Monastery of Saint Nikola Šishevski – Macedonian Orthodox Christian medieval monastery near the village of Šishevo, high above the rocks in the Matka canyon on the right side of the Treska river.
The monastery of St. Nikola Šishevski is located high on a flat terrace on the rocks, above the right bank above the artificial lake Matka above the Treska river. The terrain is inaccessible to motor vehicles and mountain bikes and is only accessible on foot from three directions: from the bridge on the Treska River near the kayaking grounds near the monastery of the Holy Virgin in Dolna Matka (half an hour’s walk); from the village of Šishevo (1 hour); as well as from the top of Vodno mountain (2 hours and 30 minutes). It is 18 kilometers from the city of Skopje, and about 3 kilometers from the village of Šishevo. From opposite the monastery, down by the lake, there is a beautiful view of the famous church of St. Andrew’s Monastery.
The exact date of the construction of the monastery church dedicated to Saint Nicholas is unknown. However, there is information that the church was built or restored in 1345 by Pope Nenad and other founders. In a copy of the monastery Pomenik, it is mentioned that King Marko helped in the construction and painting of the older church, so that the foundation can be attributed to him. Considering this fact, as well as the fact that the founder of the nearby church opposite, dedicated to Saint Andrew, was the brother of King Marko, Andrias, it can be concluded that this monastery dates back to the second half of the 14th century. It is not known exactly who the founder of the new church was, and it is assumed that Metropolitan Simeon of Skopje made a personal commitment.
In the middle of the 15th century, it is mentioned that there was only one monk in the monastery church. Until the end of the 15th century and throughout the 14th century, there is no information about the life of the monastery. Somewhere in the first half of the 17th century, a vestibule in the form of a narrowed inscribed cross with a dome supported on consoles was added to the west side of the church.
From the later history of the monastery, the Macedonian educator Jordan Haji Konstantinov – the Giant, in one of his articles in “Carigradski Vesnik” (from November 20, 1854), noted that in 1844, the Arnauts destroyed and burned (turned them into ashes) all the buildings (objects). , except for the monastery church.
Source: Wikipedia
Tour
We start the tour near the church of St. Bogorodica – Matka near the pedestrian bridge on the Treska River. Due to the popularity of Matka Canyon, we recommend that you leave early as parking spaces are limited in the afternoon.
The path splits at the beginning: left towards the Cross (only for experienced climbers) and right towards St. Nikola Šishevski. The path immediately enters a low-stemmed forest and 2/3 of it is in the shade. We move along the Tresca river and briefly climb a gentle hill towards the monastery. After passing 2 km, we arrive at the crossroad where the path leading from Vodno – Krstovar joins. As we move along the ridge, from the opposite side there are wonderful views of Osoj Mountain and the Church of St. Nedela. From the crossroad to the monastery, we pass another 0.5 km. The monastery is a wonderful place to enjoy nature – in several places there are arranged benches and tables with a beautiful view to the opposite part of Osoj Mountain and St. Nedela.
On the way back, we head along another path that leads directly to the church of St. Andreja – the center of Matka canyon but from the opposite side. The path has a total length of 0.5 km, but is quite steep with a slippery surface of small and large stones. We arrive at the opposite bank and here is the bell (iron hammer and iron board) which serves to call a boat for transport to the opposite side (50 MKD per person). For us, this is the most beautiful circular tour of Matka Canyon – the route is easily manageable for all ages, outside the usual crowds and offers unforgettable impressions of the untouched nature of Matka and the surrounding mountains.
Mountain trails nearby:
Bike trails nearby:
