, construction was to end in forty days, and Fr Peco was to give his youngest daughter, Sultana, to the harem
. The people of the town prevailed and the church building was finished and covered with stone blocks, soot, and lime (so as not to be noticed) in 40 days. Seeing that the church had been completed, Vali immediately ordered the deaths of three church elders in front of the church, and since Sultana had fled to Kyustendil
, Friar Peco was imprisoned for three years. When Sultana found out that Vali had been murdered by komitas, she promptly returned to Berovo.
's abbott. Eugenia I was the first abbess of the monastery, the second – Eugenia II, the third – Eugenia III, and the fourth abbess was Eulampia in 1958 by the first Archbishop of Ohrid
, Dositheus
. At its peak, in the first half of the twentieth century, the monastery numbered up to sixty nuns, with a rich and developed economy, a theological seminary, a weaving mill, and the first single-phase hydro-power plant in this area was in the monastery.
The three gates of the church face the town, the river and the pine forest. A large porch dominates the monastery yard and in the dimness of its interior oil lamps lighten images of saints, painted in a characteristic style that is antonymic to Byzantine
canons. Only one icon
, that of Noah
, painted by George Veljanov from Strumica
in 1818. From 1897 to 1920 the painter Gavril Atanasov
also worked in the monastery. The icon of the Dormition of the Theotokos
was painted by Gregory Pecanov from Strumica in 1878. The residential quarters are of a free-style construction. They attract with the warmth of the wood used, shaped in a 19th century old-urban style.
Four sisters who came from the Veljusa monastery live together with the last nun of the previous lineage. The sisterhood of the monastery is active in Byzantine style icon painting. The beginnings of the renewal of fresco painting in Macedonian monasteries was started by the sisterhood.
The Hesychastic (14th century Greek sect of Christianity) monastery typikon functions as a place of prayer, a holy hesychasterion. The upper floor of the church was recently turned into a small chapel dedicated to St. Gregory Palamas.
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
, 47 km (29 mi) from Strumica
Strumica
Strumica is the largest city in eastern Macedonia, near the Novo Selo-Petrich border crossing with Bulgaria. About 100,000 people live in the region surrounding the city. The city is named after the Strumica River which runs through it...
and 52 km (32 mi) from Kočani
Kocani
Kočani is a town away from Skopje, situated in the Eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia, with population of 28 330. The town of Kočani is the seat of Kočani Municipality.-Geography and population:...
, in the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
. It is the seat of Berovo Municipality
Berovo municipality
Berovo is a municipality in eastern Republic of Macedonia. Berovo is also the name of the town where the municipal seat is found. Berovo Municipality is part of the Eastern Statistical Region.-Geography:...
.
Demographics
There are 7,002 residents in the town of Berovo.| Number | % | |
| TOTAL | 7,002 | 100 |
| Macedonians Macedonians (ethnic group) The Macedonians also referred to as Macedonian Slavs: "... the term Slavomacedonian was introduced and was accepted by the community itself, which at the time had a much more widespread non-Greek Macedonian ethnic consciousness... |
6,404 | 91.45 |
| Roma | 459 | 6.55 |
| others | 139 | 1.98 |
Features
Bregalnica
Bregalnica is the second largest river in the Republic of Macedonia. It starts as a spring near the mountain city of Berovo and it passes near the cities of Makedonska Kamenica, Kočani, Vinica and Štip, before joining the river Vardar on its way to the Aegean Sea...
, Berovo stands at 830–900 m (2,723.1–2,952.8 ) above sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
and can be reached by car using a single asphalt road leading to the city. Berovo lake and the forest of the Malsevo Mountains are two popular sites for tourists and Berovo craftsmen are well known for their skill in traditional wood crafting. Berovo cheese is also a well-known commodity.
Monastery of the Holy Archangel Michael
The first monastery in Berovo was built between 1815 until it was consecrated in 1818. Enlightener Joachim Krcovski was among those present at the consecration. Historical data concerning the construction of the church and the monastery is inconclusive, but it is known that circumstances were very difficult.In the early 19th century Berovo was a rural settlement with around two hundred houses and one small church that had fallen into decay. The inhabitants at the time decided to have a new church built at the site known as Mogila
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
. The parish priest, Friar Peco, was assigned to obtain a building permit from the Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
authorities in Radoviš
Radoviš
Radoviš is a city positioned in the southeastern part of the Republic of Macedonia. It is the second largest city in the southeastern region. The city is the seat of Radoviš Municipality, which is spread on the bottom of Plačkovica Mountain and the northern part of the Radoviš-Strumica valley. The...
. The Turkish governor Vali gave a building permit but made sure to set conditions for construction of the church as difficult as possible. The church was to be built low, below the road level and not to be seen, construction was to end in forty days, and Fr Peco was to give his youngest daughter, Sultana, to the harem
Harem
Harem refers to the sphere of women in what is usually a polygynous household and their enclosed quarters which are forbidden to men...
. The people of the town prevailed and the church building was finished and covered with stone blocks, soot, and lime (so as not to be noticed) in 40 days. Seeing that the church had been completed, Vali immediately ordered the deaths of three church elders in front of the church, and since Sultana had fled to Kyustendil
Kyustendil
Kyustendil is a town in the far west of Bulgaria, the capital of Kyustendil Province, with a population of 44 416 . Kyustendil is situated in the southern part of the Kyustendil Valley, 90 km southwest of Sofia...
, Friar Peco was imprisoned for three years. When Sultana found out that Vali had been murdered by komitas, she promptly returned to Berovo.
Female monastery
The first female monastery, located at the exit from Berovo leading to the dam and the lake, was built in 1940 in a 19th century architectural opus, twenty years after the construction of the Monastery of the Holy Archangel Michael, and the first nuns were the daughter-in-law and the daughter of Friar Risto, a son-in-law of Friar Peco. They had their monastic tonsure (removal of the hair of the head) with a blessing from the Rila MonasteryRila Monastery
The Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila, better known as the Rila Monastery is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the southwestern Rila Mountains, south of the capital Sofia in the deep valley of the Rilska River at an elevation of above sea level...
's abbott. Eugenia I was the first abbess of the monastery, the second – Eugenia II, the third – Eugenia III, and the fourth abbess was Eulampia in 1958 by the first Archbishop of Ohrid
Ohrid
Ohrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid Municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has...
, Dositheus
Dositheus
Dositheos or Dositheus may refer to:*Dositheos , Gnostic*Dositheus Magister, Roman grammarian and jurist*Dositheus of Pelusium , Greek mathematician, probably Hebrew-born, active in Alexandria, best known for his correspondence with Archimedes*Dositheus of Gaza , Egyptian monk*Dositheos , i.e...
. At its peak, in the first half of the twentieth century, the monastery numbered up to sixty nuns, with a rich and developed economy, a theological seminary, a weaving mill, and the first single-phase hydro-power plant in this area was in the monastery.
The three gates of the church face the town, the river and the pine forest. A large porch dominates the monastery yard and in the dimness of its interior oil lamps lighten images of saints, painted in a characteristic style that is antonymic to Byzantine
Byzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
canons. Only one icon
Icon
An icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity and in certain Eastern Catholic churches...
, that of Noah
Noah
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
, painted by George Veljanov from Strumica
Strumica
Strumica is the largest city in eastern Macedonia, near the Novo Selo-Petrich border crossing with Bulgaria. About 100,000 people live in the region surrounding the city. The city is named after the Strumica River which runs through it...
in 1818. From 1897 to 1920 the painter Gavril Atanasov
Gavril Atanasov
Gavril Atanasov was a famous icon 19th century painter from the region of Macedonia. He painted mainly around Berovo . In many arts he has sign as "Gavril Atanasov-The Macedonian"....
also worked in the monastery. The icon of the Dormition of the Theotokos
Dormition of the Theotokos
The Dormition of the Theotokos is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches which commemorates the "falling asleep" or death of the Theotokos , and her bodily resurrection before being taken up into heaven. It is celebrated on August 15 The Dormition...
was painted by Gregory Pecanov from Strumica in 1878. The residential quarters are of a free-style construction. They attract with the warmth of the wood used, shaped in a 19th century old-urban style.
Four sisters who came from the Veljusa monastery live together with the last nun of the previous lineage. The sisterhood of the monastery is active in Byzantine style icon painting. The beginnings of the renewal of fresco painting in Macedonian monasteries was started by the sisterhood.
The Hesychastic (14th century Greek sect of Christianity) monastery typikon functions as a place of prayer, a holy hesychasterion. The upper floor of the church was recently turned into a small chapel dedicated to St. Gregory Palamas.