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“Saint Kolli” of Voskopoja, one of the most important churches of the post-Byzantine style

The Church of Saint Kolli in Voskopoje represents a tangible evidence of the historical importance of the former city. It is located in the center of Voskopoja and is the most important church for its architecture with all the elements of the post-Byzantine basilica type, which has survived to this day. This church has it all: nave, narthex, arcade and belfry. It was built from June 1721 to September 1722, while the bell tower is thought to have been built later. Its last reconstruction was done around 1936. The church was declared a cultural monument of the first category in 1948 for its great architectural and artistic values.

Part of the church of Saint Kolli was also the church of Saint Efthimi, in its southern part, now completely destroyed. The nave was painted around 1726 by David Selenica, one of the best masters of the the 18th century. His style belongs to the traditional art school of the Palaeologists, also known as the Macedonian school. While the arcade was painted around 1750 by the brothers Athanas and Kostandin from Korça, nicknamed “Zografi”. They have painted numerous scenes from the cycle of the Apocalypse, for the second time after the one reflected in the church of St. Thanas (both cycles are not copies of each other, but each presents creative features).

In 1960, part of the arcade suffered serious damage due to a powerful earthquake, detaching about 28 cm from the nave. While a restoration expedition, undertaken in 1962 by the Institute of Cultural Monuments, for its restoration and consolidation, did an excellent and professional job. The iconostasis of this church was carefully crafted by Constantine the Hieromonk around the year 1722-1726, one of the greatest masters of icon work at the beginning of the the 18th century. Today some of the original icons are an integral part of the National Museum of Medieval Art in Korça.

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