The site Plaosnik is located in the southern foothills of the higher (western) hill of Ohrid, on a leveled plateau, between the citadel of the Samoil Fortress and the church of St. Jovan Kaneo.
The Plaosnik monastery of Ohrid is believed to have been built when Saint Clement arrived in Ohrid, in 893, on the remains of another Early Christian basilica decorated with floor mosaics.
St Clement opened the first Slavic University and from there the old Slavic culture was spread.
At the end of the 15th century, his church was demolished down to its foundations by the Ottomans and a mosque was built in its place. In 1942 and 1943, the first archeological excavations started and the remains of the old church of St Clement were discovered together with his grave.
On Plaošnik has been discovered the baptistery of the five aisle basilica with hooked crosses (swastikas) on the mosaic floors which date from the period between 4th and 6th century.
On October 10, 2007, a collection of approximately 2,383 Venetian Coins was discovered by archeologists while excavating the monastery.
As the monastery is the most sacred of all the churches in the Republic of Macedonia, thousands of Macedonian Orthodox Christians gather at Plaošnik during large religious holidays such as Easter and Christmas to celebrate and take part in the liturgies.
