
Dr. Father Stefan Sandjakoski
Fulltime professor at the Faculty of Theology “St. Clement of Ohrid” in Skopje
About the authors:
Short biography of
Novica Stoleski
A master of
Wood Carving art ,
blessed by God

Novica Stoleski is one of the most prominent Macedonian wood carvers. He was born in the holy city of Struga in 1965. He is the first child of the three born children in the sacred marriage of the pious and God-loving Christian parents Metodija and Slobodanka.
Already in the womb of his reverent mother, He feeds on the Body and Blood of our Crucified and Risen God and Savior Christ. In the circle of his family wire, young Novica grows up from the growth of the height of Christ and reveals the many talents God has crowned with his being and person. Love and affection for mathematical sciences will in many ways determine his later life destiny. As a final result of his thorough study of the natural sciences is the acquired academic status – an electrical engineer.
The first working experience of maestro Novica Stoleski is acquired in Makedonski Telekom, where he is employed in 1996, and then in 2001 is transferred to “Mobimak” (later “T-Mobile”), as a regional sales representative. In this prestigious working organization, Novica Stoleski retires several top honors and awards that put him in the narrow circle of the professional elite.
Despite the colossal success that maestro Novica Stoleski achieves in the business sector, he leaves the attractive, well-paid management position in T-Mobile, to turn into a reality the wood-carving art dream of early childhood prompted by the words and arms of his father Metodija. For most of the people connected with the umbilical cord for the “spirit of this world,” this act of Maestro Novica is interpreted as irrational.
In 2012, maestro Novica Stoleski creates his own “master workshop” for arts carving, called “Dveri”. Now, Maestro Novica changes the comfort of life with the crossroads of an Orthodox artist who creates in the glory of God and in rarely seen modesty and humility.
Due to the awareness of the liturgical character of the woodcarving art, and according to the strength of the inner dictation of conscience, he enters the “Svjataja Svjatih” in the Kalishki Temple(dedicated to the Holy Mother of God), as a servant of the Liturgist of the Kalishki monastic kinovya, priest Stefan Sandjakoski. The mausoleum of Maestro Novica is put into operation for the spiritual growth of its Christian personality, but also for the purpose of spiritual training for original and unique creation in the field of carpentry art. As a result of his prayer-ascetical approach to the desired art, his numerous works of art are carved in a tree whose quality is at least equal, and perhaps greater than the quality of the works made by the hands of the phenomenal classical Mijak classics of carpentry art, such as: Petre Filiposki- Garkata, Makarie Frchkoski … We find a convincing confirmation of this estimate in the icon-stand for the celestial icon of the Mother of God “Dostojno est” in the nave of the Bigorski John St. Baptist Temple. In the context of telling about the “Celestial”, it is fair to point out the enormous merit for it that belongs to the caring, the savvy and spiritually sweetening of the Bigorski sanctuary, the Most Rev. Archimandrite and the Enforcer of the monastic community, Mr. Parthenius.
This incredible success is preceded by a thirty years of exploratory research to uncover the mythical mysteries of the Mijak Woodcarving School.
Maestro Novica Stoleski is a member of ZKMAK starting in 1995. and participates in several first woodcraft colonies in the Holy Communal Monastery of St. John Bigorski.
He participated in several woodcraft exhibitions in the Republic of Macedonia. Macedonia (Skopje, Struga) and one international woodcraft exhibition in the Republic of Slovenia (Ljubljana).
In cooperation with the State Ministry of Culture in the field of protection of the intangible cultural heritage, maestro Novica Stoleski organizes the woodcraft school “Mijak style” in 2015.
In 2014, Novica Stoleski passes a four-month active stay in the Bigorski Monastery, where he is making the so-called “Mala table” a.k.a the hagiographic account of the miraculous icon “Dostojno est” in carving.
In 2015, he made a pilgrimage and study trip to the Most Holy Mountain of Bogorodica – ATON.
In the rich opus of realized art works also enter works made together with his father Metodija, whom he owes all the love and knowledge of the carpentry art.
With the works of art maestro Novica Stoleski decorated the temples and monasteries in: Macedonia, Holy Mountain – Athos, Russia, Greece, Serbia, Germany, Sweden…
He is a given by God rebuilder of woodcarving in Macedonia. Born in 1939 in the glorious uprising village of the first Macedonian Ilinden (1903) Tashmarunishta, near Struga. The great intellectual gifts and the artistic experience from the world and life helped him overcome those harsh times for existential survival to finish the Secondary School of Wood-processing in Belgrade, and then graduate from the Pedagogical Academy in Skopje. Today, Maestro Metodija Stoleski is a retired professor and lifelong active creator and rebuilder of the ancient Mijak woodcarving school, together with his son Novica, a truly ingenious carpenter.
The work experience of Maestro Metodija Stoleski is diverse and unusually rich. In the 1960s he worked as an artistic designer in the Enamel Industry of the factory “Boris Kidrich” in Struga. From the 1970s to the retirement, maestro Metodija Stoleski works as a professor (basis of technical production range)
In parallel with his professional engagement, Maestro Metodija dedicates himself to the woodcarving art from youth. Already in 1956 he worked and acquired knowledge about the tree as a building and art material in a famous furniture workshop in Belgrade. In the mature years of his life he dedicates to church and folklore carving. As a result of the dedication of the liturgical devised carpentry art, are the eight iconostasis for eight temples in the Republic of Macedonia. But there are countless individual pieces of folklore carving sprinkled literally around the world: the United States, Germany, France, England, Japan … Suffice it to illustrate this story with the fact that the undisputed laureates of the “Golden Wreath” of the SPE (Struga poetry evenings) possess his artwork in carving. We will mention the names of the world famous poets: Henry Meshonik (France), Ted Cuz (UK), Makoto Okaat (Japan) …
Maestro Metodija publishes his theoretical labors on woodcarving in the magazine “Kopanichar” for ZKMAK.
In 2016, Maestro Metodija Stoleski marked the 60th anniversary of his craftwork artistic activity.

DVERI DOOEL
Mirche Acev,9
6330, Struga
R. Macedonia