ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE PROSEK, DEMIR KAPIJA

Prosek, also called the archaeological site Kale or Strezov Grad, - an archaeological site from ancient and medieval times. The site is a fortified city/settlement that was ruled by the nobleman Dobromir Hrs, in the late 12th to the early 13th century.
The archaeological site Kale - Strezov Grad is located between Demir Kapija and Chelevec, i.e. in the Demirkapija Gorge, near the flow of Chelevechka River into Vardar river, on its left side. The site is on the very limestone rocks that created the gorge.
The city was mentioned in written documents and sources for the first time in 1019 in a charter of the Byzantine emperor Basil II. In these documents, Prosek belonged to the Bishopric of Meglen, under the Archbishopric of Ohrid.
During the archaeological research in the medieval fortress Prosek in the locality of Markova Kula, village of Koreshnica, half of a lead seal was discovered in 2016. After extensive analysis, it was determined that the seal belonged to George Ineot, a sevast and parakymomen from the retinue of the Byzantine emperor Alexius III Angelus. George Ineot is also mentioned in the work ``History`` by Nikita Honiat with the events related to the siege of Prosek and the unsuccessful attempt of the Byzantine army to capture the fortress.
In the chronicle written by Jovan Skilica in late 11th century, he mentions that Basil II passed by here in 1014 to go to Samuel's capital Ohrid.
The city of Prosek experienced its greatest rise when it became a central place during the reign of Dobromir Hrs in 12th century.
The monastery was built as a small church in the period between 1695 and 1705 by the monk Michael with the help and protection of Ago-beg of Veles. The year of the construction of the monastery is also confirmed by the bronze seal of the monastery (Orle), which does not exist as such a monastery anywhere, but in its content the name ``St. Archangel Michael`` and the image of Archangel Michael is included. The year 1705 is also engraved around the handle of the seal. The master of the seal was Simon Kostadinov, who is also the writer of the inscription.
In the second half of the 19th century, the old monastery church was restored, renovated and painted by the painter Hadji Krste in 1861, and thus got its present shape and appearance. Then the monastery got a new domed church, lights and a big high bell tower next to it.
Today, in the Museum of Macedonia in Skopje there is a larger group of fragments of fresco painting from the middle 15th century which originates from this monastery. Тhe representations of three bishops painted in medallions аре from the altar space of the former church. The first among them is the great wonderworker Saint Spyridon, Bishop of Cypriot Trimythous; next to him is painted a bishop whose signature has completely disappeared, and in the third medallion St. Methodius is painted. From the same church, from the part around the altar partition, come the representations of the highly respected bishop of Christ, St. Nicholas and the figure of the famous monk, the founder of Egyptian monasticism - St. Antony.
The church ``St. Archangel Michael`` is the main monastery church. It was built in 1861 by Andreja Damjanov, one of the greatest builders of sacred buildings in the Balkans. In 1981, the church was declared a monument of culture, while in 2013 a decision was made to completely rehabilitate the building and the icons, which were damaged by the barbaric behavior of the newly arrived residents, after the departure of the Turkish population, in the village of Vodovrati.