Lešok

According to a 1467-68 Ottoman defter, the inhabitants of Lešok exhibited mostly Slavic and minority Albanian anthroponymy. Some families had mixed Slavic-Albanian anthroponymy. The settlement had two Orthodox Albanian priests who served in the Slavic-speaking church.{{cite web | last1 = Sokoloski | first1 = Metodija| last2 = Stojanovski | first2 = Aleksandar| title = ТУРСКИ ДОКУМЕНТИ ЗА ИСТОРИЈАТА НА МАКЕДОНСКИОТ НАРОД - ОПШИРЕН ПОПИСЕН ДЕФТЕР (1467-1468 година) |url=https://www.google.mk/books/edition/Documents_turcs_sur_l_histoire_du_peuple/BI5pAAAAMAAJ/ |quote = Lešok: Vasil, son of Mancho; Radoslav, his son; Gjore, son of Milosh; Stajko, son of Damjan; Vancho, son of Janche; Bogdan, son of Jovan; Marko, son of Vancho; Dimitri, son of Vancho; Pavle, son of the priest; Jovan, son of Pavle; Gjuro, son of pop (priest) Oliver; Stepan, son of Pejo; Božidar, son of Stepan; Gjuro, son of Jovan; Pejo, son of Jovan; Dabživ, son of Irina; Petko, son of Dabživ; Miloš, son of Kočić; Rale, son of Miloš; Stepan, son of Marić; Todor, son of Marić; Melo, son of Miroslav; Dragoš, son of Miroslav; Radoslav, son of Rajčin; Dabživ, son of Radoslav; Dabživ, son of Nikola; Dimitar, son of Bogoja; Icko, son of Staniša; Dabe, son of Staniša; pop (priest) Nikola; Rale, his son; Jovan, son of Manče; Stale, son of Dragiša; Jovan, son of Vlajko; Stojan, son of Gorazd; Vasilko, son of Pejo; Dimitri, his son; Bogdan, son of Svetozar; Staniša, son of Jovan; Rajko, son of Bojan; Stojko, son of Petko; Vasil, son of Petre; Petko Bojan; Stojko, son of Petko; Nako (or Jakov), son of Staniša; Jovan, son of Staniša; Nikola, son of Staniša; Nikola Bojan; Milan, son of Nikola; Jovan, son of Martin; Nikola, son of Petre; Miladin, son of Stojo; Stepan, son of Stojo; Milan, son of Pejo; Jovan, brother of Bogdan; Mihail, brother of Nikola; Mile, son of kaluger; Radoslav Todor; Filip, son of Miladin; Jovan, son of Filip; Radoslav, son of Janko; Pejo, son of Janko; Nikolče, brother-in-law of Janko; Luka Gjorgji; Petko, brother of the priest; Jovan, son of Dabživ; Venko, son of Jovan; Bogdan, son of Grbavec; Smile, son of Rajko; Venko, son of Jovan; Bogdan, son of Jovan; Nikola, son of Jovan; Rajko, son of Jovan... | publisher = Државен архив на Македонија|year = 1971 | issue=4 | page=296-297}}{{cite journal|last=Rexha|first=Iljaz|title=Vendbanimet dhe popullsia albane gjatë mesjetës në hapësirën e Maqedonisë së sotme: Sipas burimeve sllave dhe osmane|url=https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=70066|journal=Gjurmime Albanologjike: Seria e Shkencave Historike|issue=41–42|year=2011|pages=112}}{{cite journal|last=Rexha|first=Iljaz|title=POPULLSIA ALBANE GJATË MESJETËS NË HAPSIRËN E MAQEDONISË SË SOTME|url=https://www.academia.edu/23971339|issue=43|year=2012|pages=16|quote=Vendbanimi Leshka-Leshok me këta kryefamiljarë: Spana-Staja,i biri i Gjon Bardit ( Bardhit) ; Dança, i biri i Prenkos ; Gjorgj (Gergj ) i biri i Oliverit ; Stepani i biri i tij ; Radislav Dojçin,Josif i i vëllai i tij, Dmitri ; Daba, i biri i Visigorit ; Vasili, i biri i Malqes (Malja; Niko, i biri i Malqes (Mala ); Marko Arbanasi (Arbneshi); Radislav, i biri i Bertonit ; Ubri, i biri i Martinit ; Jovan , i biri i Martinit ; Peshkopi i varfër ; Dimitri shnajder (rrobaqepës) ; Kolo Arbanasi (Arbnesh) ; Stalesha i biri i Zoja-s; a Nikolla i biri i Zoja-s ; Tusheva, i biri i Zoja-s ;Mihail, i biri i Zoja-s ; Millosh, i vëllai i tij ( i Zoja-s); Nikolla, i biri i Malorit ; Nikolla , i biri i Gjineshit (Gjini); Bogdan, i biri i Gjinashit ; Filip, i biri Kalogjerit (kalojor ); Bogoslav , i biri i Lleshit; Damjan i vëllai i tij ( i Lleshit) ; Pavlo , i biri i Gjinit ; Gjin i biri i Pavlos ;Gjinash, Arbanasi (Arbneshi ); Radic, i biri i tij ( i Gjin Arbanasit ) ; Radivoj, i biri i Doda-s ; Pop Gjinqa (Gjini ); Nikolla, i vëllai i tij ; Bozhidar, i biri i Gjinit ;Rajko , i biri i Mileshes; Gjon, i biri i Pjako-s ; Roman, i biri i Mankos ; Nenada, i biri i Dosaq-it (Dosa) ; Marko, i vëllai i tij ( i Dosa-s) ; Jako , i biri i Dejanit ; Mihaç Gjuko, pop Nojica (Noca); Gjon , i vëllai i tij ; Radiq, i biri i Noices ( Noces) ;Dren-ko Milça ;Rela i biri i Kalogjerit ; Gjini , siroma i (varfer ) ;Dimitri , i biri i tij i Gjinit ; Dabzhib, i biri i Lila; Gjon, i biri i tij ; Nikolla , i biri i tij (Lilas); Rela i biri i Dimitrit ; Petra Arbanasi (Arbneshi); Niko , i biri i Markos; Lazor,

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This village is well known for its monastery where operated the cleric and writer Kiril Pejcinović. The monastery had a library and Lešok was a literature and educational center. Because of that, at the end of the 19th century, a feud started growing between the Bulgarian and Serbian churches regarding the ownership of the monastery, with both institutions asserting their claims to it. According to the monks residing there in 1901, the abbot Ezekiel—who identified as a "pure-blooded Macedonian" and opposed the Serbian and Bulgarian agitators—was ultimately murdered in 1898 by "foreign agitators".{{cite web | last = Риттих| first = П.А.| title = По Балканам : путевые впечатления воен. туриста. Ч. 1. По Сербии и Болгарии в ноябре 1908 года ; Ч. 2. По Македонии летом 1901 г. - VIII |url=https://elib.rgo.ru/handle/123456789/212397 | year = 1909| issue=4 | page=177-179}}

According to the Bulgarian ethnographer Vasil Kanchov, in 1900 the village was inhabited by 540 Bulgarians.Vasil Kanchov (1900). [http://macedonia.kroraina.com/vk/vk_2_27.htm Macedonia: Ethnography and Statistics]. Sofia. p. 210.

According to the German historian and geographer Wilfried Krallert, in his map published in 1941, in 1931 Lešok was inhabited by 650 Macedonians.W. Krallert (1941), [https://digicoll.lib.berkeley.edu/record/281448?v=uv#?xywh=-1043%2C2258%2C7137%2C4140&cv=34 Volkstumskarte von Jugoslawien]

As of the 2021 census, Lešok had 696 residents with the following ethnic composition:[https://makstat.stat.gov.mk/PXWeb/pxweb/en/MakStat/MakStat__Popisi__Popis2021__NaselenieVkupno__PodatociNaselenie/T1503P21.px/table/tableViewLayout2/?rxid=cc8e0490-07b6-4002-adf4-9b4891b66655 Total resident population of the Republic of North Macedonia by ethnic affiliation, by settlement, Census 2021]

• Macedonians 381
• Albanians 280
• Romani 2
• Serbs 1
• Others 11
• Persons for whom data are taken from administrative sources 21

According to the 2002 census, the village had a total of 440 inhabitants. Ethnic groups in the village include:Macedonian Census (2002), [http://www.stat.gov.mk/publikacii/knigaX.pdf Book 5 - Total population according to the Ethnic Affiliation, Mother Tongue and Religion], The State Statistical Office, Skopje, 2002, p. 185.

• Macedonians 435
• Serbs 1
• Others 4

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{{Tearce Municipality}}

Category:Villages in Tearce Municipality

Category:Albanian communities in North Macedonia

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