In the further adventures of Matka Canyon, we shall explore another beautiful part of this country.
This route takes us from Sv. Bogorodica, near the blue bridge on the Treska river, to Sv. Spas, then Sv. Nedela and finally, as an option, Sv. Andrea.
This was a trial run of the route as the first part of the trail is not well defined, as it turned out the route I took can be improved on, so I will post a correct one later, after a secondary and well planned trek there. But if you follow the red marks as I and undoubtedly most people do, you will end up off course and with no more marks to follow. I did meet a young dude who was herding cows, but the route he suggested to me went through "Gorna Matka" village (upper Matka), and of course this route does take you eventually to Sv. Spas, but on a large dirt road that, in my humble opinion, is not interesting nor particularly scenic. More fun is to be had going through the hills, which is what I did, and I got to Sv. Spas about an hour later.
The beginning of the trail starts near the monastery of Sv. Bogorodica (Holy Mother of God), altitude 305m, on the left bank of the River Treska. There is an inscription above the entrance, dated 1497, and we learn of one Milica who, finding the church roofless, recovered it, frescoed it, erected a portico and bought a vineyard for the monastery.
The dudes in those days had their priorities right.
The church has the form of a narrow inscribed cross. The frescoes date from the end of the fifteenth century and have all the characteristics of painting during the Turkish period and represent a considerable falling off in comparison with Sv. Andrea. In the floor level zone of the west wall are portraits of the patrons Milica and Nikola. Some repairs were carried out at the end of the nineteenth century.
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| The road to Sv. Bogorodica. Notice the blue bridge on the left. |
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| Follow the signs |
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| Sv. Bogorodica |
From this point, you are supposed to follow the red marks. Which I did. Good boy. But as mentioned previously, after a while you lose sight of these marks, so I improvised. The idea is to get to Sv. Spas, and this should take about an hour or so.
This little church is located on very scenic vantage point, the view is fantastic to say the least, and the surroundings are pretty and peaceful. There are tables and shade, trees and water, and just before you get there, you will see some large limestone blocks of an ancient fortress, which was populated into Ottoman times. It was then part of Markov Grad (Marko's city) and history has it that it was a hideout for Macedonian revolutionaries , until the Ottomans found out and destroyed it.
But there is another, more romantic version to the end .
An Ottoman bey fell in love with the beautiful Bojana of Marko's city, but when she refused his overtures, the bey decided to take her against her will. However, Bojana fought back, and the inhabitants of the fortress defended her by killing almost a hundred Turk soldiers.
It was then that Bojana realized her fate was sealed and threw herself to her death off the steep cliffs down into the river Treska below.
The soldiers took their revenge by razing the fortress to the ground, and the only building still left partially standing is Sv. Nedela, with it's ruined archway and stone walls.
Don't know about you, but I prefer this ending.
The monastery dates back to the 14th century, and was built on the ruins of an earlier church. It is small, but it and the site is well maintained. It was renovated in 1968, and currently some more renovation is in process. Altitude 640m.
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| Sv. Spas |
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| Sv. Spas |
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| Part of the site |
Great place to relax and breath some fresh air, but trust me, the best is yet to come !
From here, you can see your next destination on the other side of the canyon , Sv. Nedela ( 750m), and when you look at it, you start thinking how on earth am I going to get my righteous butt up there! it seems almost unattainable, perched high up on vertical cliffs like that.
It makes you wonder how they built fortifications and the monastery there over 500 years ago.
Remarkable.
Probably the vineyard at Sv. Bogorodica helped a bit.
Well, the Egyptians had beer, and the Macedonians wine. Respect.
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| Sv. Nedela, you can notice the hut |
Fortunately, the trail to Sv. Nedela is self explanatory, there is just one possible route and you can't miss it. But when you take it, you have no idea how you are going to get to the monastery, but you do eventually, it takes roughly 30 minutes. As you can see, when I did it, everything was covered with snow, which makes things slightly more complicated (I LOVE challenges) but at the same time magical.
Imagine taking a trail with pristine snow, no one has been on this trek, you are the first...makes you feel like a polar explorer!
I must emphasize the fact that this trail can be difficult at some points, you have to be careful, and it is possible that people who suffer from vertigo may wish to refrain from taking this trail, especially as things get a bit more complicated and hairy at the monastery. I always advocate safety first, so it is up to each individual to decide if this trail is for them or not.
A reminder; Matka rescue team; 071 261 013
Along the trail are a couple of benches and a spring. In the summer, it must be wonderful to chill out there.
Then the trail starts going up and you end up at the beginning of the monastery.
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| Just after entering the fortification |
You have to climb a bit to enter the site, you pass some remnants of an old fortification (Marko's city) and then you can start exploring, you have the archway in front of you, behind it is what remains of the monastery. There is no roof, just some walls, but you can still burn some candles and get mystical if you so wish, and looking hard enough, some old frescoes are still visible.
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| The interior of Sv. Nedela |
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| Ruins next to the monastery |
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| ruins |
The site was very well chosen, as there is only one way to get there, water nearby and the best view possible.
A few meters below is a modern hut, this is where I wanted to have my lunch, but on that day, the wind and the cold forced me to more clement surroundings.
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| Recent hut |
I do not know why, but the sign at the entrance of the hut is translated in French.
I presume it was built with the help of French (speaking) Volunteers. Sacré bleu!
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| View towards Skopje |
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View of the snow covered mountains |
In such a beautiful place, it is not difficult to find a nice spot (with a view of course) to have lunch, so I found one and proceeded to cook myself some Korean ramen and some Macedonian smoked sausage with onions, accompanied by some delicious Mastika from Strumica (www.grozd.mk). Wine would of been nice, but I find that frozen, it is not palatable.
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| In front, you can see Sv. Nikola |
Since all good things must come to an end, I washed the dishes and then had to decide how I was going to go back down. I had two options, go back the same way I came, or try the trail that goes down to Sv. Andrea (alt. 340m).
Now, this trail is very steep. I would not recommend it for most people, but as mentioned previously, everyone should know their limitations and, If you are not sure, don't take it, better to be safe than sorry.
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| The sign points out the beginning of the trail. |
I studied the topography and explored the area.
After some serious cogitation, I went hardcore and decided to give it a try, I could always turn back.
It is indeed very steep, and probably easier to go up than down. But if you decide to go up this trail, you better be fit because it sure ain't easy. Also, it should be avoided in case of muddy conditions, as it would be dangerous and too difficult to do.
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| The way down to Sv. Andrea. Hardcore vertical |
I started trekking down, looking for signs of a trail, but nothing, no red markings either. So, I just used my experience to figure out the route and after a while, I found it and just followed it and the markings down until I eventually arrived at the Matka climber's club site, next to the Treska lake (www.matkaclimbing.org)
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| some directions at the bottom of the trail |
It was one hell of a trek down, the muscles in my legs were hot, but it was a rip!
Fell on my ass a couple of times, even tore a whole in my pants, but hey, that's what I call fun LOL.
Sv. Andrea was erected in 1389 by Andrea, the son of King Vukasin, and brother of King Marko. In the 16th century, a narthex was added to the church. The frescoes in this monastery are different from the traditional styles of the middle ages where the figures are more realistically painted. The majority were created by Jovan the Metropolitan (very groovy name). Considering it's age, it is in great shape.
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| Sv. Andrea |
Of course, there was another factor in my decision to take this trail down to the monastery.
It is adjacent to the Canyon Matka restaurant (www.canyonmatka.mk) where a poor, tired and cold hiker (such as myself) can find a nice table and song.
And a little something to warm my spirits up.
So after a little something (some fine wine of course, maybe from the old vineyard at Sv. Bogorodica), it was time to start moving again.
The walk along the lake is absolutely magical at night, it is well illuminated and just 20 minutes to the bus stop.
And then civilization.
I will post a GPS map of this route soon, I just have to go back there and trace out a new route to Sv. Spas, weather permitting.
It is a fantastic hike, I had a really great time. Felt like I was in the middle of the Himalayas.
But Matka has a way of doing that to you.
