The medieval church of St.George has been raised at the location where, according to some scientific assumptions, the settlement called Kozjak previously existed, around ten kilometers south-east of the city of Shtip, at the locality of Gorni Kozjak and near to the archeological locality of Bargala.
St. Gjorgji, village of Gorni Kozjak, 9th/10th (11th/12th) century
There are different theories and assumptions about the time of its construction. Some claim that it was built in the period of the 11th-12th century, but large number of scientists place it in the period of the 9th-10th century, i.e. at the time of christening of Slovenes along the valley of river Bregalnica.
The church is built using chipped river rocks, with slaked lime mortar and with many late-antique decorations from Bargala. It has a base of an encrypted cross with a dome of an octagonal drum. Its narthex has a stone cross vault, connected to the naos through the triforium.
There is one large biphora on both the north and south side.
The research shows that during the 14th century the church was renovated, whereas at the south side of the narthex a chapel of a square base and half-rounded drum has been additionally built, the upper parts of hte biphoreshave been closed and the church has been decorated and fresco-painted for the third time in a row.
From the original layer of fresco-art at the two half-rounded arcs, only the southern one has a fresco fragment that still remains and it represents a visage of a saint.
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