Grabovë Church () is an Orthodox church dedicated to

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

(the church is thus also known as the St. Nicholas Church; ; ) in

Grabovë e Sipërme Grabovë e Sipërme (also: ''Grabova''; ,Ewa KocojArtifacts of the Past as Traces of Memory. The Aromanian Cultural Heritage in the Balkans page 167, Res Historica 41, 2016 ) is a village in Albania inhabited by Aromanians. The village is located ...

Elbasan County Elbasan County () is one of the 12 counties of Albania. The population is 232,580 (as of 2023), in an area of 3199 km2. Its capital is the city Elbasan. Administrative divisions Until 2000, Elbasan County was subdivided into four districts: ...

, 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 protection ...

History

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

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

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 overlapping tiles designed mainly to keep out precipitation such as rain or snow, and are traditionally made from locally available materials such as clay or slate. Later tiles have been made from materials such as concrete, glass ...

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 art and architecture, early Christian and Byzantine architecture, Byzantine basilicas and Church architecture, churches consisting of the entrance or Vestibule (architecture), ve ...

to the west. Painted wooden

frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...

s decorate the ceiling, include an original

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

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 Elbasan County Gramsh, Elbasan Churches in Albania