Heritage by Country / Albania
Church of St. Prodrom, Voskopoja
Info Sections
About the site
Country: Albania, Voskopoja, Korce
Type: Christian religious centre
Epoch: Middle Ages
Theme: Christian Monasteries
World Heritage:
The Church of Saint Prodrom is the most ancient building remaining from the important economic and cultural center of historical Voskopoja. The ensemble is situated in a beautiful natural setting, in the middle of a pine wood. Old photographs show remarkable panoramic views.
The church is the central point of the monastery. It was built in the inner yard, surrounded by three aisles including the guest rooms (on the south the buildings are two-floors high, and on the north one-floor high).
The church is of high architectural and artistic value. According to the inscription carved on a marble stone at the entrance, the church was built in 1632 and painted in 1659. The monument is composed of a nave and a narthex. The nave is covered with a cruciform type dome. The construction technique, divided fugues and architectural elements show that the narthex was built in a later period. The nave is constructed with stones that are assembled with lime plaster. The masonry has been repaired several times and recently has been consolidated with buttresses. The frame of the walls is composed of carved stones. The wide double-gabled roof has somehow concealed the inner structure, highlighting the longitudinal axis of the church. The compact volume, flat facade, a plan-volume construction, perceptible rising in hight accentuates the monument clearly referring to the Byzantine inspiration models.
Council of Europe