The Carving Centeres In Macedonia

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Since the end of the nineteenth century the wealth of Macedonian culture has attracted the attention, of many scholars and travel writers. With increasing interest in the culture its price has increased as well, and there has been a great deal of speculation in it. The numerous old and rare books and manuscripts, icons, frescoes, silver and goldware and carvings reflecting Macedonian culture and history, although mostly made in difficult circumstances, are of great importance. When the significance and artistic and historical values of these antiques was realised, many of them, were removed, while a considerable number disappeared in fire or in ruins.
The wealth of Macedonian culture has continued to arouse the interest of specialists since the early twentieth century. The ancient icons of Ohrid, the medieval frescoes, the ancient gospels, menaia, manuscripts etc., as well as the carvings, have become the subject of research. Scholars and the world public are interested in the art of carving, from the oldest preserved examples to contemporary ones, because oJ" the origin and basic creative features of the preserved items. The attention of specialists has been especially attracted by the high relief of the figure of the educator and writer Clement of Ohrid, the iconostasis of the church of Mali Sv. Vrachi in Ohrid, the door of the church of Sv. Nikola Bolnichki in Ohrid and the door of the church od Sv. Andreya, on the River Treska, near Skopje. These are, in fact, the oldest surviving large carved objects, and are thought to date from the end of the thirteenth and beginning of the fourteenth centuries. It is certain that their number would have been larger, but because of the frailty and inflammibility of the wood, many have been destroyed in the course of the centuries.
Figurative carving originated in the central and southeast parts of the Balkan Peninsula in the Middle Ages, and developed within Byzantine art. The preserved carvings are of a high artistic level and indicate remarkable creativity.
Besides the above-mentioned works, which mainly originate in Ohrid, similar examples have been discovered in other parts of the Balkans as well." the relief icons with the figure of St. George from Kostur and Galishta, the carved door from the monastery of Olimpiotos in Thessaly and Hrelyo's door in the Rila monastery in Bulgaria.
The Macedonian master-carvers played a very important part in carving on Mount Athos. In groups, they carried out the most complicated carving assignments, and contributed to the standardisation of the arts of the Balkan peoples.
The iconostasis, which was completely made in the style of the carved iconostases of Mount Athos, originated in the monastic church of Sv. Naum by Lake Ohrid. It is one of the oldest iconostases of this kind with the date preserved - 1711. Similar to it is the carved iconostases of the old church of Sv. Dimitriya, which is now located in the side chapels of the same church. The Macedonian carvers played a significant intermediary role in the spreading of the carved iconostases of Mount Athos through the Balkans. That influence was also felt in the regions by the Danube, where the former attachment to now exhausted ources of artistic traditions was followed by an orientation towards the Russo-Ukrainian currents of the Baroque, later to be replaced by Western European cultural and artistic influence.
The decoration of the iconostases of Mount Athos. is rich in old, traditional motifs, but also in Late Gothic and Renaissance Baroque elements, very popular in the workshops on Mount Athos. Those elements were transmitted by the skilled Italian and Cretan masters and others who arrived on Mount Athos from the Western parts of the Balkans, from other parts of Greece and from the Aegean and Ioanian islands. Thus, at the end of the eighteenth century, similar carved iconostases appeared simultaneously in the Aegean and Ionian and in the Miyak, Samokov, Trevnen and other centres in the Balkans. In that way the new variant of the Eastern Orthodox iconostases took its final shape, very different from the tradition of Late Byzantine art, and with elements of Italian and Levantine Baroque. The new spirit of carving spead fast though the Southern Balkans, encompassing a wide area of Macedonia, the SerbianGreek parishes on the Adriatic coast and some parts of Vojvodina. Tho iconostasis of the church of the Holy Archangel in Molovina (Stem) is of this type. It was made by masters who had most probably developed their car-ving skill in South Balkan workshops. Like the painters Hristofer Zhefarovich, Yanko Hakozovich and Yovan Chetirovich Grabovan, who went from Macedonia to Vojvodina, those master-carvers also arrived in these parts and were actively engaged in carving. The iconostasis of Molovina can be compared in style with the works of some carving centres in Macedoniia. The above examples show that as early as the eighteenth century, there were close connections between Macedonia and Vojvodina, not only culturally, but also politically and economically.
In the early nineteenth century, in constrast to the inherited cultural stagnation of the previous century, the middle class achieved not only economic progress, but also a higher conscioisness, as a result of their great spiritual vitality and creative readiness, typical of nations experiencing a renaissance. That force, progressive at the time, played a part in all the important political and cultural events and became the most powerful representative of the renaissance. Thanks to the large incomes and the wealth of the parishes, some prelates and representatives of the middle class, the process of realizing the religious rights of the people
began with the building of orthodox churches, the first artistic monuments of the new culture, by making carved iconostases, icons and paintings, carved bishops' thrones, ambos, choirs and other church furniture.
A large number of master-masons, fresco-painters, iconpainters and carvers were employed in that work. These workers were organized in specialized companies or groups, carvers, icon-painters, fresco-painters and masons separately. The most common, however, were the companies of people with different skills who took on the complete building of a church, from the construction and painting to the making of icons and iconostases, bishops' thrones, ambos etc. As early as the second half of the eighteenth century groups like these were working in Seres, Drama, Kavala, the Salonica district and alsewhere, especially in the southeast Balkans (but not the west, where the master-carvers from Epims worked). These groups consisted to Macedonians from Gari, Osoy, Tresonche, Galichnik, Lazaropole, Rosoki, Seltse and the Gorna Reka villages of Trebishte and Bitushe.
Carving in Macedonia developed considerably and reached its peak in the first half of the eighteenth century. At that time numerous talented carvers appeared in the villages near Debar, belonging to several families.
One of the oldest was Renzovski family, working in Thessaly, Salonica, Seres and Drama from the mid18th to mid-19th centuries. The sons of Damyan Renzovski, Andreya, Georgi, Nikola and Kosta, belonged to that family. The brothers worked in Macedonia. Serbia, Bosnia and Bulgaria. Andrea was a notable builder, Georgi a fresco- and icon-painter, Nikola a carver and the youngest, Kosta, helped his brothers in all their work. Nikola took part in the construction of the church of the Virgin Mary in Skopje as a member of the carving company of Petre Filipovich (Garkata).
Another carving and fresco-painting family, the Frchkovskis, included some excellent masters whose activity in Macedonia can be seen from the second half of the eighteenth century. The most talented carver of this was Negre's son Makarie Frchkovski. Ne worked in the group of Petre Frilipovich (Garka) and helped to make the iconostases in the church of Sv. Spas in Skopje (1824) and the iconostasis, bishop's and abbot's thrones in the monastery of Sv. Yovan Bigorski (1835), which are among the best carvings. The participation of Makarie in the construction of the iconostasis of the Lesnovo monastery (1811-1813) has been ruled out, since he was born in 1800. As a member of Garka's group, Makarie was involved in other work, including the iconostasis, bishop's and abbot's thrones of the church of the Virgin Mary in Skopje (1836), which was burnt down in 1944.
In the 1840s, Makarie, as the master in charge of a carving company, made one of his most successful works, the iconostasis of the church of Sv. Nikola in Prishtina. Makarie's brothers Gyurchin and Trayan were membres of his group and contributed to these and other works. That is why Makarie carved their faces on the iconostasis in Prishtina along with his own, and probably wrote their names, too, although they have not survived as that part of the iconostasis has been damaged.
Because of its ornamental character, carving was also suitable for the decoration of the interior of secular buildings. Thus Makarie and his group carved ceilings, cupboards, chests and other items of furuiture for many beys'houses in Macedonia and the Prizren area. Makarie Frchkoski continued carving in the forties in the Bulgarian town of Pazardzhik. He entered the contest for the construction of an iconostasis for the church of the Virgin Mary and had to respect the conditions of the contest concerning the wishes of the church and the citizens of Pazardzhik: to build the most beautiful and original iconostasis. The only rival to the Miyak carvers was the carving school of Samokov. For this occasion the latter carved some panels with floral ornaments, while the Miyaks working in their own carving tradition, decided on human figures, skilfully composed in various Old Testament scenes, on several panels. In the end, the construction of the iconostasis was entrusted to the Miyak carvers led by Makarie Frchkoski. Makarie lived a long time in Pazardik and died there, and his tomb is in the churchyard of the church of the Virgin Mary. There is an inscription on the panel that still exists on the east fagade of the church: "Makarie Negriev Frchkoski from Galichnik, near Debar, Macedonia. Master-carver of the iconostasis of the church of the Virgin Mar?/' in the town of Pazardzhik. Died here 1849."
Makarie Frchkoski's group continued carving after his dealed by his brothers Gyurchin and Trayan, and later by their sons, working throughout Bulgaria and especially in Varna and the district of Dobrudzha. Some of them returned to Macedonia and spread the fruits of their carving and fresco-painting experience in the regions of Ohrid, Struga, Shtip, Kratovo and Kochani.
The first carving company, in the real sense of the word, was founded by the talented Petre Filipovich, known as Garka, after his native village, Gari. His main collaborators were his brother Marko and the above-mentioned Makarie Frchkovski from Galichnik (according to the surviving inscription on the iconostasis in the church of Sv. Spas in Skopje). It is not known where Garka learned the carving trade or who taught him. Although Garka's work differs considerably from that of the carvers of Salonica and Mount Athos, it is possible that he learned the art from them.
His first work was the iconostasis of the monastic church of the Holy Archangel in the village of Lesnovo, which was started in 1811 and finished in 1814. Garka made that iconostasis as an already mature and outstanding master. In 1824 he worked on the iconostasis of the church of Sv. Spas, in 1829 on that of the monastery of Bigorski. The iconostases of Sv. Spas and Bigorski are considered to be great accomplishments in carving. The luxuriant decoration with various floral and zoomorphic motifs, among which are miniature biblical compositions and numerous figures, was carved with great mastery, in walnut wood, in high relief and in a tracery technique.
The iconostasis of the church of Sv. Nikola in Krushevo, which was burnt down in the Ilinden Uprising, together with the church, was the masterpiece of the rich creativity of this excellent master.
The work of Petre Filipovich (Garka) in the monastery of Rila was also very imortant. Co-operating with the carvers from Samokov, led by Atanas Teledur, the founder of the school in Samokov, the Miyaks again created works of high artistry.
Several members of the Filipovski family from the village of Osoe, in the Mala Reka region, worked as carvers as early as the second half of the eighteenth century. The first carver from this family was Avram, who, as a member of the carving group of Petre Filipovich (Garka), helped in the construction of the iconostasis in the Bigorski monastery, and later, together with his sons Vasil and Filip, made the iconostasis of the church of the Virgin Mary in Skopje.
Avram's sons, Vasil and Filip Avramov, and their company, developed carving on a large scale in western Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo and Bulgaria. They carved not only iconostases, but also ceilings, doors and cupboards in the travellers' quantity of work included parts of the travellers' quarters at the monastery of Yovan Bigorski, and much in Prizren, Gyakovitsa, Prishtina, Skopje, Debar, Ohrid and some places in Pirin and Aegean Macedonia. In the 1890s the whole Filipovski family moved to Bulgaria, where they continued carving in Stara Zagora, Karlobat, Kazanlak and Yambol.
Another old carving family was the Stanishev family from the village of Tresonche, in Mala Reka. The Stanishev family moved to Krushevo around 1770 to escape, like many others, the oppressins of the Turkish troops.
The fourder of the family, Stanish, who lived in the eighteenth century, worked on carving an&icon-painting. His son Gesho Stanishev worked first in the carving company of Renzovtsi-Zografski. Later he founded his own group and worked mainly in Pirin Macedonia, where he died.
The carving tradition of the Stanishevs was continued by Gesho's sons, Dimitar and Andon. However, it was Dimitar Stanishev who received the honour of being regarded as an outstanging master. He developed his handicraft in thitry years of working in the group of Petre Filipovich (Garka). He took part in the construction of the iconostases in the church of the Virgin Mary in Skopje, Sv. Yovan Bigorski, the monastery on Rila and Sv. Nikola in Krushevo. Like many others, having learnt the craft, Dimitar left the group of his master and founded his own, which worked throughout Macedonia, Kosovo and Bulgaria. His independent works are the iconostases of the churches of the Annunciation in Prilep, the Virgin Mary Kamensko in Ohrid, Sv. Dimitriya in Bitola, the churches in the village of Magarevo near Bitola, in Radovish, Sv. Ilija in Dojran, the carvings in the central part of the iconostasis in the monastery of Dechani, the throne of the Miraculous Virgin Mary in the patriarchate of Pech, the sarcophagus for King Stefan Dechanski etc.
Together with his younger brother Andon, Dimitar left for Bulgaria, where he founded a carving workshop in the town of Kalofer and took on the construction of iconostases for two churches there, which had been burnt bu the Turks. For the church of St. Marina in Plovdiv, Dimitar made a bishop's throne, while the iconostasis of the church was the work of Epirus masters from Metsova.
On the numerous iconostases made by Dimitar Stanishev there were hardly any of the human figures which had been so popular and common in earlier carvers'work. The decoration of his iconostases lay in the abundance of floral and zoomorphic motifs. However, the absence of human figures does not lead to the conclusion that Stanishev was not skilful enough to make them, since he successfully carved human figures on the sarcophagus in Dechani and on the throne in Peach. Most probably it was this master's own decision and preference.
There is a long list of names of the Miyak carvers, who worked in almost all parts of the Balkan peninsula in the last century and left their homes and families for a long time.
The carving tradition continued also in the second half of the nineteenth cetury, although it was of lower intensity and quality. Interest in the construction of
carved iconostases declined, so that only holy doors and bishops' thrones were made. The crisis in carving caused the separation of and emphasis on frescopainting. The increasing number of fresco-painting groups accepted a wide range of decorative work in the form of paintings on iconostases, choirs and walls of large churches. However, the strong carving tradition was not destroyed by the significant though temporary crisis, since the activity of the Miyak master-carvers also continued outside Macedonia, i.e. in Bulgaria, Kosovo, as well as in some parts of Serbia and Greece....More from the book - The Carving Centeres In Macedonia.

By Dimitar Kiornakov

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