Monument to St Kliment unveiled in Ohrid

The 6,5 meter high monument, designed by the academic sculptor Tome Serafimovski, is placed on a pedestal. It depicts St. Kliment as holding the city of Ohrid in his hand.

Instead of the ex-President Kiro Gligorov, who was unable to attend the ceremony due to illness, the monument was unveiled by the Academicians Cvetan Grozdanov and Tome Serafimovski, the Mayor of Ohrid Aleksandar Petreski and the sponsor Zoran Zelenikoski.

Macedonian businessman Zoran Zelenikoski, who provided 300.000 euros for covering the costs for creating the monument, said that he intended it as a bestowment to Macedonia for everything his homeland has given to him.

"I've been living abroad for 15 years, however, I come home once a year. This donation is my way of expressing gratitude to my home country for everything it gave me", said Zelenikoski, who lives and works in Ukraine. He added that it would make him happy, if citizens accepted the monument, which should symbolize the strong bond of Christian Orthodoxy with the Macedonian culture.

Metropolitans Timotej and Agatangel carried out the monument consecration ceremony, after performing a liturgy on the occasion of the Day of Sts Kliment and Pantelejmon in the monastery church of Plaoshnik and consecration of the new mosaics.