This is an relatively easy hike of about 8 km and 350 m height difference. We had visited the Monastery of St Pantelejmon before in the past, but we had just arrived in Skopje from the Netherlands and thought this would be a good hike to train our lazy legs for the more strenuous hikes later during our holiday.
There is enough free parking space at the beginning of this hike. Also, the hike start at the beginning of bus line 57 (Nerezi -Radisani) in case you don’t have your own transportation.
Dolno (Lower) Nerezi is a neighbourhood in the south of Skopje, at the foot of Mount Vodno. Gorno (Upper) Nerezi is located on Mount Vodno itself.
The Monastery of St Pantelejmon is famous for its church from 1164, and especially for the frescoes in the church. They are said to be the first examples of the Renaissance, allegedly long before it started in the West! In the famous fresco “Lamentation of Christ” feelings and emotions are painted: weeping angels and the Virgin Mary overwhelmed by despair. Even if you’re not that much into churches and frescoes, this one is worthwhile to visit.
The church and the story about the Renaissance is also mentioned in the book “De bruiloft der zeven zigeuners” (The wedding of the seven gypsies) written in 1971 by the Dutch writer A. den Doolaard. A must-read love story for Dutch visitors!
The first part of the walk offers some nice views of Skopje. It starts on asphalt, then unpaved road followed by a forest trail which was a bit steep and demanding. We were happy to see the brutalist towers of the Goce Delchev Student Dormitory which we visited a day earlier during our Skopje Modernist and Brutalist Architecture City Walk.
Opposite to the monastery there is a the “Macedonian Village”, a complex of hotels and restaurants built in traditional 19th- and 20th-century Macedonian architectural style. It is supposed to house several workshops where visitors can experience traditional crafts. Unfortunately it was closed, possibly due to the corona pandemic (2021).
We spend some time in the Monastery, having lunch and visiting the church at ease, before we walked back, downhill to our starting point.
The urban character and walking on asphalt makes this a 3 star walk, with the Church of St Pantelejmon as a rewarding highlight.
After this hike we drove to Markovi Kuli, the ruins of an ancient fortress on the east slope of Mount Vodno.
You can view and download the GPS track of this hike here: https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/dolno-nerezi-st-pantelejmon-monastery-80608430
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