Berovo ( mk, Берово, ) is a small town near the
Maleševo Mountains, from
Skopje
Skopje ( , , ; mk, Скопје ; sq, Shkup) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre.
The territory of Skopje has been inhabited since at least 4000 BC; r ...
, from
Strumica
Strumica ( mk, Струмица, ) is the largest city[2002 census results](_blank)
in English and Macedon ...
and from
Kočani
Kočani ( mk, Кочани ) is a town in the eastern part of North Macedonia, situated around east from Skopje. It has a population of 28,330 and is the seat of the Kočani Municipality.
Geography and population
The town spreads across the Nort ...
, in
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
.
It is the seat of
Berovo Municipality
Berovo ( mk, Берово ) is a municipality in eastern part of Republic of North Macedonia. ''Berovo'' is also the name of the town where the municipal seat is found. Berovo Municipality is part of the Eastern Statistical Region.
Geography
The ...
.
Demographics
According to the 2002 census, the town had a total of 7,002 inhabitants.
[ Ethnic groups in the village include:][Macedonian Census (2002)]
''Book 5 - Total population according to the Ethnic Affiliation, Mother Tongue and Religion''
The State Statistical Office, Skopje, 2002, p. 68.
History
In the late 19th and early 20th century, Berovo was part of the Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
. As a result of the Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...
, the town was included in the area ceded in 1913 to the Kingdom of Serbia
The Kingdom of Serbia ( sr-cyr, Краљевина Србија, Kraljevina Srbija) was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Princi ...
, which in 1918 joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
(renamed Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...
in 1929). From 1929 to 1941, Berovo was part of the Vardar Banovina
The Vardar Banovina, or Vardar Banate ( mk, Вардарска бановина, Vardarska banovina; sr, Вардарска бановина, translit=Vardarska Banovina; al, Banovina e Vardarit, italics=no), was a province (banate) of the King ...
of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Kraljevina Jugoslavija, Краљевина Југославија; sl, Kraljevina Jugoslavija) was a state in Southeast Europe, Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 unt ...
. From 1941 to 1944, during the Axis occupation of Yugoslavia
World War II in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia began on 6 April 1941, when the country was swiftly conquered by Axis forces and partitioned between Germany, Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria and their client regimes. Shortly after Germany attacked the US ...
, Berovo, as most of Vardar Macedonia
Vardar Macedonia ( Macedonian and sr, Вардарска Македонија, ''Vardarska Makedonija'') was the name given to the territory of the Kingdom of Serbia (1912–1918) and Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1918–1941) roughly corresponding to t ...
, was annexed by the Kingdom of Bulgaria
The Tsardom of Bulgaria ( bg, Царство България, translit=Tsarstvo Balgariya), also referred to as the Third Bulgarian Tsardom ( bg, Трето Българско Царство, translit=Treto Balgarsko Tsarstvo, links=no), someti ...
.
Name
According to the first version, Berovo got its name from a cattle breeder called Bero. An argument for this is the existence of the so-called Berovo meadow, in the area between the villages Mačevo and Robovo, which is considered to belong to this breeder.
According to the second version, which is more probable, the name Berovo came from the fact that people rallied at that place, i.e. got its name from the syllable
A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds typically made up of a syllable nucleus (most often a vowel) with optional initial and final margins (typically, consonants). Syllables are often considered the phonological "bu ...
s оf the word rally in Macedonian. The question arises where the population came from. It is believed they came from the old settlements in the area of Turtela, Selca, Ribnica, Razdolo, Klepalo, Dobri Laki and others, and later from other Maleshevo villages. These are located in the eastern part of Macedonia in the area of Maleshevo, i.e. the Maleshevo Valley. A wealth of beech
Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...
, pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...
, oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
forests was determined by its name "Malesh - mountain". The municipal center Berovo and the rural
In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...
settlements are located on the outskirts of the valley.
Climate
Berovo, which is part of the Maleshevo Valley, has a humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
with climate modification in the high mountainous and lowland parts. The city has significantly lower average annual air temperature
Atmospheric temperature is a measure of temperature at different levels of the Earth's atmosphere. It is governed by many factors, including insolation, incoming solar radiation, humidity and altitude. When discussing surface air temperature, the ...
than the areas at the same altitude
Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...
in the wider part of the valley. At an altitude of 800 m, the average annual temperature is 11.1 °C, and in Berovo 8.7 °C. The coldest month is January with an average temperature of -10 °C, and the warmest month is July, with an average temperature of + 18 °C. The average annual minimum temperature is 2.8 °C, and the average maximum temperature is 15.3 °C. The most precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. ...
is in May and June, as well as in November, and the driest months are August and September.
The average annual rainfall is 672 mm / m3. The main maximum falls in May, on average around 76.8 mm / m3, and the secondary in November -64.3 mm / m3. The main minimum is in August, with an average of 37.6 mm / m3, and the secondary in February. The number of rainy days per year is 118. In the average annual amount of precipitation, the snow
Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes.
It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...
occupies about 15% and occurs from October to May. On average, there are 42.2 days of snow per year.
The relative humidity
Humidity is the concentration of water vapor present in the air. Water vapor, the gaseous state of water, is generally invisible to the human eye. Humidity indicates the likelihood for precipitation, dew, or fog to be present.
Humidity depe ...
decreases from January to August, then increases from December, and the average humidity is 76%. The average annual duration of solar radiation
Solar irradiance is the power per unit area (surface power density) received from the Sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of the measuring instrument.
Solar irradiance is measured in watts per square metre (W/m ...
is 2.347 hours or 6.4 hours per day, with a maximum in July of 10.2 hours per day, and a minimum in December of 3 hours per day. In the Berovo Valley fog is rare, only about 8.4 foggy days on average. The appearance of hail
Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It is distinct from ice pellets (American English "sleet"), though the two are often confused. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is called a hailstone. Ice pellets generally fal ...
is rare, on average 2.9 days occur with hail. Frostbite is less frequent and occurs 70 days a year, from September to May. Winds from all 8 world directions appear in the Berovo Valley, but the northern one prevails, with a frequency of 147% and a speed of 2.4 m / sec., which is most present in January, February and March.
Culture
Monastery of the Holy Archangel Michael
The first monastery in Berovo was built between 1815 until it was consecrated in 1818. Enlightener Joachim Krcovski was among those present at the consecration. Historical data concerning the construction of the church and the monastery is inconclusive, but it is known that circumstances were very difficult.
In the early 19th century Berovo was a rural settlement with around two hundred houses and one small church that had fallen into decay. The inhabitants at the time decided to have a new church built at the site known as Mogila. The parish priest, Friar Peco
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the ...
, was assigned to obtain a building permit from the Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
authorities in Radoviš
Radoviš ( mk, Радовиш ) is a city in the southeastern part of North Macedonia. It is the second largest city in the southeastern region. The city is the seat of Radoviš Municipality, which is spread on the bottom of Plačkovica Mountai ...
. The Turkish governor Vali gave a building permit but made sure to set conditions for construction of the church as difficult as possible. The church was to be built low, below the road level and not to be seen, construction was to end in forty days, and Fr Peco was to give his youngest daughter, Sultana, to the harem
Harem (Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A hare ...
. The people of the town prevailed and the church building was finished and covered with stone blocks, soot, and lime (so as not to be noticed) in 40 days. Seeing that the church had been completed, Vali immediately ordered the deaths of three church elders in front of the church, and since Sultana had fled to Kyustendil
Kyustendil ( bg, Кюстендил ) is a town in the far west of Bulgaria, the capital of the Kyustendil Province, a former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see.
The town is situated in the southern part of the Kyustendil Valley, ...
, Friar Peco was imprisoned for three years. When Sultana found out that Vali had been murdered by komitas
Soghomon Soghomonian, ordained and commonly known as Komitas, ( hy, Կոմիտաս; 22 October 1935) was an Armenian priest, musicologist, composer, arranger, singer, and choirmaster, who is considered the founder of the Armenian national scho ...
, she promptly returned to Berovo.
Convent
The first convent, located at the exit from Berovo leading to the dam and the lake, was built in 1940 in a 19th-century architectural opus, twenty years after the construction of the Monastery of the Holy Archangel Michael, and the first nuns were the daughter-in-law and the daughter of Friar Risto
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders founded in the twelfth or thirteenth century; the term distinguishes the mendicants' itinerant apostolic character, exercised broadly under the jurisdiction of a superior general, from the o ...
, a son-in-law of Friar Peco. They had their monastic tonsure (removal of the hair of the head) with a blessing from the Rila Monastery
The Monastery of Saint John of Rila, also known as Rila Monastery "Sveti Ivan Rilski" ( bg, Рилски манастир „Свети Иван Рилски“), is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situat ...
's abbott. Eugenia I was the first abbess of the convent, the second – Eugenia II, the third – Eugenia III, and the fourth abbess was Eulampia in 1958 by the first Archbishop of Ohrid
Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the List of cities in North Macedonia, eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording ...
, Dositheus. At its peak, in the first half of the twentieth century, the convent numbered up to sixty nuns, with a rich and developed economy, a theological seminary, a weaving mill, and the first single-phase hydro-power plant in this area was in the convent.
The three gates of the church face the town, the river and the pine forest. A large porch dominates the convent yard and in the dimness of its interior oil lamps lighten images of saints, painted in a characteristic style that is antonymic to Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
canons. Only one icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...
, that of Noah
Noah ''Nukh''; am, ኖህ, ''Noḥ''; ar, نُوح '; grc, Νῶε ''Nôe'' () is the tenth and last of the pre-Flood patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5– ...
, painted by George Veljanov from Strumica
Strumica ( mk, Струмица, ) is the largest city[2002 census results](_blank)
in English and Macedon ...
in 1818. From 1897 to 1920 the painter Gavril Atanasov
Gavril Atanasov ( bg, Гаврил Атанасов) (1863–1951) was a prominent Bulgarian icon painter in the 19th century from Berovo (Malesh region), in Ottoman Vardar Macedonia (present-day North Macedonia). His father was from Krušev ...
also worked in the convent. The icon of the Dormition of the Theotokos
The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches (except the East Syriac churches). It celebrates the "falling asleep" (death) of Mary the ''Theotokos'' ("Mother of G ...
was painted by Gregory Pecanov from Strumica in 1878. The residential quarters are of a free-style construction. They attract with the warmth of the wood used, shaped in a 19th-century old-urban style.
Four sisters who came from the Veljusa monastery live together with the last nun of the previous lineage. The sisterhood of the convent is active in Byzantine style icon painting. The beginnings of the renewal of fresco painting in Macedonian monasteries was started by the sisterhood.
The Hesychast
Hesychasm (; Greek: Ησυχασμός) is a contemplative monastic tradition in the Eastern Orthodox Church in which stillness (''hēsychia'') is sought through uninterrupted Jesus prayer. While rooted in early Christian monasticism, it took it ...
ic (14th century Greek sect of Christianity) monastery typikon functions as a place of prayer, a holy hesychasterion. The upper floor of the church was recently turned into a small chapel dedicated to St. Gregory Palamas.
Local Politics
As of the municipal elections 2017, the new mayor of Berovo is Zvonko Pekevski.
Sports
Local football club FK Maleš
OFK Malesh ( mk, ОФК Малеш) is a football club from Berovo, North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Eu ...
play in the Macedonian Third League (Southeast Division).
Twin cities
* Brus
Brus ( sr-cyr, Брус, ) is a town and municipality located in the Rasina District of southern Serbia. According to the 2011 census, the population of the town is 4,572, while the population of the municipality is 16,293. It is located at above ...
, Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
People from Berovo
Notes
References
External links
Official Berovo Website
Virtual Berovo Website
{{Authority control
Towns in North Macedonia
Berovo Municipality