The Holy Resurrection Church () is a

Cultural Monument A national heritage site is a heritage site having a value that has been registered by a governmental agency as being of national importance to the cultural heritage or history of that country. Usually such sites are listed in a heritage registe ...

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

, in

Mborje Mborje is a settlement in the Korçë County, southeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became part of the municipality Korçë. It is a southeastern suburb of Korçë. History The Holy Resurrection Church (), a 14th-centur ...

Korçë County Korçë County (), officially the County of Korçë (), is a Counties of Albania, county in the Southern Albania, Southern Region of the Republic of Albania. It is the largest by area and the List of counties of Albania by population, fifth most p ...

. The church is dedicated to Saint Mary.

History

The church has several possible construction dates. One tradition holds that it was built in 896 in honor of

Pope Clement I Clement of Rome (; ; died ), also known as Pope Clement I, was the Bishop of Rome in the late first century AD. He is considered to be the first of the Apostolic Fathers of the Church. Little is known about Clement's life. Tertullian claimed ...

, while another attests to construction in the 14th century. The church lies at the foot of Mount Morava just southeast of

Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, eighth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population of the city is 51,152 and 75,994 of Korçë municipal ...

, and features anonymous frescoes dating to 1390. On the 40th Day after death each year, pilgrims of the

Albanian Orthodox Church The Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania (), commonly known as the Albanian Orthodox Church or the Orthodox Church of Albania, is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It declared its autocephaly in 1922 through its Congress of 1922, a ...

flock to the church.

Description

At the time it was built, the church was under the rule of the

Lordship of Berat The Principality of Muzaka (), also known as the Lordship of Berat, was an independent realm ruled by the Albanian principalities, Albanian Muzaka (family), Muzaka family with its capital at Berat, covering territories in Central Albania, Centr ...

, dominated by the

Muzaka family The Muzaka family was an noble Albanian family that ruled over the region of Myzeqe ( southern Albania) in the Late Middle Ages. The Muzaka are also referred to by some authors as a tribe or a clan. The earliest historical document that mentions ...

of feudal lords. A bishop named Nimfoni collected funds for construction from 1389 to 1390. A striking if small edifice, it belongs to a group of churches with an engraved cross lacking internal reinforcement. A central square

cella In Classical architecture, a or naos () is the inner chamber of an ancient Greek or Roman temple. Its enclosure within walls has given rise to extended meanings: of a hermit's or monk's cell, and (since the 17th century) of a biological cell ...

topped with a

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

forms the center, connected by two open gates (one to the south and one to the west) with the

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

. The church is only at its highest. Maintenance work was needed to avoid collapse in 2015.

References

External links

Images of the ChurchInstitute of Cultural Monuments (IMK) pageMinistry of Tourism, Culture, Youth, and Sports page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holy Resurrection Church

Churches in Albania