During the
preservation activities on the roof structure of the St.Demetrius church in Varos,some hundred printed sheets
were found on the attic dated from the 18 and 19 centuries.Some time later during the reconstruction of the roof of another church the church of the Holy Annunciation in Prilep another 90 prints were discoverer.Most of them constituted creased paper fragments,damaged by moisture,instects and dust and required urgent
preservation.The research started in 2003 while,concurrently some of the prints underwent immediate preservation in the Library Material Restoration and Preservation Laboratory of the National University Library St.Kliment Ohridski in Skopje
Most of the prints were bought from the Mount Athos monasteries Zographou,Chilandari,Vatopedi and Iviron and they show miraculous representations of saint,religious compositions and the monastery complexes themselves.The inscriptions ,mostly written over the
composition itself,include the names of the donors,and sometimes a description and the legend related to the composition.Brought together in one place from artists and donors coming from almost all Balkan regions they speak of the development of the graphic art in the 18 and 19 centuries.They also make an impressive artistic chronicle of the Mount Athos as a permanent evidence of the time the people, their culture and their spiritual life.The donors were chiefly the rich Balkan merchants who, in their pursue for better opportunities,used to work in the wealthier western countries