Спомен-костурница (Велес)

Memorials are monumental objects with symbolic content as a special kind of chapel (tombs). The relics of the fighters who were victims of certain military actions were attached to them. By their structure they unite the formal and shaping experiences of church building enriched with aesthetic and spatial qualities. These grandiose silhouettes are correlated with contemporary, artistic and monumental architecture and art. In Macedonia they begin construction in the period between the two world wars, but in particular their affirmation will be experienced after the end of the Second World War.The imposing and monumental monument - Memorial of the Ossuary in Veles, dated as an eternal resting place for hundreds of Veles fighters who died in the WWII. The idea of ​​the form is a poppy flower that blossoms and signifies the birth of something new (on the other hand there is the association of a cracked helmet - a symbol of the overthrown fascism). Authors of this grandiose, architectural work were Savo Sugotin (engineer architect) and Ljubomir Denkovic (academic sculptor) from Novi Sad. The building was put into operation on October 11, 1979 by General Kosta Niki, who at the time was the president of the "Association of Fighters of Yugoslavia".

Central to the interior is a sculpture of a blossoming tree - a symbol of freedom, and below it is the crypt of the fighters. The sculpture represents a tree of life and with the awakening and blooming of the tree symbolizes the birth of a new life.

Along the walls lies the largest mosaic complex in Macedonia of about 220m2.

The interior painting is the work of the academic painter from Skopje, Petar Mazev, who through the composition of five parts of mosaics presented the history of the Macedonian people, starting from the period of the Ottomans until the 90s of the 20th century. The mosaic is derived from a natural and artificial stone made of Venetian paste, and the symbols and shapes are visualized through the use of a multitude of colors.