Sveti Naum Monastery

Sveti Naum stands on a headland at the southern end of Lake Ohrid, founded around 905 by Naum, a disciple of Cyril and Methodius, whose tomb is inside the church. The present building is largely sixteenth and seventeenth century with later frescoes and a carved iconostasis. Springs rise beside the monastery and feed the lake through a set of clear channels, worked by rowing boats. It lies within the inscribed Ohrid region.

History

Saint Naum of Ohrid, a medieval writer and teacher, founded the monastery himself in 905 and was buried in its church, becoming one of the first saints of the Bulgarian church. From the 16th century a Greek school worked in the monastery, which had close ties with the printing house of Moscopole, a once prosperous town now in Albania. The area around the monastery belonged to Albania from 1912 until 28 June 1925, when Ahmed Zogu gave it to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia after negotiations between the two countries, as a gesture of goodwill (Wikipedia, Monastery of Saint Naum).

What's there

• Naum's tomb - the burial of the tenth-century founder inside the church.
• The frescoes and iconostasis - the painted interior and carved screen.
• The springs - clear water rising beside the monastery and running into the lake.
• The rowing boats - the boats that take visitors through the spring channels.

When to go

May to October is the season; boats from Ohrid run then. Summer is very busy with day trippers. Winter is quiet and cold on the lake.

Things to know

It is very crowded in summer with coach and boat parties. Peacocks in the grounds are aggressive around food. The spring boat trips are short and priced per boat.

Nearby

Ohrid is north along the lake, and Galicica is above.

Key facts