The village of Leshok is 8 km away from Tetovo, on the south-east side of Shar Mountain. The area around the village of Leshok is distinguished by a beautiful environment, pure mountain air and a magnificent view. The good climate makes it one of the most beautiful and healthiest places in Macedonia. There is a curvy asphalt road that separates from the regional road Tetovo-Jazhince that leads to the village. The road to the monastery leads upwards to Shar through a corridor of new and renovated houses in this oldest settlement in the Polog area. Considering the pure air and the beautiful environment it is clear why the first inhabitants settled precisely here more than a thousand years ago.
The famous Leshok Monastery is located in the so-called Upper Leshok at an altitude of 610 meters. There are two churches in the complex: “St. Athanasius” and “Holy Mother of God”.
According to old records, there were 77 churches and monasteries in and around Leshok. Today, the most attractive one for the visitors is the church of “Holy Mother of God” which was built in 1326. Beside the appearance and its historical value, this temple is also very attractive for its “Judgment Day” fresco and the brick-shaped symbol of the “Sun from Kutlesh” which is located above the entrance. The old building of the “St. Athanasius” church, which is above the village” is also very attractive, as well as the new church built within the monastery complex during the 1920s which was destroyed during the 2001 military conflict, and has now been restored to its primary state. Out of the many churches and monasteries, the people from Leshok mostly point out: “St. Petka”, “St. Nicholas”, “St. Elias”, “St. Marena”, etc. There are still traces from the past for some of those.
Enlivening of the village
Leshok is a village with around 180 families and 460 residents – Macedonians, most of which abandoned it during the 2001 conflict when the settlement was burned and destroyed along with the monastery. The monastery church of “St. Athanasius” was destroyed then, as well as the grave of the first Macedonian revivalist Kiril Pejchinovik. With the conflict ending with the signing of the Ohrid peace treaty, the European Agency for Reconstruction financially supported the renovation of this orthodox spiritual and culture center. The “St. Athanasius” church got its primary, authentic appearance and with the restoration of the houses and the churches, Leshok was fully brought to life.
There is room for the visitors that like to spend their weekends here or who prefer monastery tourism better in the hospices which are authentic from the time of Ezekiel the abbot. There are 36 rooms with three or more beds available to the visitors which are equipped for cooking, or there is a possibility of eating in the monastery restaurant opposite the hospices.
The grave of Kiril Pejcinovik - Tetoec, one of the most famous teachers of the 19th century, is also located within the monastery complex. The monastery hospices were restored when he arrived from Mount Athos in 1818. He also built the monastery library which made Leshok a literary and scientific center. The first religion-educational school was formed here, with hundreds of teachers and monks going through the ranks which later became Macedonian teachers that kept the Macedonian folk, dialect speech and language out of oblivion. In time, the monastery, which strengthened spiritually and financially especially at the turn towards the 20th century, became one of the most influential in Macedonia.
The church of “Holy Mother of God”
The exact period of building of the church of “Holy Mother of God” is unknown. The oldest information about it dates back to the first half of the 14th century, or more precisely, 1326. It is considered to be built before the 14th century.
There are three well preserved layers of frescos from different periods that can be noticed inside the church. The oldest one dates back to the building of the church in the 14th century, the second one dates back to the 17th, and the third one – to the 19th century. Its last painter was Mihail Urchinov from Galichnik who created the majority of the icons in the church.
Kiril Pejcinovik – Tetoec
Everything connected to the name of Kiril Pejcinovik, one of the first educators, writers and translators from the first half of the 19th century who managed to restore the “St. Athanasius” monastery in 1818, is kept as a relic in the Leshok monastery. After he got permission from Abdurrahman, the pasha from Tetovo, Pejcinovik motivated the people from, and around Leshok, to work voluntarily in order to restore the devastated monastery.
The realization of his idea would completely turn the life course of the people from Leshok and the Polog region. In 1820 Kiril Pejcinovik opened a school where future priest and teachers from north-western Macedonia were educated. Most of the graduated students were from Leshok. Among them was the priest Silvester from Varvara, who succeeded Kiril Pejcinovik with the work in the school.
The education in Leshok started by Pejcinovik successfully continued till the beginning of the 20th century when the school was transformed into a religious school which worked within the monastery. In 1929 the school transferred to the new building, where the noise from the children can still be heard.
Myths and legends
When talking about the Leshok monastery it is inevitable to mention the legend about an event transferred from generation to generation among the people from Leshok. This legend is also connected to the most famous song about the Leshok monastery – God kill the Arnauts from Slatino that destroyed the Leshok monastery.
The legend says that the night before 28th August, the great Christian feast of Holy Mother of God, the rebels killed two arnauts from the neighboring village of Slatino. The Turks used torture to force a confession from some witnesses that the rebels hid in the darkness of the monastery. Angry because the monks gave refuge to the rebels, the Turks gathered an army of 7000 from all the villages in the Polog region and destroyed the monastery. At that moment there were three thousand believers from Polog that celebrated the Mother of God just as it is done today. The siege lasted five days. Everybody that wanted to go in was allowed, but no one was allowed to come out. According to the legend the siege lasted for five days so in order to feed themselves, the people spent 82 loads of corn, 100 okas of rice; killed 14 oxen, 2 buffalos, 48 sheep and goats; ate 150 okas of cheese and six loads of vegetables. As they had no water, the people trapped in the monastery drank wine and brandy. It is said that 8000 okas of wine and 3500 okas of brandy were spent. On the sixth morning, representatives of the authority showed up, searched the monastery, but no rebels were found.
Curiosity
Kiril Pejcinovik was buried four times in the complex of the Leshok monastery. The first one in the yard of the monastery, north-east from the old church of “Holy Mother of God”; the second one in the monastery graveyards, even though it is unknown exactly when; the third one during the 200 year anniversary of his birth when he was transferred and buried on the eastern side of the new church of “St. Athanasius”; and the fourth, and last one, in 2004 after his grave was desecrated in 2001.
Many people come to his grave in Leshok to bow and read “The epitaph” written on his tombstone. It is Pejcinovik’s most famous and most meaningful piece which was written in the Leshok monastery and to this day, it remains a mark of recognition for all generations throughout Macedonia.
