Churches on the Pelagonia side of NP Pelister

On the Pelagonija side of Baba Planina and NP Pelister, in the villages Trnovo and Magarevo there are three important church monuments: at the entrance of the village Trnovo is the temple dedicated to the Most Holy Mother of God, in the center of the village Magarevo are: the church St. Martyr Dimitrij and the Church of St. George, which was once a convent.

In the center of Magarevo is the church St. Martyr Demetriusdating from 1834. World War I left much demages to the church. Part of his iconostasis was transferred to the Church Holy Mother of God in Bitola. The holiday of the Church is 8 November, the day of the Great Martyr Demetrius, which Orthodox Christians consider a miracle worker. In the village of Magarevo there is another church of historical significance, it is the Church of St. George, which once was woman monastery. The church is a single-nave building with a semicircular apse on the east and a bell tower on the west. It was built in 1871.

In the village of Rotino there are two churches: the Church of St. Nicholas in Rotino was built in 1870. It was rebuilt and re-dedicated after the First World War. The church holiday is December 19. The monastery church of St. Elijah near the village of Rotino is a newer building which, according to locals, was built on an older monastery. In the village of Rotino at 1,070 m. altitude in the bosom of Pelister is the monastery St. Elijah which is reached through a way that passes through an oak forest. The church and the monastery chambers are united in one whole. The monastery is located on the outskirts, on the south side of the Rotino Village, about 200 meters from the last house. The dense beech forest on Baba Mountain form beautiful picnic area next to the Monastery and Lake Rotino. It’s are the main reasons why this monastery is one of the favorite tourist destinations for the people of Bitola.

Monastery of St. Petka – Capari Village

The monastery complex of St. Petka in Capari Village is located in the dense beech forest of Baba Planina. According to written sources, it is believed that there was a monastery in this place in the 16th century, which was rebuilt in the early 18th century. Today’s monastery church, according to the inscription above the western entrance of the church, was built in 1849.

The church has the shape of a small three-aisled basilica and is painted by unknown masters. The monastery is reached by a narrow asphalt road about 1 km from the village of Capari.  According to the church board, all well-wishers can spend the night in the lodgings of the monastery. The holiday of Church is 8 August.