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Photo: Македонец, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Meaning "Black Mountain of Skopje". Even though Vodno is the most popular hiking option in Skopje, a fun and educational day trip from Skopje is visiting the villages, churches and monasteries on Skopska Crna Gora Mountain. Easiest way to do it is with a car, but also one can take a bus to one of the villages like Banjani or Kuceviste, and hike to the surrounding points of interest. St.Nikita monastery in Banjani village was built in by Serbian king Milutin in 1307-08 on a site of an earlier church. It is a single domed church of a written cross architectonical solution. The frescoes are work of the famous Ohrid painters Mihailo and Eftihie. Unfortunately they lack the energy and the technique of Bogorodica Perivlepta church in Ohrid. It is quite probable that by now they had a big group of students around them and they just controlled the work. If one looks carefully one can see where them two picked up the brush and corrected the work. Most significant fresco is the Pursuit of the Merchants from the temple where one can see the human elements characteristic for their work.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Кучевишки манастир
On the slopes of the Skopska Crna Gora mountain range is this monastery, established in the 14th century in the village of the same name. Its main church is dedicated to the archangels Michael and Gabriel. It was built between the Marička Battle of 1371 and the Battle of Kosovo of 1389. The interior was not painted until 1591 and the current iconostasis dates from the 19th century.
Црква „Св. Спас“
This medieval Orthodox church is actually dedicated to the Holy Mother of God but is called St Spas because it celebrates Spasovden (the Feast of the Ascension). Built in the Byzantine style, it was completed in the 14th century. The current frescoes were painted in 1874. In 1501, a secret chapel was built within the church but never discovered by the Ottomans during their entire rule.
Црква „Св. Никола“
The predecessor church here was built around the time of the Yahya Pasha Mosque in the Old Bazaar with permission to build granted by Yahya Pasha. The current church was built in 1881 and its frescoes were done the same year by Dičo Zograf.
Љубански манастир
Reached via a narrow paved road above the village is this 19th century monastery. It was a home to monks before it became home to nuns in 1998. The monastery contains one church dedicated to Saint Nicholas, along with dormitories and a bell tower.
Манастир Свети Никита
This medieval church was built around 1300 by Serbian King Milutin on the ruins of an older church. It is in a typical Byzantine style, made of stone and red brick. The frescoes inside the church date from around 1324, with the exception of those in the dome which date from the 19th century. The iconostasis was painted in 1847. Banjane is also home to the 16th-century Church of St George, significant for its frescoes.
Црква „Св. Никола“
This medieval church was built in 1337 by a donor by the name of Danica at the foot of the Skopska Crna Gora mountain range. Capped by a single cupola, the frescoes within the church date from its original construction. Due to the church's location in a now mostly Muslim village, it is often subject to theft. Ljuboten was a hotspot during the 2001 insurgency. From 2006 to 2017, the church was renovated.