Byzantin Church of Labova e Kryqit(of the Holy Cross)
Trail photos
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Trail stats
- Distance
- 15.93 mi
- Elevation gain
- 1,693 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Easy
- Elevation loss
- 279 ft
- Max elevation
- 2,316 ft
- TrailRank
- 23
- Min elevation
- 630 ft
- Trail type
- One Way
- Coordinates
- 306
- Uploaded
- January 16, 2014
near Gjirokastër, Gjirokastër (Albania)
Viewed 2331 times, downloaded 12 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
One of the most interesting monuments in Albania, the church of Labovë e Kryqit, which is devoted to Saint Mary, is reached from the road to Libohova that runs east from the main highway south of Gjirokastra.Labovë e Kryqit is a few kilometres further on, after the road regains an asphalt surface and enters the village.The whole journey takes around 40 minutes.The church of Labova e Kryqit is one of the oldest in Albania and once contained a holy relic believed to be a fragment of the true cross. It was from this relic that the village took its name. The relic was stolen during the civil unrest in the early 1990s.
The building is typically Byzantine with a high central cupola with nave and aisles arranged in a cruciform plan. A later narthex provides the principal entrance. There are nine distinct levels of fresco painting on the interior walls. The church seen today is essentially a creation of the 13th century at the time of the Despots of Epirus, although an original foundation may go back to AD 527-565 and the reign of Emperor Justinian.
The building is typically Byzantine with a high central cupola with nave and aisles arranged in a cruciform plan. A later narthex provides the principal entrance. There are nine distinct levels of fresco painting on the interior walls. The church seen today is essentially a creation of the 13th century at the time of the Despots of Epirus, although an original foundation may go back to AD 527-565 and the reign of Emperor Justinian.
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