Treskavec Monastery

Top choice in North Macedonia


The 13th-century Treskavec Monastery rises from Mt Zlato (1422m), a bare massif replete with imposing twisted rock formations. One doesn't know which is more impressive – the bare granite boulder mountainside or the half-ruined monastery. Vivid frescoes, including a rare depiction of Christ as a boy, line the 14th-century Church of Sveta Bogorodica, built over a 6th-century basilica. Restoration work is slowly progressing, following a fire that ravaged much of the structure.

Earlier Roman remains are inside, along with graves, inscriptions and monks' skulls. The monastery is not always manned, so you may find yourself completely alone atop the hill. At such times, an echo of Indiana Jones can accompany a wander through the site as the sense of abandonment, silence save for the wind, and birds flapping through dusty eaves make it a very eerie place to explore.

Treskavec is 10km above Prilep and there's no public transport, so driving or hiking are the only options. A pristine asphalt road zips you up to the monastery along a steep and winding route that must have been a real test of faith a few centuries back. Start from Prilep's cemetery and turn uphill at the sign marked 'Manastir Sveta Bogorodica, Treskavec'. It takes about 10 minutes to drive up from there.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby North Macedonia attractions

1. Burial Mound of the Unbeaten

4.87 MILES

This magnificent monument to Prilep's Partisan soldiers who died in WWII is the 1961 work of one of the former Yugoslavia's most brilliant architects,…

2. Zrze Monastery

13.03 MILES

Some 26km northwest of Prilep, towards Makedonski Brod, the 14th-century Zrze Monastery of the Holy Transfiguration rises like a revelation from a…

3. Ilinden Uprising Monument

15.17 MILES

This 1974 monument, commemorating the Ilinden Uprising from 1903, is a marvel of Yugoslav architecture and a fantastic example of abstract historic…

4. Lake Tikveš

21.5 MILES

Created in 1968 by damming the Crna River, Lake Tikveš is surrounded by scrubland and stark cliffs, dotted with medieval hermitage frescoes and circled by…

5. Stobi

24.04 MILES

Although the location was discovered in 1861, it wasn't until Germans unearthed the first remnants of the Roman city of Stobi while digging trenches in…

6. Kavadarci Museum

25.04 MILES

Has displays on local ethnological history, as well as wine-making equipment and drinking vessels from the 19th century. The museum is well-kept, but the…

7. Stara Čaršija

27.69 MILES

Bitola's Stara Čaršija boasted about 3000 clustered artisans' shops in Ottoman times; today, only about 70 different trades are conducted, but it's still…

8. Yeni Mosque & Clock Tower

27.85 MILES

Bitola's 16th-century Yeni Mosque and 17th-century stone clock tower sit at the top of Širok Sokak, Bitola's main pedestrianised thoroughfare, before the…