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Following
the creative architectural work in Macedonia, a continuity of intensive
production was marked by socio-political, economic, and cultural
conditions.
In the course of the settlement in Macedonia territory,
during the sixth and part of the seventh century, architectural work in
comparison with the previous, later ancient period decrease, was influenced
by their preparation for new conditions of living in a milieu with a rather
developed artistic tradition.
In the course of the second half of the ninth century
(after the conversion into Christianity), architectural activity began
in earnest particularly during the time of Bishop's Kliment and Naum, the
pupils of Kiril and Metodij, as well as during Samuel. The main centres
were in the region of Lake Ohrid and Prespa.
 Kliment built the monastery of St. Pantelemon in Ohrid
(893) in the shape of a trikonchos, and its ruins were discovered in the
foundations of the Imaret mosque. Several years later, Naum erected the
church of St.Arangel, on the left bank of lake Ohrid. Also in trikonchos
shape and its foundation have been excavated under the present - day church
of St. Naum.
St. Arangel's church dates from the Samuel's period (about
980) built on the island of the same name in Mala Prespa (Small Prespa),
as well as the church of St. Sofia, renovated in the time of Archbishop
Lean (1037-56). Its shape is the oriental three-nave basilica with "transept"
complemented with two storeys "exnartex" (1313/14). The present shape dates
from the Turkish period, when it was transformed into a mosque. Several
churches were erected in that time such as St. Leontie in Vodori (the western
church), and the Virgin Mary of Eleusa in Veljusi. Mentioned for the first
time in 1085, both churches in the Strumica region as well as the church
in Drenova near Kavadarci.
Sacred architecture from the period was based on the
Byzantine conceptions reflected from direct sources of Byzantine art, the
oriented influence and so on. New ideas and works are also presented, thanks
to the participation of domestic builders so that this architecture bears
its own markings and specific features.
After the decay of Samuel's empire, the country was faced
with some changes, not of a political but artistic nature, which guided
architecture mostly to pure Byzantine forms. Therefore, during the Byzantine
region in Macedonia, several building's of different shapes were constructed.
Among them, the most important church is St. Pantelemon in the village
of Manastir in Markovo (1095), the one-nave church of St. Gorgi in the
village of Kurbinovo at Prespa (1191), the church of St. Nikola in Selo
Varos - Prilep (1299) as well as the monastery of Treskavec near Prilep.
At the end of the thirteenth century the church of the Mary Virgin was
constructed in Ohrid 1295 (now known as St. Kliment), built in the shape
of the cross with one cupola and decorative facade for stone and brick.
This was one of the shapes of buildings of that period.
 In the fourteenth century, Macedonia was annexed by Serbia
and numerous churches were renovated and built, mostly in the shape with
a central cupola placed on a high tambour. They are the following ones:
St. Nikita (1307), Ljuboten (1337), both are in Skopska Crna Gora, Lesnovo
(1341) Psaca (1358), Zaua (1361) on the eastern bank of Lake Ohrid, then
Marko's monastery in the outskirts of Skopje and others. Besides the above
mentioned, particularly impressive are the five cupola churches such as
St. Gorgi in Staro Nagoricani, completed in 1313 and the church of the
monastery of Matejce, both close to Kumanovo. The harmonious shapes of
trikonchos churches of St. Andrej at Treska near Skopje (1389), and the
monastery church of Arangel in Skopska Crna Gora are also emphasized. Several
simple one-nave churches were constructed in that period: St. Nikola Bolicki
in Ohrid, St. Dimitrija in Veles, as well as some cave churches in the
rocks of Lake Ohrid and Prespa. The architecture of these buildings in
that period is characterised by a grater stylish link. Particular attention
was paid to their exterior decoration, namely picturesque faced with ceramic
ornaments.
After the fall of Macedonia under Turkish rule, and with
the change of political and social conditions, one can discern the decrease
in sacred buildings.
It was reduced to the construction of small one-nave
churches with broken stone, covered with semi-cylindrical vaults of modest
exterior appearance. The other forms of building were rarely to be found.
The architecture of defence in medieval Macedonia was
pretty well developed, and its surviving fragments found and kept up today.
Fortified towns were built in in - accessible places, circled by strong
walls, strengthened by towers for the rulers of noblemen such as the following
fortresses: Kale in Skopje, the tower in Ohrid. Strezov grad in Demir Kapija,
Markovi Kuli near Prilep, Carevi Kuli in Strumica, and Hisar in Stip.
During the Osmanli rule in Macedonia, different buildings
for sacred and lay purposes were constructed. The following were used by
the conqueror's: the mosques, "tekija", turbehs, mausoleums, medresa (the
Moslem secondary school) inns, "bezisten" (market place), bridge, acquaducts,
foundations beg's houses, and clock towers.
The style of this architecture is of particular character.
Every building is of the characteristic from and their
expression is peculiar to Muslim architecture of the Osmanli school, which
reached its peak during the fifteenth and sixteenth century in Macedonia.
Life mostly continued in urban agglomerations of Oriental style, full of
high minarets and mosques.
Mostly mosques square foundations and porch covered with
a cupola or wooden roof construction were built by then the Ishak-begova
mosque, called "Aldza" namely. The most significant architectural monuments
of this type are in Skopje. The mosque of Sultan Murat II, the so called
"Hunkar Dzamija" (mosque), built in 1345, later renovated, by the Turkish
rulers. These were the sacred Muslim buildings. " Sarena Dzamija " (coloured
mosque) 1438, the Gazi Isa-Begova mosque (1475), the Mustafa pasina mosque
(1492), the Jaja-Dzamija (1558) as well as the Ajdar-Kadi mosque, renovated
in 1785, with different coloured and painted ornaments in the interior
and all over the facade.
The Arabati baba take in Tetovo is "tekija" (the dervish
monastery) a whole urban complex of different buildings, dedicated to prayers,
daily life and the reception of dervishes who belonged to the " Bektash
" order. The turbehs (mausoleums) were built in towns usually well located
and in the yards of mosques. We shall only mention the surviving ones,
the turbeh in the yard of Aladza mosque, in the yard of Mustafa pasina
mosque in Skopje and the turbeh in Bitola.
 The lay architecture was well developed and diverse as
to its function. The buildings are characterised by purely functional arrangements
and internal space, the construction and external appearance according
to aesthetic conceptions. On the subject of the inns (han), the best known
are in Skopje, the Kursumli han, mentioned in 1550, the Suli han and Kaka
han, both re - constructed after the earthquake in 1963. Hamams (Turkish
baths) were built in most Macedonian towns divided into two sections, for
men and women, called the Cifte hamams. Today we find in Skopje the Daut
pasin hamam (1484), the Cifte hamam in Bitola and Deboj hamam in Struga,
as well as others in Ohrid, Tetovo and elsewhere.
The preserved "bezisten" (market place) in Stip was transformed
into a gallery. There is one in Bitola (nineteenth century) while there
existed the so called "dukani" (shops), with craftsmen workshop. Usually
the "carsija" (downtown) was organised around them.
A special attraction were the clock towers in the towns
preserved in Skopje, Bitola, Strumica and in other places.
 Important monuments
of that architecture are the acquaduct in Skopje, the bridge in Kratovo
and the Kameni most in Skopje. At the end of the eighteenth and particularly
in the nineteenth century, newly created economic and cultural conditions,
when the economic position of the Macedonian people had been strengthened,
with intensive construction in towns and villages were carried out and
then the residential house reached its climax. The residential houses were
very functional, adapted to the configuration of the terrain and narrow
building sites. It is usually asymmetrical (the Christial house), but there
were houses with symmetrical foundations, ground floor and first floor
(the Muslim house).
From a functional point of view, the Christian house
is clearly divided into the following sections: utilities for day use,
bedrooms and reception rooms, adapted to climatic conditions. Winter and
summer apartments existed. Space was very rationally used, the standard
built-in furniture made the house more intimate and attented to all the
needs of the resident. Both the Muslim and Christian houses were based
on the same constructional ideas. The old "bondruk" construction was applied,
which gave suitable expression to the forming of the facade. A characteristic
architecture founded with "erkeri", the forwarded eaves, and the wooden
shelter (inns).
The most beautiful examples of that architecture, are
the separated urban entities that have been preserved in old parts of Macedonian
towns like Ohrid, Krusevo, Veles, Tetovo, Debar and Kratovo. The peasant's
residential houses in the mountain villages of the Rekane region are also
very impressive, both in their functional arrangements and exterior appearance.
Galicnik, Jance, Bitusa, Lazaropole and Gari are the places where people
used natural building materials in order to compose it into that milieu.
The preserved agglomerations of these villages are well planned as to space,
in harmony with terrain and scenery, forming a unique whole with an exceptional
view.
Old Macedonian Houses (Pictures)
Numerous churches and monastery's were constructed and
restored in towns and villages in the nineteenth century. We are usually
faced with three-nave basilicas of large dimensions, made of stone with
wooden roofs. From the architectural point of view, they are based on domestic
traditions and Romanticism, creating a specific architectural synthesis
(the church of St. Dimitrija the Mother of Jesus in Stipsko Novo Selo,
dating from 1850 and St. Pandelemon in Veles from 1840).
 The monastery complexes with dormitories for the monks
and rooms for believers to rest in, with a church in the middle, attained
their final appearance. The following monastery's are very well known:
the monastery of St. Jon Bigorski, known for its iconostasis carved in
wood, St. Arangel in Varos near Prilep, Marko's monastery near Skopje,
the monastery of St. Joakim Osogovski near Kriva Palanka, St. Naum on the
left bank of Lake Ohrid and others.
Other public buildings were constructed in the nineteenth
century. Some of them were dedicated to the Turkish administration, reflecting
the forms of European classicism. There is a whole series of industrial
buildings located in the "carsija", where we find in the mixture of tradition
and contemporary architectonic movements. The rich architectural creative
work which can be followed at the end of the eighteenth and during the
nineteenth century is the work of domestic master-builders, particularly
those from the well known Debar school.
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