Bukovo Monastery – Holy Transfiguration of Christ (Буковски Манастир) is located in a beautiful mountain area near the villages Bukovo and Krstoar in Bitola region.
The monastery history is very scant, but there are some data that suggest that it was built on the foundations of an older church.
The monastery church was built in 1837, in 1845 the monastery had two monks and in 1865 there was only one abbot.
Today the monastery is maintained by the local population.
In the middle of the monastery is located the church and from the old monastic enclosure walls and the main gate, only small portion was preserved. The old monastery lodgings were built southwest of the church, and they were recently renovated.
Due to the proximity of city of Bitola, the clean air and water and the picturesque mountain scenery, the monastery today is one of the most visited sites for picnic near Bitola.
The monastery was one of the favorite locations of the diplomatic corps in Bitola during Ottoman Empire, particularly the Russian Consul Alexander Arkadievich Rostkovski, who was killed by a Turkish soldier in 1903, when he was returning from the monastery in his residence in Bitola.
How to get to Bukovo Monastery
Up to the monastery leads an asphalt road through the village Krstoar and “Krstoar Monastery” in length approximately 6 km (3.7 miles) from Bitola. Much of this road (4km) is paved and is in relatively good condition, up to Krstoar Monastery. The rest of the road with a length of 2 km is a dirt road, which is in relatively good condition.
Also the monastery can be reached by foot (~ 20 min) through Bukovo village up to which also leads an asphalt road.
Photos: Macedonia Postcards
