Velušina


Velušina is a village in the municipality of Bitola, North Macedonia. It used to be part of the former municipality of Bistrica.
Velušina is located 15 kilometers south of Bitola on route R2333 at the foot of Mount Baba in the Pelagonija Valley. The Velushka River flows through the village.

Name

Etymologically the name of the village originates from the local Slavic phrase Velika Elyeusa, referring to the church of the Merciful Theotokos which is situated in the village. It is a similar situation to Veljusa's, near Strumica, where the church of the Most-Holy Merciful Theotokos is located.
The church of the Merciful Theotokos in Velušina is dedicated to the Dormition of the Mother of God, it is a paleochristian basilica built on the 4th-5th century, during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II. It is situated in the southeastern part Velušina near the ancient Via Egnatia and the old road from Kastoria to Irakleia. Today it is known by the local population as the "old church".

Demographics

In statistics gathered by Vasil Kanchov in 1900, the village of Velušina was inhabited by 920 Bulgarian Christians. In 1905 in statistics gathered by Dimitar Mishev Brancoff, Velušina was inhabited by 880 Patriarchist Bulgarians and had a Greek school. According to the 2002 census, the village had a total of 160 inhabitants. Ethnic groups in the village include: