St. Paraskeva Church | |
---|---|
Ιερός Ναός Αγίας Παρασκευής | |
40°47′08.3″N 22°24′51.4″E / 40.785639°N 22.414278°E | |
Location | Giannitsa |
Country | Greece |
Language(s) | Greek |
Denomination | Greek Orthodox |
History | |
Status | Open |
Architecture | |
Architectural type | Ottoman |
Completed | 15th century |
Specifications | |
Number of domes | 1 |
Number of spires | 1 |
Administration | |
Metropolis | Metropolis of Edessa, Pella and Almopia |
The St. Paraskeva Church ( Greek: Ιερός Ναός Αγίας Παρασκευής) is a Greek Orthodox church in the town of Giannitsa, in northern Greece, dedicated to Saint Paraskeva of the Balkans, and belonging to the archdiocese of Edessa, Pella and Almopia . [1] [2] [3] It was originally an Ottoman mosque that was converted into a church following the incorporation of Giannitsa and the rest of Greek Macedonia into Greece in the early twentienth century.
The building was originally built as a Muslim mosque built in the fifteenth century, probably by one of the descendants of Gazi Evrenos, the founder of Giannitsa, [4] and described by Ottoman traveller and explorer Evliya Çelebi as a mosque made of large stones. Its name during the years it functioned as a mosque was Yakup Bey Mosque (in Turkish: Yakup Bey Camii). [5] The older complex included a tekke as well. [6]
In 1947-1948, Archimandrite Nicander Papaioannou, the owner of the plot and the building, turned the mosque into a church. [7] [8] In 1951, he donated the church and the entire plot to the Metropolitanate of Edessa and Pella. The church then functioned as a monastery for about forty years with the appropriate utility rooms and lodgings. Ever since October 1995, the church has served as a parish church, with a cemetery built next to it. [8]
Eventually a larger church was built next to this one.
The church was declared a historical monument on June 13 1990. [7]
The original building is the posterior part of today's church – an octagonal building, typical of the fifteenth century mausoleums, with a 3.5 m long wall and a 7 m. tall dome. Later when it served as a monastery, several architectural changes were made such as a bell tower being added to it on the site of the destroyed minaret, [2] though with the exception of the addition of the bell tower and the sanctuary, no extreme changes took place. [6]
Inner decoration of the church is the work of the painters Karlas, Viron and Avramidis. [1] [2] The icons in there are the work of monks from the Holy Spirit Monastery in Oropos. [3]
St. Paraskeva Church | |
---|---|
Ιερός Ναός Αγίας Παρασκευής | |
40°47′08.3″N 22°24′51.4″E / 40.785639°N 22.414278°E | |
Location | Giannitsa |
Country | Greece |
Language(s) | Greek |
Denomination | Greek Orthodox |
History | |
Status | Open |
Architecture | |
Architectural type | Ottoman |
Completed | 15th century |
Specifications | |
Number of domes | 1 |
Number of spires | 1 |
Administration | |
Metropolis | Metropolis of Edessa, Pella and Almopia |
The St. Paraskeva Church ( Greek: Ιερός Ναός Αγίας Παρασκευής) is a Greek Orthodox church in the town of Giannitsa, in northern Greece, dedicated to Saint Paraskeva of the Balkans, and belonging to the archdiocese of Edessa, Pella and Almopia . [1] [2] [3] It was originally an Ottoman mosque that was converted into a church following the incorporation of Giannitsa and the rest of Greek Macedonia into Greece in the early twentienth century.
The building was originally built as a Muslim mosque built in the fifteenth century, probably by one of the descendants of Gazi Evrenos, the founder of Giannitsa, [4] and described by Ottoman traveller and explorer Evliya Çelebi as a mosque made of large stones. Its name during the years it functioned as a mosque was Yakup Bey Mosque (in Turkish: Yakup Bey Camii). [5] The older complex included a tekke as well. [6]
In 1947-1948, Archimandrite Nicander Papaioannou, the owner of the plot and the building, turned the mosque into a church. [7] [8] In 1951, he donated the church and the entire plot to the Metropolitanate of Edessa and Pella. The church then functioned as a monastery for about forty years with the appropriate utility rooms and lodgings. Ever since October 1995, the church has served as a parish church, with a cemetery built next to it. [8]
Eventually a larger church was built next to this one.
The church was declared a historical monument on June 13 1990. [7]
The original building is the posterior part of today's church – an octagonal building, typical of the fifteenth century mausoleums, with a 3.5 m long wall and a 7 m. tall dome. Later when it served as a monastery, several architectural changes were made such as a bell tower being added to it on the site of the destroyed minaret, [2] though with the exception of the addition of the bell tower and the sanctuary, no extreme changes took place. [6]
Inner decoration of the church is the work of the painters Karlas, Viron and Avramidis. [1] [2] The icons in there are the work of monks from the Holy Spirit Monastery in Oropos. [3]