Veles Things to Do

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The Church of St Petka is located less than 2 km south of the center of Veles, on the right (west) bank of the Vardar River.

The church was built recently, when we were there in 2012 the inside was not finished yet.

Although it is located out of the center, it is worth going here since nearby you can also find the ruins of the Veles Fortess Kale as well as several other churches: Monastery of St Dimitrija, Church of St Nicholas, Church of St Nedela, and the Chapel of St Ana.

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The ruins of a fortress ("kale" in Macedonian) are located on a hill about 2 km south of the center of Veles, on the right (west) bank of the river Vardar.

I found some information that this place has been inhabited since 2500 BC, also was used in Roman times and was a powerful acropolis in the 5th and 6th century.

Graves and a cemetery church from the 12th-14th century have been found as well.

During the Ottoman occupation a small military crew remained in the fortress.

Source: http://makedonskibiser.com.mk

Besides the ruins of a few walls, we could not discover other remains of the fortress. But it is a nice site to stroll around and enjoy the view from the hill.

A sign at the Chapel of St Ana tell you where the path uphill to the fortress starts. The same path leads to the Church of St Nedela. Follow the path uphill to the south for the ruins of the Kale. They are located just above the 14th century Church of St Nicholas.

Besides the fortress and the churches mentioned above, nearby there are also the 14th century Monastery of St Dimitrija and the new Church of St Petka.

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The Church of St Nedela (St Sunday) is located less than 2 km south of the center of Veles, on the right (west) bank of the Vardar River.

It was closed when we were there. I read that the church is from the 14th century.

Close to the church is one of the strangest toilets I have ever seen. It drains directly onto the cliff it is standing on. And if you get out of the toilet you will fall down the same cliff...See the picture for a good laugh :-)

Although the church is located out of the center, it is worth going here since nearby you can also find the ruins of the Veles Fortess Kale as well as several other churches: Monastery of St Dimitrija, Church of St Nicholas, Chapel of St Ana and the new Church of St Petka.

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The Chapel dedicated to St Ana (St Anna) is located less than 2 km south of the center of Veles, on the right (west) bank of the Vardar River.

It is right next to the road and is built around a water tap.

Although this chapel is located a bit out of the center, it is worth going here since nearby you can also find the ruins of the Veles Fortess Kale as well as several other churches: Monastery of St Dimitrija, Church of St Nicholas, Church of St Nedela, and the new Church of St Petka.

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The Church of St Nikola (St Nicholas) is located less than 2 km south of the center of Veles, on the right (west) bank of the Vardar River.

The church is from the 14th century.

Above the church is a grave monument. The caretaker of the church told us that there are the remains of about 12 people, whose skeletons were found on the church ground.

He also told us that the church grounds are constantly under attack by goats who eat all the flowers :-)

Although the church is located a bit out of the center, it is worth going here since nearby you can also find the ruins of the Veles Fortess Kale as well as several other churches: Monastery of St Dimitrija, Church of St Nedela, Chapel of St Ana and the new Church of St Petka

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The Monastery of St Dimitrija (St Demetrius or St Dimitri) is located less than 2 km south of the center of Veles, on the right (west) bank of the Vardar River.

The monastery is from the 14th century, but was buried for almost 500 years during the Ottoman period. Its actual appearance is from 1855.

If you want to visit the monastery, make sure you have decent clothes with you. I was not allowed to go in with shorts but had to wrap myself in a skirt :-)

In the clock tower you can find a fresco on one of the walls.

Although it is located out of the center, it is worth going here since nearby you can also find the ruins of the Veles Fortess Kale as well as several other churches: Church of St Nicholas, Church of St Nedela, Chapel of St Ana and the new Church of St Petka

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There is a small parking on the road from Skopje to Veles near Vetersko, with a little shop selling religious items, a water source and some small chapels. The shop belongs to the Monastery of St Jovan, which is located a 5-10 minutes steep walk uphill on the other side of the road.

This small monastery is not mentioned in any of the guidebooks we had.

Interestingly, you can stay in this monastery if you want. It is very basic, there is no electricity or shower. However, there is abundant cold streaming water from the water source at the monastery.

From the rooms you have a magnificent view of the surrounding hills and the Monastery of St Bogorodica, which is located on the other side of the road at the river Pcinja.

When we were there, a family was staying there, they were busy painting the iconostasis and cleaning the carpets of the church. They offered us coffee, which we gladly accepted of course.

On the Monastery grounds, there are also 5 graves belonging to people who died during the Ilinden uprising in 1903.

See the link below for more pictures of the monastery.

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The 12 pipes symbolize the 12 dynamiters who bombed Western companies in Thessaloniki in April 1903.

The Thessaloniki bombings were an attempt to draw Europe's attention to the Macedonian issue. Macedonia was occupied by the Ottomans in that time.

Ironically, the Turks mistook it to be the beginning of a general uprising in Macedonia and conducted mass arrests all over Macedonia. In fact, the Dynamiters' action was not coordinated with the Central Committee of VMRO, and the arrest of hundreds of its members disturbed the preparations for the actual Ilinden uprising in August 1903.

The monument was created by Stanko Pavlevski.

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The Church of St Pantelejmon was built in 1840 by the master-builder Andreja Damjanov, who also built the Church of St Bogorodica in Stip.

For Macedonian standards, it is a surprisingly large and high church, with thee floors.

The frescoes and icons were created by Gjorgji Damjanov and Gjorgji Jakov Zografski.

A water source can be found next to the church, people come here to fill bottles with the water.

The church is located on the cemetery of Veles and is under the protection of UNESCO.

You will have a great view over Veles from the church grounds, it is located high on a hill!

See the link below for pictures of the interior of the church.

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There is a small parking on the road from Skopje to Veles near Vetersko, with a little shop selling religious items, a water source and some small chapels. The shop belongs to the Monastery of St Jovan Veterski, which is located a 5-10 minutes steep walk uphill on the left side of the road.

On the right side of the road, in the valley next to the river, you can see the Monastery of St Bogorodica. The Monastery church is partially built into the rocks. It is an attractive 5-10 minutes walk from the road down to the Monastery, including a rickety bridge over the river.

This small monastery is not mentioned in any of the guidebooks we had. It was unfortunately not open, and apparently the man with the key lives all the way back in Skopje. Allegedly, the monasteries of St Jovan Veterski and St Bogorodica are just a few 100 meters apart but belong to different jurisdictions of the church, as the man belonging to St Jovan told us.

We were warned for wild dogs when we decided to descent down to the Monastery of St Bogorodica, but we didn't see any. It may not hurt to take a stick with you though :-)

Follow the link below for more pictures of the monastery.