Zrze
Monastery is located on 1000 meters above sea level at the foot of the
mountain massif Dautica, near the village Zrze, approx. 25km north-west
of Prilep , Republic of Macedonia.
The
Zrze Monastery was built sometime in the 14th century by the monk named German,
during the reign of Tsar Dusan. But, the rocks beneath the today’s monastery
were first populated by monks in the IX century. Also, numerous remnants of the
ancient period-pillars, basilica remains, and other exponents speak of the rich
cultural tradition of this area.
Traditionally
the monks lived in carved out stone hollows, from the mountain side cliffs.
This is believed to date back to the 3rd and 4th century.
The
monastery complex consists of the church dedicated to the Holy Transfiguration,
church St. Peter and Paul (built later in XVII century). The church has been
renovated several times, and the painting is preserved only in fragments. In
the 14th century, the church walls were painted with painting of extraordinary
artistic value.
Between
XIV and XV century, were created the two most famous icons from the monastery:
The icon of Christ the Savior and “Zhiznodavec” 1394 made by the Metropolitan
John and the miraculous icon of the Holy Mary Pelagonitisa 1422, made by
the monk Makarios. Characteristic
of these icons is that their position is the reverse of the position of the icons
of Jesus and Mary in other Christian churches and monasteries. In this
monastery the icon of the Virgin is right, and the icon of Jesus is on the
left. According to the legend, these icons were placed by the monks according
to the canons of Orthodox religion, but the icons overnight changed the place
by themselves. This was done for three times in a row. The third time the abbot
asked the icons why they change their place, and the lips of Mary moved and she
said: “ I do not want to turn my back on my son, that’s why we change our
place".
During
its history, the Church was not spared from Turkish looting and desolation. As
a result of that a significant portion of church property disappeared forever. However, it was not lost. The monastery in
Zrze, as if it was born under a happy star, managed to resist all those devastating
spirits that followed through the centuries of its existence.
Today,
Zrze Monastery is a fully functioning monastery, under the administration of
the Macedonian Orthodox Church.
In the Monastery
courtyard there is a big old tree, which makes a huge shade so that visitors
can rest and enjoy the beautiful view from the monastery.
If you are planning
to visit Republic of Macedonia, we suggest you to visit the Monastery in Zrze.
The
road from Prilep to Zrze, leads through villages Ropotovo, Pestalevo, Sekirci
and village Kostinci which with village Zrze is connected with road 5 km long.