Today, the Holy Bigorski Monastery of St. John the Baptist received two restored processional crosses from its precious collection of antiquities. These unique relics, created by the legendary Bigorski iconographers Michael and his son, Hieromonk Daniel, were entrusted to the Abbot of the Monastery, His Grace Bishop Parthenius of Antania, by representatives from the National Conservation Center – Skopje. Of particular significance is the fact that among them were the senior conservators Jehona Spahiu Janchevska and Nevenka Velichkovska, who dedicated great effort and exceptional expertise to the conservation and restoration of these crosses, personally delivering them to the monastery. They were warmly welcomed by our Elder and Abbot, His Grace Bishop Parthenius, who expressed profound gratitude for their professional and painstaking work, as well as for their love and dedication to the preservation of this sacred heritage. He also conveyed his satisfaction with the highly professional and scholarly approach taken throughout the entire process.
Specifically, these are:
- Processional Cross – Crucifixion/Theophany, reg. no. 23369, and
- Processional Cross – Crucifixion/Transfiguration, reg. no. 23370.
Both processional crosses date back to the 1840s. The iconography is attributed to the iconographers Michael and Daniel from Samarina, while the woodcarving is believed to have been crafted by the Mijak woodcarvers.
The conservation and restoration works on the two processional crosses were carried out by the expert team from the National Conservation Center – Skopje. The head of the conservation research and the Conservation and Restoration Project is Dr. Jehona Spahiu Janchevska, an art historian and senior conservator, while the head of the direct protection, that is, the conservation and restoration works, is M.A. Nevenka Velichkovska, a painter and senior conservator. The expert team also included Igor Kavkaleski, painter and conservator; Andrej Anastasov Daskalovski, graphic artist and conservator; Viktor Irvin Ivanov, photographer; and Nikola Angelovski, carpenter, all employees of the National Conservation Center – Skopje.
The conservation and restoration interventions included work on the support structure, the carving, the base, the painted layer, the gilding, the protective layer, and the metal holders. The broken parts of the carving were returned to their original places, and minimal restoration interventions were made to restore a particular broken carved rose. The retouching was carried out in collaboration between the painter-conservator and the art historian. The metal holders were straightened and coated for protection. During the direct protection phase, custom pedestals with holders were made, which were a donation from the expert team.
The two processional crosses share stylistic and chronological proximity with other works, particularly with two other processional crosses, also from the Bigorski Monastery of St. John the Baptist, attributed to the iconographers Michael and Daniel from Samarina and the Mijak woodcarvers. These two processional crosses will now be part of the rich monastery treasury with its millennia-long history.
It is noteworthy that, by divine providence, the crosses were returned to the Bigorski Monastery just before the feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-giving Cross – Cross Day.
