Church of Saint Demetrius, Bitola

The church and its bell tower

The Church of Saint Demetrius (Macedonian: Црква „Св. Димитриј“) is the main Macedonian Orthodox church of Bitola, North Macedonia,[1] part of the Prespa-Pelagonia Diocese.[2] It was built in 1830 and its most remarkable feature is considered to be its wood-carved iconostasis. The church bell tower was built in 1936.[3] Saint Demetrius is listed as an Object of Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture.[4][5]

The iconostasis includes icons from 1842, done by Mihail Aganost and his son Nikolai Mihailov.[6] Icons depicting Jesus Christ, the Introduction of the Virgin, the Baptism of Christ, the Entering into Jerusalem, the Crucifixion, Pentecost, and the Denial of Thomas, dated around 1730 and painted by David Selenica are today housed in the Museum of Macedonia in Skopje.[7]

  1. ^ "Битолско намесништво". Prespa-Pelagonia Diocese. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Соборен храм Св. Димитриј". Prespa-Pelagonia Diocese. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Цркви". Visit Pelagonia. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013.
  4. ^ "Национален регистар на објекти кои се заштитно културно наследство". Ministry of Culture. 2012. p. 1.
  5. ^ Nebojša Tomašević (1983). Treasures of Yugoslavia: An Encyclopedic Touring Guide. p. 536.
  6. ^ Николоски, Дарко (5 June 2012). "Прилог кон делото на зографот Никола Михаилов" (PDF). Ниш и Византија XI: зборник радова; Симпозиум „Ниш и Византија XI“, Ниш. p. 355. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  7. ^ Δρακοπούλου, Ευγενία (2010). Έλληνες ζωγράφοι μετά την Άλωση (1450–1850), τόμος 3, Αβέρκιος – Ιωσήφ (Συμπληρώσεις-Διορθώσεις) (in Greek). Αθήνα: Ινστιτούτο Νεοελληνικών Ερευνών / Εθνικό Ίδρυμα Ερευνών. p. 229. ISBN 978-960-7916-94-5. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2023.