the most ungifted painter who shows the grief about the passing of the Mother of God openly on the faces of the participants. State of preservation and alterations The frescos in the church's interior have lost its colour intensity, except those on the eastern wall. The first zone with marble imitation is gone between the throne and the southern door. Humidity has destroyed almost all holy figures on the southern wall, because this one is not protected by a slope like its counterpart. Not being part of the original decoration is the rider saint Demetrius on the northern door soffit. He is dated to the end of the 16th or the beginning of the 17th century. Dated to the latter century are also the paintings on the southern facade (except the ones in the lunette), but according to M. Milijković-Pepek they belong into the 14th century. Shortly before the middle of the 19th century, a fire has damaged the church, in particular the southern wall. As a result, its porch was also destroyed. The following restoration in the year 1847 brought some unfortunate alterations, for example the damaging of the frescos in the upper parts of the church as the wooden ceiling was replaced, the bricking-up of the lateral doors, the addition of a porch at the western facade as well as the installation of two rectangular windows in the southern wall. The initial iconostasis was replaced by a new one and the frescos on the western facade got painted over with three rider saints. Further conservation work was carried out in the first half of the 20th century. Later additions like the porch at the western wall were removed. In 1958, the following work was performed: removal of the ceiling and raising of the walls by 50 cm, opening of the lateral doors and renewal of the elevations of the floor. Furthermore, the paintings were cleared and restored as well as the original rider saints on the western facade uncovered. In 2020, the church was added to North Macedonia's tentative list of World Heritage Sites. Gallery References Literature Elizabeta Dimitrova: The Church of St. George at Kurbinovo. In: Seven mediaeval churches in the republic of Macedonia. Skopje 2014, S. 46-62. Vojislav Durić: Byzantinische Fresken in Jugoslawien. München 1976, S. 17-19. Lydie Hadermann-Misguich: Kurbinovo. Les fresques de Saint-Georges et la peinture byzantine du XIIe siècle. Bruxelles 1975, S. 11-21. Sašo