The basilica near  village of Oktisi – Struga vicinity

Not far from Struga, another early-Christian basilica has been found, near the village Oktisi. The excavations have been commenced ever since 1927, and continued in 1958. The basilica is three-naval, with a narthex and baptistery, it is dated around the 5^th or 6^th century. The baptistery, which has square basis, is abundant with mosaics with the images of: deer, horses, cantharoses, flowers and trees.

What captivates the greatest attention is the mosaic placed in the narthex.

In a rectangular space marked with a double plait, the subsequent composition has been painted: from the left and from the right side there is a decoration performed by rectangular and rhomboid fields. The central composition represents a façade of a building, frontally with four pillars with a scene – cantharos flanked with two birds drinking water, and between the pillars there is an icon lamp hanging.

In front of the façade, there is a cantharos where two lambs drink water – a composition that portrays an allusion of the heavenly habitats. In other words the complete composition designates the “Spring of life” – the Fountain of life, which reminds us of the analogous illustrations of the Fountain of life in the Carolinian manuscripts.

G. Angeličin - Žura

 About the churches in Macedonia

© Vertikala - progressive ideas and technologies

 The hosting of this web-site is sponsored by

All rights reserved. Any reproduction of the content or any of its parts or any modification, in any form or by any method, known or yet to be invented,  for any use besides private, without prior written permission by the authors is prohibited.