Village of Zovikj
Zovikj is a village in the municipality of Novaci located at 725 meters altitude.
In earlier times the village was located about 500 meters before the current location and had been called Lenishte. But during the Ottoman ruling it was robbed and burned, therefore, villagers were forced to move elsewhere, so today’s village of Zovikj has been inhabited.
The village probably has been named upon the name of a fountain which had been located in the today’s Zovikj that the Lenishte’s inhabitants had called it Bzovikj because there was a lot of elderberry around the fountain which was the basis of the present name of the village.
There are two churches in the village: St. Nicolas and St. Athanasius, but Zovikj is the most known for bridge on Gradeshka Reka.
According to the census of 1953 Zovikj had 356 inhabitants, but nowadays only about 30 residents live there.
Zovikj revives during the day of St. Demetrius when the feast of the village is. “Zovikj meeting” is also held in Zovikj when emigrated inhabitants of the village gather and Zovikj is full of people as it was at the time. We may freely say also that in the recent years more emigrants from the village return and renovate their old homes turning them into weekend cottages.
