St. Panteleimon Christian Temple Near Skoplje - Hellenic Art

[Vasco]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r54H4mHsyE " title="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r54H4mHsyE" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r54H4mHsyE

The Christian temple of St. Panteleimon in Nerezi, on the outskirts of Skoplje, was constructed in 1164 as a foundation of Alexius Angelus Comnenus, a son of Constantine Angelos and Theodora Comnenus, a daughter of Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Comnenus.

The temple has a domed cruciform core, three apses and a rectangular narthex. It is built of irregular stone blocks and brick embedded in thick layers of mortar. The surrounding monastery complex is enclosed by walls.
The temple contains the famous fresco "Lamentation of Christ".

[kostas68]

Very interesting,Wasilj.Why the Scopian ministry of culture doesn't conserve the frescoes?Perhaps the Greek inscriptions bother them?As for the irregular stone blocks and bricks of whom the church is built,it's very typicall in the Byzantine churches:


Byzantine Church of St.Nikolaus,Serres
http://www.myserres.gr/tourism/s-13.jpg

Byzantine Church of St.Nikolaus,Eleonas,Serres
http://www.serrelib.gr/serres/odigos/26.jpg

Byzantine church in Norhern Epirus
http://www.epirus.com/ibe/photo/pict13l.jpg

Byzantine church in Athens,near the ancient agora
http://www.acrobase.org/xenios/images/dsc01231.jpg

Byxantine church of St.Nikolaus in Patra
http://www.infocenterpatras.gr/images/ag_nikolas.jpg

[Vasco]

Regarding the official authorities, they are massively promoting the temple as one of the most important cultural monuments in FYROM and it is part of every guide for tourists. However it is typologicaly classified as "Late Medieval Macedonian" ("Docnosrednovekoven makedonski") object, not Byzantine or Greek. I am not aware of the issue of conservation and restoration, but there are perhaps some legal and practical issues with regard to property right over the temple: does it belongs to the local Church or to the Ministry for culture?It is difficult to state clearly who has the right to start reconstructing the object.

[kostas68]

Originally Posted by Wasilj

.However it is typologicaly classified as "Late Medieval Macedonian" ("Docnosrednovekoven makedonski") object, not Byzantine or Greek.

Well,i'm not surprised of this.I didn't expect they would ever accept that the church belongs to the Byzantine/Greek cultural sphere of influence.That's why they left the frescoes to sustain such damages,the Greek inscriptions don't fit in the <Macedonistic> doctrine.How could they excuse the existence of Greek inscriptions in a < Docnosrednovekoven makedonski> church?It's funy how they accuse Greece for her attempt to <erase everything Macedonian> from Greek Macedonia whereas they are they ones who are trying to wipe out every Greek trace from their churches,old buildings e.t.c.