St. Paraskeva Church, Giannitsa

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St. Paraskeva Church
Ιερός Ναός Αγίας Παρασκευής
St. Paraskeva Church is located in Greece
St. Paraskeva Church
St. Paraskeva Church
40°47′08.3″N 22°24′51.4″E / 40.785639°N 22.414278°E / 40.785639; 22.414278
LocationGiannitsa
CountryGreece
Language(s)Greek
DenominationGreek Orthodox
History
StatusOpen
Architecture
Architectural typeOttoman
Completed15th century
Specifications
Number of domes1
Number of spires1
Administration
MetropolisMetropolis of Edessa, Pella and Almopia [el]

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 [el].[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.

History

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]

Architecture

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]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Ιερός ναός Αγίας Παρασκευής" (in Greek). Η πόλη μας. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  2. ^ a b c "Γιαννιτσά - η πρωτεύουσα του κάμπου" (in Greek). Τσακήλι. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  3. ^ a b Αποστολίδου, Γεσθημανή. "Τα Γιαννιτσά ... χθες και σήμερα". p. 42. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  4. ^ Ameen 2017, p. 15.
  5. ^ Cangül, Caner (July 25, 2023). "Yakup Bey Camii, Yenice-i Vardar" [Yakup Bey Mosque, Giannitsa]. kulturenvanteri.com/tr/yer/ (in Turkish). Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Stavridopoulos 2015, p. 192.
  7. ^ a b "ΥΑ ΥΠΠΟ/ΑΡΧ/Β1/Φ36/9835/222/25-4-1990 - ΦΕΚ 355/Β/13-6-1990" (in Greek). Διαρκής κατάλογος κηρυγμένων αρχαιολογικών τόπων και μνημείων. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  8. ^ a b Πασχούδη, Μαρία Χρ (2010). Από τις Καρυές Ανατολικής Ρωμυλίας στα Γιαννιτσά (Ιστορία – Πνευματικός βίος). Διπλωματική εργασία (PDF). Θεσσαλονίκη: Αριστοτέλειο Πανεπιστήμιο Θεσσαλονίκης. Θεολογική Σχολή, Τμήμα Ποιμαντικής και Κοινωνικής Θεολογίας. p. 75.

Bibliography