A project on conservation and revitalization of the cultural-tourist site Sv. Gjorgjija in Staro Nagorichane, funded by the EU under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and the National Conservation Centre, was promoted Thursday at the St. Gjorgjija monastery.

The project envisages the church to be conserved, the old school building to be adapted into an ethnological museum near the monastery and construction works to be launched in the center of the village in an attempt to contribute to the development of the municipality's tourist potential.

EU Ambassador Aivo Orav noted the Union paid utmost attention to the protection of cultural heritage being a crucial segment towards enhancing cultural potential.

"The new programme, which is being promoted today, aims at conserving one of the cultural-tourist sites in the country. The European Union is supporting the country's cultural institutions through various programmes. At the moment, this support is realized under the Ljubljana Process, which is a regional initiative on cultural heritage focused on Southeastern Europe," Orav said.

Minister of Culture Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska stated that the project on conservation and revitalization of the 14th-century monastery would allow 'this example of sacral architecture to be preserved.'

"The church of St. Gjorgjija with its architecture and frescoes is a testimony of the artistic achievements in our region... It is our inevitable duty to preserve this cultural monument," she said.

The project, which is worth 1.42 million euros, is expected to be completed in 2015.