KURBINOVO, North Macedonia — Poised on a forested mountainside high above Lake Prespa, at the intersection of Albania, Greece and North Macedonia, the church of St. George has kept the secret of its origins for more than 800 years.

Virtually nothing is known about who ordered the tiny church’s construction in so isolated a spot. Just as mysterious are the artists who painted its stunning ensemble of frescoes, with their elegant elongated figures clad in swirling robes, considered by art historians to represent the artistic pinnacle of the Middle Byzantine period.

The church and its frescoes hold a special place in the remarkable collection of Byzantine churches in North Macedonia, a small Balkan country that, after 26 years of independence, is still struggling to find its place in Europe.

Today, after years of delays, conservationists and local officials are making a new push to restore the Byzantine gem, which has been damaged over the centuries by fires, storms, two earthquakes last century and a faulty renovation in the 1980s.