Botun Dormition monastery marks 30 years since restoration and consecration

On Sunday, 13 September 2026, the village of Botun will mark the 30th anniversary of the restoration and consecration of the monastery church Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God (1996–2026). The celebration begins at 7:30 with Resurrection Matins and a Holy Hierarchical Liturgy led in the presence of His Eminence Metropolitan Georgij of Debar–Kichevo, followed by a communal celebration.

History and heritage

The Botun monastery stands on the south‑eastern slopes of Karaorman mountain, about two kilometres from the village of Botun on a wide plateau that commands views over the villages of Dolna Debrca. Research indicates the medieval monastery was likely razed during the Brsjachka buna of 1880–1881, a revolt in which settlements from the Debrca area took part.

Botun was historically responsible for the only safe caravan bridge across the Sateska river; its guardians from the village served as dervendjis and were exempt from certain taxes. The bridge lay on the Debar–Prilep road that ran through Malesija, across Debrca and onward toward Demir Hisar. The Austro‑Hungarian traveller Ami Boue passed that route in 1838 and spent the night in Botun.

Only one object from the old monastery is known to have been saved intact: the icon of the Mother of God called "Secarica", which is preserved today in the church of Saint Athanasius (built in 1854) that was later renamed Presveta Bogorodica after its frescoing in 1895. An inscription discovered in 2021 showed the icon to be the work of the noted painter Trpo Zograf of Korça, who painted it in November 1806 and donated it for his salvation.

Work to rebuild the present church began in 1992 upon the ruins of the larger original monastic temple; locals had long protected the spot of the altar, covering the holy table with large stone slabs and praying there. During construction several graves from different periods were uncovered. The current church was completed in 1996 and consecrated on 06 October 1996 by the late Metropolitan Timotej of Debar–Kichevo. The frescoes and the major icons on the iconostasis are the work of the Serbian painter Lazar Lečić.

The 30th‑year commemoration on 13 September will gather clergy and worshippers from the region to recall both the site’s medieval roots and its modern revival, and to honour the artistic and spiritual treasures that survived centuries of upheaval.

Photo: press material from the event