Some 26km northwest of Prilep, towards Makedonski Brod, the 14th-century Zrze Monastery of the Holy Transfiguration rises like a revelation from a clifftop. The monastery's tranquil position around a spacious lawn, with views over the outstretched Pelagonian Plain, is stunning. At dawn, a low-lying fog sometimes shrouds the plain in a marblelike haze.
During Ottoman times, Zrze underwent periods of abandonment, rebuilding and plunder, but it remained an important spiritual centre. Its 17th-century Church of Saints Peter and Paul contains significant frescoes and icons. Visitors today can enjoy coffee with the kind monks and a tour of the church. While the museum in Skopje houses Zrze's most famous icon, the Holy Mother of God Pelagonitsa (1422), a large copy remains in the church. On the adjacent hillside, excavations continue on Zrze's precursor: a 5th-century basilica.
Zrze is about three hours south of Skopje by car. The nearest big town is Prilep. From Prilep, take the road towards Makedonski Brod and turn at Ropotovo, following signs for Sv. Preobraženie Manastir XIV Vek. You'll pass through three villages as the road worsens, and then you'll have a long drive through tobacco fields along a stretch of unsurfaced road, until you see the monastery on the hillside ahead of you. Leave your car near the deserted Zrze village, beneath the mountain (unless it's a 4WD). From here it's a 1km walk uphill to the monastery. There is no public transport.
