The fresco painting in this church represents some of the first works of the most prestigious medieval painters Michael and Eutychios. Their dramatic expressiveness was the basis of the new trend in Byzantine art from this epoch, called “The Renaissance of the Paleologues”, which was the last chapter of the Byzantine art. On the walls of this church, with extraordinary vitality, power, and obvious emotions, they have painted scenes from the life of the Mother of God and Jesus Christ.

According to recent excavations by Macedonian archaeologists, it was contended that this fortress was built on the place of an earlier fortification, dated to the 4th century BC, which was probably built by King Philip II of Macedon.

There are remains from different periods, from the Age of Bronze to the Middle Ages. The remarkable epoch of the Early Christianity left its traces in form of an Christian basilicas with magnificent floor mosaics revealing the secrets of the spiritual life of the population. At the end of the 9th century the first Slavic Archbishop and creator of the Cyrillic alphabet, St Clement, came to this area where he started a strong educational and literary activity. He opened the first Slavic University and from there the old Slavic culture was spread.

Standing alone on a cliff overlooking the Lake of Ohrid, above the fishing settlement of Kaneo, it is one of the landmarks of the old town of Ohrid and a favorite symbol in the entire city. The architecture is a combination of Byzantine and Armenian elements.

The church served as a cathedral church during Tzar Samoil’s ruling, and it was the central church of the Tzar Samoil patriarchy at that time. The church as it is today was renovated and adorned with frescoes in the time of the archbishop Leo, between 1037 and 1056.