Grabovë Church ( sq, Kisha e Grabovës) is an Orthodox church dedicated to Saint Nicholas (the church is thus also known as the St. Nicholas Church; sq, Kisha e Shën Kollit; rup, Basearica Ayiu Nicola) in

Grabovë e Sipërme Grabovë e Sipërme (also: ''Grabova''; rup, Greãva, ) is a village in Albania inhabited by Albanians Aromanians. The village is located in the former municipality of Lenie. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipalit ...

Elbasan County Elbasan County () is one of the 12 counties of Albania. The population is 266,245 (2021), in an area of 3199 km². Its capital is the city Elbasan. Administrative divisions Until 2000, Elbasan County was subdivided into four districts: Elbas ...

, Albania. It is a

Cultural Monument of Albania In Albania, a cultural monument ''()'' is a construction or work of cultural, historical and artistic value that is built in a visible space, made in memory of important events or prominent people. Cultural monuments are usually under state protect ...

History

Built in the 18th century, the church follows the pattern of many

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...

churches with its east-west axis. The main entrance is from the south, and the entire church is around by . The masonry uses local stone and the roof is covered in

roof tiles Roof tiles are designed mainly to keep out rain, and are traditionally made from locally available materials such as terracotta or slate. Modern materials such as concrete, metal and plastic are also used and some clay tiles have a waterproof ...

typical of the area. The church features a main

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

by the entrance and both an outer nave to the south and a

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex ...

to the west. Painted wooden

frieze In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...

s decorate the ceiling, include an original fresco above the main gate of by . The floor is built from stone slabs. Worshipers and other area residents are buried in and around the structure.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grabove Church Cultural Monuments of Albania Buildings and structures in Gramsh, Elbasan Churches in Albania