St. Nicholas Šiševski Monastery
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| St. Nicholas Šiševski Monastery | |
|---|---|
 View of St. Nicholas Šiševski Monastery from the cliffs above Lake Matka | |
 | |
| 41°57′0″N 21°18′0″E / 41.95000°N 21.30000°E | |
| Location | Šiševo |
| Country | Macedonia |
| History | |
| Founded | 1345 (14th century) |
| Founder(s) | Prince Marko (presumably) |
| Dedication | Saint Nicholas |
| Administration | |
| District | Municipality of Saraj |
| Diocese | Skopje |
St. Nicholas Šiševski Monastery is a Macedonian Orthodox Christian medieval monastery located near the village of Šiševo, high above the cliffs overlooking the canyon of the Treska River in North Macedonia.[1]
St. Nicholas Šiševski Monastery is located at about 480 m above sea level high on a terraced slope of mount Vodno, 160 m above the right bank of the artificial lake Matka on the Treska River. The terrain is inaccessible to motor vehicles and mountain bikes and can only be reached on foot from three directions: from the bridge over the Treska River near the kayaking area close to the Matka Monastery in Dolna Matka (a half-hour walk); from the village of Šiševo (1 hour); and from the summit of Mount Vodno (2 hours and 30 minutes). It is located 18 km away from the city of Skopje, and approximately 3 km from the village of Šiševo. On the opposite side of the monastery, below the lake, there is a splendid view of the famous church, St. Andrew's Monastery.[1]
History
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The exact date of the construction of the monastery church, dedicated to St. Nicholas, is unknown. However, there is information that the church was built or renovated in 1345 by the priest Nenad and other benefactors.[2] A transcript of a monastery document mentions that King Marko assisted in the construction and painting of the older church, so he can be credited as a benefactor.[3] Considering this information, as well as the fact that the benefactor of the nearby church across the lake, dedicated to St. Andrew, was Marko's brother, Andrijaš, it can be concluded that this monastery dates back to the second half of the 14th century. The exact identity of the benefactor of the new church is not known, but it is assumed that Skopje's Metropolitan Simeon personally contributed to its construction.[3]
By the mid-15th century, it is mentioned that there was only one monk in the monastery church.[2] Until the end of the 15th century and throughout the entire 14th century, there are no records of the monastery's life. Sometime in the first half of the 17th century, a narthex was added to the western side of the church in the form of a narrow inscribed cross with a dome supported by consoles.[2]
From the later history of the monastery, the Macedonian enlightener Yordan Hadzhikonstantinov-Dzhinot, in one of his writings in the "Tsarigradski Vesnik" (dated November 20, 1854), noted that in 1844 the Albanians destroyed and burned all the buildings except the monastery church.[4]
