Oktisi

Oktisi
Oktisi

Oktisi is a small village in the mountains on the north-west part of Lake Ohrid. It is not far from Struga, and along the road to Vevchani.

Allegedly, there is an ancient fortress or possibly a stopping place of the old Roman road Via Egnatia in the hills above Oktisi, called Vajtos Kale. Some say it used to be the 8th stopping place of the old Roman road Via Egnatia, but it seems to be a bit out of the route that the Via Egnatia is believed to follow (via Struga to Ohrid). See here for a more detailed description of Vajtos and how to reach it. You have more chance to see parts of the real Via Egnatia near Radozda.

Church of Nikolas

Church of St Nikolas in Oktisi
Church of St Nikolas

The Church of St Nikola lies slightly outside the center of Oktisi. Take the road to the right if you are standing in front of the mosque in Oktisi. On the church’s grounds you can find the ruins of an Early Christian Basilica from the 5th-6th century.

Ruins of an early Christian Basilica at the church of St Nikola in Oktisi
Ruins of an Early Christian Basilica

The excavations of this early Christian Basilica started in 1927. The basilica has a three naval shape, with a narthex and a baptistery with a square basis. It dates from the 4th or 5th century. 

Ruins of the baptistery

According to some guides, there should be mosaics of deer, horses, kanthroses (drinking cups), flowers, trees and geometric ornamentation on the baptistery. The narthex should show a mosaic of a building with four pillars with a scene of akantharos, flanked by two birds drinking water. Between the pillars hangs an icon lamp, and in front of the facade, there is a kantharos from which two lambs drink. However, when we were here in 2009, there was no sign of mosaics.

Mosaics in the Miladinov Brothers Memorial House in Struga
Mosaics in the Miladinov Brothers Memorial House in Struga

When we visited the Memorial House of the Miladinov Brothers in Struga, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that the mosaics had been moved to this museum!

Watermill

Old watermill in Oktisi
Old watermill in Oktisi

On the other side of the road opposite to the Church of St Nikola, there are the ruins of a watermill.

Mosque

Mosque in Oktisi
Mosque in Oktisi

Jankov Kamen

When we tried to do the hike from Oktisi to Vevcani, described in the Bradt Travel Guide Macedonia by Thammy Evans (second edition), we lost the right trail and ended up at Jankov Kamen (Janko’s Stone), a picnic place located between the two villages. The picnic place is abundant in water and located on the slopes of the Jablanica Mountain, at an altitude of 1250 m. Besides picnic tables, there is a mountain house and fireplaces for the preparation of food.

Jankov Kamen picnic place
Jankov Kamen picnic place

You will also pass through Jankov Kamen if you do the 20 km hike from Vevchani to Lake Lokva, one of my favorite hikes in Macedonia.