The Church of St. Jovan (the Evangelist) Theologian, at Kaneo
Built and decorated towards the end of the 13th century, the donor of the church and the painter of its frescoes are unknown. The church's architecture is of great relevance to a study of Ohrid's mediaeval monuments as it is a highly successful combination of Byzantine and Armenian elements. The church stands on one of the finest spots on the lakeshore, on a high cliff overlooking the one - time fishing settlements of Kaneo in the old part of Ohrid. St. John at Kaneo, one of the landmarks of old Ohrid, was restored to its original form in the course of 1963 and 1964 when the belfry and the porch - both 19th century additions - were removed. It was on that occesion that the frescoes in the dome were uncovered. The frescoes in the dome and in the altar space have been preserved although they are considerably damaged. The reason for this is that for a lengthy period between the 17th century and 19th century the church was partially ruined and was abandoned, and a large number of the frescoes were then destroyed and lost forever. An element of particular iconographic interest in the church is the group portrayal of St. Kliment of Ohrid, Archbishop Constantine Savassilla of Ohrid and St. Erasmus of Lychnidos, the first Early Christian missionary in these parts, who was active in the 3rd century. The frescoes in the church of St. John the Evangelist or Theologian, are the work of a group of painters who carried on the artistic tradition of the period of the Comneni. With its archaic traits and monastic character, this style of painting stood outside the new trends in mediaeval art which were to lead to the appearance of the Paleologue Renaissance, which first appeared in Ohrid in the paintings in the Church of St. Kliment.