The first stop of our trip was just after we passed the Macedonian border - Monastery “St. Joachim of Osogovo”.
We stopped by to this place on our way to Skopje. It was near the town of Kriva Palanka and could be easily reached by car or on foot /there was a big sign on the main road showing the way/.
Of course sometimes although you may know the way, it is really a pleasure to ask someone local. You can feel the spirit of those people who live there. Moreover, you can find some useful information that you don’t know and it is not written in any travel guide.
We stopped to ask for the direction one old nice man who smiled at us and showed us the way (there were two ways to reach the monastery according to him not one as we though initially). He was talking with us as we had met before and we were old friends. He even gave us a small hug for goodbye. I though to myself “It seems that people here are good and helpful!” It is a real happiness to meet a positive person on your way to unknown places it makes you feel more brave and enthusiastic.
We left our car down near the main gate and we went up on foot.
The view was absolutely gorgeous from above.... nature, mountain, trees, fresh air all around. Two words to describe it “peaceful and beautiful”.
The monastery itself was quite big and well-preserved.
There were two orthodox churches situated in the middle of the complex. The bigger one was named after Saint Joachim and the smaller one was dedicated to the Holy Mother of God.
There was also a souvenir shop (some things inside were made by the monks, jam & rakia for example) and accommodation area where travellers could spend the night peacefully. It seemed a good place for taking rest. We saw some natural springs near the main church and drank refreshing cold water.
Now let me share a few words about the story of this place as it made me curious.
First of all who is Saint Joachim and why the monastery is named after him?
Saint Joachim spent his life like a prayer, living in a cave in the Osogovo Mountain. Everyone in the region honored him as a holy person. He was one of the followers of Saint John of Rila (a Bulgarian hermit who was revered as a saint, he founded the first Christian monastery in Bulgaria).
As far as I understood the monastery was founded in the 12th century during the rule of the byzantine emperor Michael I Komnin (1143-1180), but not much remained from that time as almost everything was renovated and rebuilt afterwards (there was a big earthquake in the 16th century which almost destroyed the monastery).
After the death of Saint Joachim some of his remains were preserved in the small church and later the monastery was named aafter him.
Entrance fee: no
Estimated time to spend: about 30-40 min
Location: Babin Dol 1330, Мacedonia
Type: Churches & Monasteries
Curious facts: In the beginning of the 14th century the big church was turned into a mosque for a short period of time. During the First World War, the monastery became a military camp.
