Memorial house · opened 2009
A museum of 2009 on the site of the church where Mother Teresa, born in Skopje in 1910, was baptised.
These are the stories you can open in the 3D view, each at its own numbered point on the model.
Mother Teresa was born in Skopje in 1910 as Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu and lived in the city until 1928, when she left at eighteen. This memorial house stands on Macedonia Street, the pedestrian street between the main square and the old railway station. A plaque near the square marks her birthplace.
The house is built on the site of the Catholic church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, where she was baptised. The church was destroyed in the earthquake of 1963, together with most of the old centre around it. The low mounds of stones in round frames on the plaza in front are part of the memorial's setting.
Building began in May 2008 and the house opened on 30 January 2009. The architect was Vangel Božinovski, and the cost was about two million euros; it is counted as part of the Skopje 2014 project. The base is of rough stone with a large round arch; above it are white rendered volumes and, at the top, a box of green glass with a white cross. Some architects have criticised the design.
Inside are objects from her life, a chapel, and part of her relics. The house was declared a cultural heritage object in 2013. Entry is free and donations are welcome. It is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:45; it is closed on Mondays and public holidays. The building is not wheelchair accessible.
The top of the house is a box of green glass framed in white, with the outline of a large cross on its face. Beside it a small white lantern rises to a point. The glass and the white cross make the house easy to pick out from the street.
About seventy-five metres to the east, behind the buildings on the far side of the plaza, stands a medieval tower known as the Bey's Tower. It survived the earthquake of 1963, which destroyed the Sacred Heart church on this site. The tower's size and roof in this scene are estimates.
Pedestrian Macedonia Street links the main square, about 240 metres to the north, with the old railway station, about 360 metres to the south, where the station clock still shows 5:17. The memorial house stands about halfway along that walk.
Typical prices are our estimates for orientation, not menu prices. Check opening hours on the spot.
Walk around the model, switch between day and night, and hear each story read aloud in English, Macedonian or Turkish.
Open in 3D
