Byzantine Rock Paintings

The rocky shores of Macro Prespa are scattered with Byzantine frescoes painted directly onto cliff faces — images of saints, Christ, and the Virgin painted by the hermit monks who lived in caves and rock-cut chapels around the lake from the 10th century onwards. The paintings survive in varying condition, some remarkably intact given their age and outdoor exposure.

The best way to see them is by boat from Psarades. The boatmen who run trips on the lake know the locations of the main paintings and can bring you close enough to appreciate them. Several can also be reached on foot along trails from the village, though the paths are not always signposted. A combined boat trip and short walk typically covers the main sites in two to three hours.

things to do sight
A story
The hermit monks who painted on the lake cliffs chose their sites with an eye for inaccessibility as much as beauty. Some of the paintings can only be seen from the water; others require climbing or scrambling to reach. They date from the 10th to 13th centuries, when this remote corner of Macedonia was a significant centre of Byzantine monastic life, with dozens of hermitages and small monasteries scattered through the lakeside rocks and forests.