Surge of Donations for St Jovan Bigorski Monastery

Aid for the reconstruction of incinerated "St. Jovan Bigorski" monastery is arriving from everywhere, however the funds collected so far are not sufficient because large-scale overhaul is necessary, father Dositej of the St. Jovan Bigorski monastery tells media.
Damaged parts of the monastery, as well as waste are at the moment being cleared by local firms, but father Dositej deems more assistance with better equipment is needed.
As donations are being collected, relevant institutions coordinate on future actions after the site is cleared. A coordination body on the monastery's reconstruction met yesterday and reached a conclusion experts from the Seismology Institution, Faculty of Construction and National Conservation Center to examine the stability of existing walls and to decide on what can be preserved.
According to initial findings, the fire which broke out as a result of failure in power and gas installation caused a damage worth at EUR 5,5 million and destroyed items of priceless historic, cultural value. St. Jovan Bigorski monastery is dedicated to St. Jovan Krstitel (Saint John the Baptist). It is located on the road between Gostivar and Debar, at a the beautiful valley of the river Radika among the villages of Rostushe, Velebrdo, Bitushe and Trebishta. The monastery is named Bigorski, because it is made of tufa (tufa in Macedonian is called Bigor).