Lesnovski Manastir, Macedonia

To my horror, i realized that it's been a shamefully long time since I had posted a Macedonian card here....shame shame shame shame on me!!!

So to fix that mistake, i picked this card that Dani sent me a few months ago, showing the Monastery of St. Gavrilo Lesnovski, located in the vicinity of the city of Probištip (in the eastern part of Macedonia)

And this is one of the place that I had the chance to visit something like two years ago, and absolutely loved it!!
Not only the monastery, but its surroundings are amazing! As you go up the road, there is this space with rocks, it even reminds you of an observatory coz of the way the rocks and stones are set. Anyways, we stopped there and I think I could have stayed there like forever....just sitting on the rock, enjoying the wind and the sun, and the endless view in front of me (the altitude is rather high, so you feel like you hold the world at your hands...really really beautiful and just so tranquil!)
The origin of the monastery is related to the life of Gavril Lesnovski, for whom a number of hagiographies exist according to which the monastery had existed when he lived, where he became a monk. The monastery is first mentioned in some writings from 1330, and reconstructed later by by the ruler Oliver 1st. Some of these things this monastery is famous for are for housing one out of three iconostases made by the famous Macedonian woodcarvers Frckovski and the Filipovski brothers. (The other two are found in the church of St Spas in Skopje and in the monastery St Jovan Bigorski in the Mavrovo National Park - I think ive sent to some of you postcards of the latter - if not and youd like one, let me know). The other thing it is famous for its manuscript-writing school and also for being considered as the centre of the Christianity in this part of the country. Apart from the monastery, if you ever come here, i strongly recommend visiting its surroundings, including the Cave church, the millstone caves and the eco-paths. Im SURE you're gonna love it!!!  Not to mention what the fresh air is gonna do to you :)

Dani used a definitive stamp from a set of 12 issued in 2010 showing cities in Macedonia, and this one shows the city of Probištip indeed...how convenient!! I have another card Dani sent me, showing the city itself, but ill show it to you some other time!

xie xie Dani!!