Kumanovo

Beljakovo monastery

an old church and a spring of water with healing power were located. Today the church is very well preserved, while the monastic quarters are almost destroyed. The locals claim that the church was built in Roman times, and was restored more than 100 years ago. The elderly remember that the monastic life was renewed by a Russian monk Anatolij, who retreated in Macedonia after the October Revolution. The rites related to Christian holidays Mala Bogorodica, Gjurgjovden, Holy Trinity and Duhovden are performed even today in the yard of the monastery. A large congregation was held here where people from all surrounding villages would join up to 30 years ago. The village people tell the story of the church restoration: “It was a Roman church, and later restored. The Turks wouldn’t let us build a church. ‘What are you building’? ‘A pen, for livestock”. And later, it was renovated. In the past century, there was an old man, Stamen, who moved from village Rudare and he healed the people who would come for remedy with the healing water. The people from the village also donated money for restoration of the church. It was finished in 1894.

Pelince

is a village in the Republic of Macedonia near Kumanovo and the border between the Republic of Macedonia and Serbia. It is in the Staro Nagoričane municipality.

The village became popular among the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia in 2004 when a new national commemorative of ASNOM was built in the village, where the annual celebration of the Macedonian statehood The Second Ilinden of 1944 has taken place ever since. This decision was brought due to the countinious refusals by the Serbian Orthodox Church authorities to allow Macedonian delegations to visit and celebrate the holiday in the actual venue of ASNOM, the Prohor Pčinjski monastery which is on Serbian territory near the Macedonian border and near the village of Pelince.

Skopje - Macedonia’s capital city.