St.Nikola Bolnički & St.Bogorodica Bolnička

admin ♦ August 7, 2010 ♦ 1 Comment

St.Nikola Bolnički was Built by Archbishop Nikolaj of Ohrid in 14th c.
This item comes from a region where place names vary historically and politically. We have used the Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (TGN) as a source for controlled place names.
As soon as one passes Lower Gate, which served as the main entrance into Ohrid in ancient and medieval times, one sees St.Nikola and St.Bogorodica Bolnicki churches. In medieval times the dormitories of this two small churches served as quarantine quarters (separate male and female) and visitors of the city had to spend certain time here before they were allowed to enter the town. When the Turks arrived, the structure of the city changed so the dormitories lost its function and served as hospitals (hence the name bolnicki, bolnica =hospital)

St.Bogorodica Bolnicka was built in the 14th century. It is a single naved church, and even though it is quite small it has a transept so it forms a cross.
These two small churches were built with dormitories around them which were used as quarantine stations for visitors of the city. After the coming of the Turks the structure of the city changed and they lost their purpose, so they were turned into hospitals. That is where the name Bolnicki comes from (bolnica – hospital). St. Nikola Bolnički was built in 1313. The small addition on the roof is an influence of the Adriatic architecture and it imitates the belltowers of the churches on the Adriatic coast. The frescoes are in decent condition, a couple of interesting portraits of some royals and Nikola one of Ohrid archbishops. Look for the fresco of God’s hand protecting the pure souls inside a tiny window. St. Bogorodica Bolnička was built in the 14th century, and the frescoes are in a bad condition. Even though the church is tiny there is a transverse vault, so the roof would imitate the shape of the cross. 50 denars for entry.Error processing request