The Cult of the Holy Fifteen Hieromartyrs of Tiberiopolis
The cult in the early Christian period represented spontaneous worship of the victims that died for the Christian faith and was expressed through public veneration. The Christian tradition of Macedonia has secured a special place for the cult of the Fifteen Holy Hieromartyrs of Tiberiopolis. The facts about them could be found in the book “Hagiography of the Fifteen Holy Hieromartyrs of Tiberiopolis” written by the Archbishop Teophylactus of Ohrid (late XI to early XII century). The suffering of the four of the martyrs of Tiberiopolis – Timothy, Comassius, Eusebius and Theodore, began in Nicaea, Asia Minor.



They were banished by the Roman emperor Julian the Apostate (361 A.D.-363 A.D.), who persecuted all Christians and reinstated the pagan tradition. Because of this, these four were compelled to leave Nicaea and go to Salonica, eventually settling in Tiberiopolis, or what is today Strumica. The eleven that joined the first four in Tiberiopolis were the priests Peter, John, Sergius, Theodore and Nicephorus, the deacons Basil and Thomas, the monks Hierotheus, Daniel, Chariton, and the soldier Socrates. Accused of spreading Christianity they were executed by emperor Julian’s administrators of Salonica, Valent and Philip on November 28, 363 A.D. (according to the Julian Calendar), or December 11 in the modern calendar. Their bodies were buried in the late antique necropolis in separate caskets with inscription on top. Soon after an early Christian basilica was erected above the place (5th Century) which was later destroyed. A cross-shaped temple or martirium was erected in the 7th Century only to be destroyed during the invasion of the Slavs and Avars in the late 6th and early 7th Century. During the reign of the Bulgarian prince Boris (852 A.D.-889 A.D.), a new cross-shaped temple was built on top of the ruins where the oldest fresco in Macedonia was found showcasing a portrait of the Fifteen Holy Hieromartyrs of Tiberiopolis.



At about the same time, a cathedral church was built in Bregalnica where the relics of Timothy, Comassius and Eusebius were moved to. During the reign of the Bulgarian czar Simeon (893-927) the relics of Theodore and Socrates were moved. This leads to the conclusion that the local people allowed moving of the relics of all martyrs except those belonging to the martyrs that originated from the Strumica region. The hand of Peter was taken as a relic in Salonica, whereas today it is to be found in Kukush. The cross-shaped church was destroyed and its foundation was uncovered in 1972. A small chapel was built in 1921, whereas in 1974 a new church dedicated to the Fifteen Holy Hieromartyrs of Tiberiopolis was erected. In 1997, the Fifteen Holy Hieromartyrs of Tiberiopolis were declared protectors of the city by an executive decision of the Council of the Municipality of Strumica.

Church Complex of The Fifteen Holy Hieromartyrs of Tiberiopolis
The church complex of The Fifteen Holy Hieromartyrs of Tiberiopolis is located on the east side of Strumica. The oldest structure in the complex is an early Christian basilica built as a triple-aisled church in the 5th Century and decorated on the floor with a polychrome mosaic representing a cross. The basilica was built on top of the tombs of the Fifteen Holy Hieromartyrs of Tiberiopolis. A cross-shaped temple, or martirium, was built on top of the basilica, probably in the time of Justinian (527 A.D. -565 A.D.), but later was destroyed when the Slavs and Avars invaded in the late 6th and early 7th Century. Another cross-shaped church was built on top of the old one somewhere between the 9th and 10th Century. The central part of the church’s naos is a vaulted tomb with dimensions 2 meters x 0.82 meters x 1.61 meters, and the joint portrait of the martyrs is painted on the exonarthex. Crosses are painted over the north and west walls. This is one of the oldest fresco paintings in Macedonia dating back to the 9th and 10th Century. This temple is mentioned in the Gramota of the Serbian king Dushan (1348-1352) which is dedicated to the monastery of The Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Prizren. The temple was destroyed during the Ottoman period, but in 1921 was revived when a new small chapel was built. The foundations of the old temples were uncovered while building the new church in 1972. The new church, completed in 1974, represents a single dome, single apse structure, with a wooden iconostasis placed in 1976. The church complex also includes a guesthouse on its premises.

Church Complex of Saint Leontius
The church complex “Saint Leontius” is about four kilometers west of Strumica in the village of Vodocha. The oldest building in the complex is the early Christian basilica dating from the 5th and 6th Century. The complex consists of three churches, the oldest of which is the eastern one. Its triple apse domed church, built in the 6th and 7th Century, was destroyed after the fall of Czar Samuel’s state. Parts of its altar apse, proskomide (or prothesis) and diakonikon still remain. Its oldest fresco shows an unidentified saint from the late 10th Century. The western church, a small cross-shaped domed structure, was built in the period between 1018 and 1037, and was dedicated to the Presentation of the Holy Mother of God–Eleusa.



The fresco painting of this church showcases the deacons Isavrios and Euplos, saintly figures, the cycle of the main church holidays and scenes from the “Childhood and Life of the Holy Mother of God” The third and biggest church, placed in between the first two, is a domed structure that represents an Episcopal Church, a fact suggested by the synthronos in the altar apse. Built in the late 11th and early 12th Century, it was dedicated to Saint Leontius, a martyr killed at the time of the Roman emperor Vespasian (69 A.D. – 79 A.D.) because of turning to Christianity. Presentations of the six Hierarchs and the Fourty Holy Martyrs of Sebastea are the only frescoes that remain preserved until this day. Within the church complex, research was also done in the two monastery baths, the guest-house with other auxiliary structures, and the necropolis with over one thousand graves from the period between 18th and 20th Century. This church was destroyed in the 13th Century. Following the destruction, it was completely abandoned, and a necropolis was built there in the Middle Ages. The remains of this church underwent reconstruction in 1979, and by looking at the lead divide today, one could easily tell how much of the remains had actually survived. In 1996, monastic life was revived, and the place has since become the home of the monastic sisterhood of the Strumica diocese.

Monastery of The Holy Mother of God Eleusa in Veljusa
Built on a rocky plateau, the monastery of The Holy Mother of God Eleusa is located in the village of Veljusa about seven kilometers west of Strumica. The monastery was founded in 1080 with the personal means of the monk Manuel, who later became Episcope of Strumica. He arrived in Veljusa from the Chalkedon monastery of St. Auxentius in the Asia Minor region of Vitinia, where he spent most of his ascetic life. There are numerous written sources about this monastery, most of which are kept in the archives of the Iviron monastery on Mount Athos. Out of the many written documents, the two most prevalent are the marble plaques on the lintel of the entrance door of the monastery. The first one says, in Greek: “This church of the Holy Mother of God the Merciful (Eleusa) is built from the foundations by the monk Manuel, who became episcope of Tiberiopolis in the year 6588 (1080 A.D.) indiction 3”; the second one reads: “Since I have placed my entire hope in You, oh immaculate Mother and fountain of mercy, I, shepherd and monk Manuel, Your servant, offer to You, Sovereign Lady, this temple”. These marble plaques are of recent date due to the fact that during World War I the original ones were taken to the Archeological Museum in Sofia. The second important document is the Gramota of the Byzantine Emperor Alexius I Comnenus (1081-1118) of July 1085, by which the monastery was granted autonomy and the status of a royal monastery. The Rule (typikon) of Manuel in 22 points has also been preserved. It talks about the founding of the monastery, about Manuel himself, about the codes of dress, the codes of taking meals, and other duties of the monks. The Rule (typikon) of Manuel I Comnenus (1143-1180) of 1152 has also survived. It documents the land property granted to the monastery, and contains an inventory of monastery possessions dating from 1164, where all valuables of the monastery were listed. However, in the 13th Century the monastery lost its autonomy and until 1913 was under the authority of the Iviron monastery on Mount Athos. In 1913, having decided to abandon the monastery, the monks set it on fire. This event damaged the fresco painting to a great extent.



Today, the monastery’s original architecture has been preserved and it represents a rare structure of the 11th Century in Macedonia. The monastery is a four-apse building and has three domes embellished with ceramic and polychrome decorations. The exonarthex of the southern porch of the monastery shows the Cross of Veljusa as well as the figure of St. Onuphrius in the desert when visited by the monk St. Panfnutius. The esonarthex displays the figure of Manuel holding the Veljusa monastery in his hand. The fresco painting had been done in three phases: the first one in 1081, the second one in 1164, and the third one, considered non canonical, in the 19th Century. The fresco in the dome represents Christ the Pantocrator (“Almighty" or "All-powerful”) and the fresco in the nave portrays the Holy Mother of God – “Theotokos oranta”- flanked by St. John the Baptist, two archangels and four prophets. The altar space shows a fresco of the Holy Mother of God – Theotokos nikopoia and Christ enthroned, and a liturgical service of the holy hierarchs with the Hetimazia (the Sacrifice of Jesus). The north apse shows the Descent of Christ into Hell, the east one the Holy Mother of God with Christ, the south one the Annunciation, and the west one The Meeting of our Lord. The southern chapel, which is dedicated to St. Spas, shows Jesus Christ Emanuel as a twelve-year-old child. The eastern wall shows Jesus in Glory together with a portrait of St. Nyphon; the western shows St. Panteleimon. The church’s naos contains a reconstructed altar partition from marble, and the floor is decorated with mosaics that form geometrical shapes. Today, the monastery is the home of the monastic sisterhood of Strumica. There are auxiliary buildings on the premises including a clock tower, a bakery, an inn, and a small chapel dedicated to the Apostle and Saint Paul and to Saint Gregory Palamas.

Saints Cyril and Methodius Church
The cathedral church “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” is a double apse church. The lower altar is in the basement and is dedicated to the Fifteen Holy Hieromartyrs of Tiberiopolis. Construction on the lower church began in 1750 under the Strumica bishop Paisius, and was finished in 1760. The iconostasis, which is completely made of oak, safeguards the relics of St. Basil the Great and St. Theophanus Nachertani. The tomb of the exarchate metropolitan Gerasim, who initiated the building of the new church dedicated to the Saints Cyril and Methodius, is located in the lower church. He procured funds for the church from the Russian monastery of St. Pantelejmon on Mounth Athos, which may explain the Russian look of the church. The iconostasis was made of linden wood by the master of the Debar carving school, Nestor Aleksiev, in 1935. The icons were done by the painters Grigorij Pecanov from Strumica, Gavril Atanasov from Berovo, D.A. Papradiski and other anonymous artists. The church has had the same appearance since 1905.

Church of The Forty Holy Martyrs of Sebastea
Located 1.5 kilometers north of the village Bansko, the remains of the church of the Forty Holy Martyrs of Sebastea measure 1.5 meters high. Dedicated to the cult of the Forty Holy Martyrs of Sebastea who suffered in 320 A.D., it is the only church in Macedonia originating from that period.



The only other frescos of the forty martyrs are located in the churches St. Leontius in Vodocha, in St. Sophia in Ohrid, and in Morozvizd. Judging by the synthronos, a place in the church reserved for the Episcope, it was originally built as an Episcopal church. The architectural style and what remains from the fresco painting suggest that the church dates back to 12th or 13th Century, though work had been done on it during the Ottoman period as well. The foundation of the church has the shape of a cross. The iconostasis is made of marble, and most of the interior space is reserved for the proscomedia and the diakonicon. A necropolis was discovered near the church originating from the 13th Century.

St. Ilija Monastery
The St. Ilija monastery is located on the Elenica mountain about four kilometers away from Strumica. The monastery was probably built at the end of 16th Century, based on the icons there which originate from that period.



A stone plaque with inscription in old Slavic was once found in the monastery, but at some point it was lost. If the plaque had not been brought from somewhere else, one could conclude that the monastery originates from much older times. The monastery was destroyed once in 1923, but it was built again and extended in the period between 1975 and 1984. The monastery represents a single-domed structure with a painting of Christ the Pantocrator ("Almighty" or "All-powerful") in the dome, while the apses contain the paintings of the four evangelists Mark, Matthew, Luke and John. The iconostasis of the monastery is made of wood. Lodging quarters have recently been built on the premises of the monastery.

Evangelical Methodist Church
The first members of this congregation were registered in 1882. In 1894, the first church school opened, but it was not recognized until 1906. That same year, the first church was built with a classroom attached to it. In 1987, a permit was issued for building a new church. The old church was torn down, and construction of the new began in the same location. The new church was consecrated on October 15, 1989. In 2000, in honor of the famous missionary Helen Stone, a social center named “The Miss Stone Center” was completed.

Church of The Ascension of the Holy Mother of God
The Ascension of the Holy Mother of God is a Catholic church. Monsignor Atanasie Ivanov had this parish church built in 1925 dedicating it to the Ascension of the Holy Mother of God. The first service took place on Holy Thursday in 1925. The bishop Dionysius Gnaradi benedicted the parish church on July 25, 1925, and consecrated it in 1931. From 1971 to 1975, the parish church underwent thorough reconstruction, and in 1988 it was benedicted by the Bishop Joakim Herbut. On September 21, 1991, building of the new pastoral center began, and was completed two years later. On May 1, 2001, this parish church was declared Cathedral Church of the Apostolic Exarchate in Macedonia by the Pope John Paul II. Joakim Herbut was appointed its first Exarch. Since May 2002, the church has been undergoing another reconstruction. A new iconostasis was made and frescoes and icons were painted in the apse.