The Church of the Ascension of Jesus ( mk, Црква „Св. Спас“) is an Eastern Orthodox church in Skopje, North Macedonia. It is situated east of

Kale Fortress The Skopje Fortress ( mk, Скопско кале, translit=Skopsko kale; ; tr, Üsküp Kalesi), commonly referred to as Kale (from '' kale'', the Turkish word for 'fortress'), is a historic fortress located in the old town of Skopje, the capit ...

. The church was built in the mid-16th century and is three-nave, with the middle vessel arched and flat pages covered with gains in domes. In the west is the gallery for women. On the south wall, above the present level of the floor during the repair of the church year 1963-64 was discovered a flat painting dating from the 16th-17th century. During the 19th century the church was given the final look. In 1824 the iconostasis was completed and in 1867 it was part of the throne icons. The iconostasis and icons were made by cooperatives and traders from Skopje. The Eastern Orthodox congregation under Ottomans was included in a specific community under Greek domination. With the rise of nationalism, the Bulgarian population of the area voted in 1874 overwhelmingly, by 91% in favour of joining the

Bulgarian Exarchate The Bulgarian Exarchate ( bg, Българска екзархия, Balgarska ekzarhiya; tr, Bulgar Eksarhlığı) was the official name of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church before its autocephaly was recognized by the Ecumenical See in 1945 and th ...

. This remained so until 1890 when it was taken back by the Greek priests. In 1901 the church was taken from the Serb community and became the seat of the Skopje Metropolitan, Firmilijan and his successors.N. Makuljević, ''Umetnost i nacionalna ideja u 19. veku'', Belgrade 2006, p. 321 The door for entering in the yard is heavy and made from oak. In the yard is a white

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...

containing the remains of the revolutionary Gotse Delchev.

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16th-century churches Eastern Orthodox church buildings in North Macedonia Buildings and structures in Skopje Old Bazaar, Skopje Archbishopric of Ohrid {{RMacedonia-church-stub