Cebren (Чебрен, Chebren) monastery complex in the past the was one of the richest and most famous monasteries in Mariovo and the wider region.
Its location and the fact that during Ottoman rule the region of Mariovo didn’t had Islamization of the population, were the prime factors why this monastery was one of the richest in Macedonia. This can be seen from the impressive base remains of the old temple St. Dimitrij (Св. Димитриј, Sv. Dimitrij) (XV cent), from which only the altar part remained and in smaller dimension the present object was built around it.
The monastery owned watermills with 12 millstones, livestock, fields, pastures, and large forest areas. From the written documents we can see that the monastery in the XIX century had a cell school in old Slavonic language. This school was a base for new teachers and priests for the villages in Mariovo.
The church Holy Salvation (Св. Спас, Sv. Spas)as part of this monastery is known by its frescos dated back since XVI century.
The Chebren monastery complex is located on the flow of Crna (Black) River 5,5 km distant from village Zovich. Left before village Zovik it’s approximately 1 hour drive on a road appropriate only for terrain vehicles. Another possibility is the hiking road trough the picturesque nature, which depending on weather conditions takes approximately 1 h 30 min.
The monastery celebrates the holiday “Gjurgjovden” (May 5 and 6).
