Cyril and Methodius Church
In 1903, the cathedral church of Cyril and Methodius, one of the biggest and most beautiful churches in the Polog Plain, was built in the Two Elm Trees district, which is in the old part of the town. This is a three-nave basilica with a single dome and a cruciform basis. The fresco painting on the walls was done by painter Danilo Nestorovski in 1924.

The Colourful Mosque
As Christian and Islamic cultures mix in Tetovo, one of the most beautiful mosques in this part of Europe is Sarena dzamija (Colorful/Motley Mosque) with remarkable decorations, both in the interior and exterior. The walls are decorated with exquisite drawings in Ottoman-Turkish baroque style. From an architectural point of view, it is a monovolume square building with dimension 10x10m.The minaret is on the right side, constructed of carefully processed stones originating from an earlier mosque, which was built on the same site in the 16th century.

The Turkish Amam
The Turkish Amam (Turkish bath), dating from the 15th century, covers a surface of 335m2. In 1962 it was transformed into an art gallery and in 1984 it was declared cultural heritage.

Arabati Baba Tekke
Arabati Baba Tekke (dervish lodge) is a complex of buildings constructed for living and working. The “tekke’ was built by Redzeb Pasha, a member of a prominent Tetovo family, in the last decades of the 18th century. The “tekke” belonged to the Islamic sect of Bektashi, one of the strongest dervish sects, and remained its seat until 1912, when the Ottomans were driven out of Macedonia. In recent years, however, the Bektashi order has regained access and rights to worship in the tekke, which is being refurbished. It is the largest and best preserved tekke in the western Balkans. Here the dervishes pray, following rhythmical music and ritual dances, which include moving the head and the body left and right, forward and backward and pierce their bodies with several kinds of daggers, a ritual that  takes place once a year. The first painting colony “Sara 2002” was held in the premises of the tekke in 2002, featuring 16 Macedonian and Albanian painters.

Lesok Monastery
The monastery complex located in the village of Lesok, just 8km away from Tetovo, consists of two churches: the church of St. Athanasius and the church of the Holy Virgin. The church of St. Athanasius dates from the first half of the 14th century. It was fully restored in 1641 and again in 1879, when the third layer of frescoes was painted by artist Michael Gjurcinov. The monastery is well known for the edifying work of Kiril Pejcinovic, whose grave is in the courtyard. During the ethnic conflict in 2001, the church was severely damaged, but has subsequently been completely restored with government aid.

back