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The Monastery of St. John Bigorski |
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The Monastery of St. John Bigorski
 The Monastery of St. John the Forerunner, known as the Bigor Monastery, is situated in a picturesque setting on the slopes of Mount Bistra and in the valley of the River Radika on the road which links Debar with Gostivar.
A well-preserved monastic complex, it is a cultural and historical monument of outstanding value which in the past played a significant role in the development of culture and education. According to recorded information, its founding is linked to the period of the 11th century, when a considerable number of monastic foundations made their appearance in Macedonia.
 The reconstruction of the monastery, which is seen in the buildings which form is complex today, is linked to the close of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century.
The buildings that compose the monastery complex have in large measure preserved in original appearance both in general outline and in matter of detail. The architecture is seen to best advantage from within the courtyard towards which the facades of all the other buildings with their open balconies, verandahs and arcades are oriented. The complex which they form is enhanced by the natural surroundings, with an abundance of greenery and water, in which the river Radika the dominate feature.
The principal facilities required of a monastery complex for the conduct of religious services, for the life of the monks, the reception of guest and economic activities are present in this monastery.
The outstanding feature of the complex is the monastic church dedicated to St.John the Forerunner.
 Inside of the church are the best wood-carvings: the iconostasis and the Episcopal and the Prior's thrones. They completed in 1835 and they are work of Petre Filipovic, known as Garkata, and his team of woodcarvers from the village of Gari in the Lesser Reka district and the several master-carvers and assistants from other woodcarving family teams, the Firkovci from Galicnik and the Filipovci from Osoj, who were likewise Mijaks, also took part in the work of carving.
The iconostasis of the Monastery of St. Jonh at Bigor is a monumental piece of woodcarving executed by Mijak carves In its architectonics it is comparable to the two-decked iconostases which are to be found first on Mt. Athos and later through tout the Balkan Peninsula.
he use of the human figure, individually and in the scenes and compositions which dominate in the Bigor iconostasis, makes it rare for its time in the Balkans, even including Mt.Atos the number of human figures is small. For these reason the Mijak woodcarvers have rightly achieved the fame of being the best and most highly sought-after in the whole of Balkan Peninsula.
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