Plaošnik

The Plaošnik complex sits on a terrace just below Samuel's Fortress, a few minutes' walk above the old town. The site contains the rebuilt Church of Saints Clement and Panteleimon, foundations of an Early Christian basilica with a beautifully preserved 5th-century mosaic floor, and a small visitor centre covering the history of Clement's school.

The mosaics — birds, fruit, geometric patterns — are visible through glass panels and protective shelters. The church itself, although new, follows the layout of the medieval original and is one of the holiest sites in the Macedonian Orthodox tradition. The terrace gives a good view of the old town and lake below.

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A story
Clement of Ohrid, a disciple of Saints Cyril and Methodius, founded a monastic school here in 893 — by some accounts one of the first universities in Europe. The school developed the Cyrillic alphabet and trained the first generation of Slavic clergy, sending them out to christianise the Bulgarian and Serbian Slavic lands. The original Church of Saint Pantelejmon collapsed during the Ottoman period; the rebuilt church on the same foundations was consecrated in 2002.

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