Velušina
| Velušina Велушина Vellushinë | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
|
Velušina church frescos | |
  Velušina Location within Republic of Macedonia | |
| Coordinates: 40°55′N 21°21′E / 40.917°N 21.350°ECoordinates: 40°55′N 21°21′E / 40.917°N 21.350°E | |
| Country | Republic of Macedonia |
| Municipality | Bitola municipality |
| Statistical region | Pelagonia Statistical Region |
| Population (2002) | |
| • Total | 160 |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Car plates | BT |
| Website | . |
Velušina (Macedonian: Велушина, Albanian: Vellushinë) is a village in the municipality of Bitola, Republic of Macedonia. Velušina is located 15 kilometers south of Bitola (Битола) on route R2333 (about six kilometers north of the border with Greece) at the foot of Mount Baba in the Pelagonija (Пелагонија) Valley. The Velushka River (Велушка Река) flows through the village.
Name
Etymologically the name of the village originates from the local Slavic phrase Velika Elyeusa (велика Елеуса – Велеушина), referring to the church of the Merciful Theotokos (Богородица Елеуса, Bogoroditsa Elyeusa) which is situated in the village.[1] It is a similar situation to Veljusa's (Вељуса), near Strumica, where the church of the Most-Holy Merciful Theotokos is located.
The church of the Merciful Theotokos in Velušina is dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God, it is a paleochristian basilica built on the 4th-5th century, during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II. It is situated in the southeastern part Velušina near the ancient Via Egnatia and the old road from Kastoria to Irakleia. Today it is known by the local population as the "old church".
Demographics
In statistics gathered by Vasil Kanchov in 1900, the village of Velušina was inhabited by 920 Bulgarian Christians.[2] In 1905 in statistics gathered by Dimitar Mishev Brancoff, Velušina was inhabited by 880 Bulgarian Patriarchatists and had a Greek school.[3] According to the 2002 census, the village had a total of 160 inhabitants.[4] Ethnic groups in the village include:[4]
- Albanians 79
- Macedonians 73
- Romani 5
- Serbs 3
Notable people
- Petros Christou (born in Velušina, 1887) - Greek teacher and Macedonian fighter
References
- ↑ Роберт Михајловски. Од духовното наследство на Via Egnatia: црквите Успение на Богородица од Велушина и Богородица Пречиста од Граешница
- ↑ Vasil Kanchov (1900). Macedonia: Ethnography and Statistics. Sofia. p. 236.
- ↑ D.M.Brancoff (1905). La Macédoine et sa Population Chrétienne. Paris. рp. 166-167.
- 1 2 Macedonian Census (2002), Book 5 - Total population according to the Ethnic Affiliation, Mother Tongue and Religion, The State Statistical Office, Skopje, 2002, p. 69.