I have a collection of books from the monastery shops - so that I can have pictures of the magnificent frescoes (since no photos can be taken inside).
Here is an intro to the monastery, according to the guide book that I bought at the Bigorsky Monastery:
"The origin of the monastery is based upon the story about John, a monk from the Debar area, whom God, in His profound providence, mysteriously revealed the miracle-working icon of the Baptist. This icon simply floated in the air, above the spring of water, where, today, there are three fountains under the church, and nobody seemed to know where it came from. Thus, the icon became the reason for the construction of the monastery, because the very spot the icon was found, became the grounds for the first church in 1020. In a very short period of time, the monastery developed into a big and significant spiritual and cultural center in the area, and was the home of many ascetic, who were in search for such a peaceful lace for prayer. Unfortunately, with the arrival of the Ottomans in the XVI century, this sanctuary had been devastated to the ground for several times, but by God's grace, the miraculous icon was spared, disappearing mysteriously and reappearing in the monastery again, in the time of abbot Hilarion, when monastic life was restored around two newly-built small churches. When later these two churches have also been destroyed, their foundations became the basis for the construction of the present monastery church, which dates back to the end of the XVIII century."
For more spectacular pictures, see the website: http://bigorski.org.mk/
and the facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bigorski.manastir
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| lighting a candle for the speedy recovery for Nannie's hip |
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| the baldachin at the entrance to the monastery |
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| the main church - Catholicon |
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