St. Stephen's Church, Piran, Slovenia

St. Stephen's church is one of the oldest in Piran, and in the 13th and 14th centuries it was also one of the most important sacral buildings in the town.

The seat of the order of the Brotherhood of a Happy Last Hour used to be in the church, where they prayed and kept relics in the main hall and in the attic. Inside the church there are statues of the St. Stephen and St. Lawrence, as well as paintings by Jakob and Matej Palma.

References:

portoroz.si

Religious sites in Slovenia

User Reviews

Доктор Скачко (2 years ago)
Если вы отправились в путешествие по Европе и заехали в Словению — не забудьте посетить город Пиран. в городе Пиран ((Словения) много интересных и достойных внимания достопримечательностей. это — одна из них. А если вам нужно больше информации про ваше здоровье? Что стоит делать чтобы лечиться вылечиться и жить без болезней? ищите на YouTube видео каналы «Доктор Скачко», «Школа доктора Скачко». а также «Школа доктора Скачко» в Instagram. С уважением врач, фитотерапевт, диетолог, натуропат Борис Скачко, Украина, Киев...

Ilario Bonomi (3 years ago)
Molto rimaneggiato nel corso del tempo, è un edificio ottagonale rivestito esternamente di intonaco bianco, che ben figura sullo sfondo blu del mare, in posizione sopraelevata dietro il duomo. Una volta internamente era tutto affrescato e ancora si conserva qualche traccia di affreschi più tardi sulle pareti, mentre il soffitto è andato completamente perduto. Bella la vasca battesimale al centro.

Botond Sugár (3 years ago)
It was very loud.

Oszkár Józsa (4 years ago)
Stunning views from the viewing tower.

Bojan Benko (4 years ago)
I did not visit the church itself. I climb the tower only. At the beginning there are small wooden stairs that you need to climb. But when you reach the top that it was all worth it. View on Piran and the whole sea is absolutely stunning. If you go near this church climb the tower. It's amazing

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Dan Lundberg

Historic Site of the week

Hagios Demetrios

The Church of Saint Demetrius, or Hagios Demetrios, is the main sanctuary dedicated to Saint Demetrius, the patron saint of Thessaloniki. It is part of the site Palaeochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessaloniki on the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO since 1988.

The first church on the spot was constructed in the early 4th century AD, replacing a Roman bath. A century later, a prefect named Leontios replaced the small oratory with a larger, three-aisled basilica. Repeatedly gutted by fires, the church eventually was reconstructed as a five-aisled basilica in 629–634. This was the surviving form of the church much as it is today. The most important shrine in the city, it was probably larger than the local cathedral. The historic location of the latter is now unknown.

The church had an unusual shrine called the ciborium, a hexagonal, roofed structure at one side of the nave. It was made of or covered with silver. The structure had doors and inside was a couch or bed. Unusually, it did not hold any physical relics of the saint. The ciborium seems to have been a symbolic tomb. It was rebuilt at least once.

The basilica is famous for six extant mosaic panels, dated to the period between the latest reconstruction and the inauguration of the Byzantine Iconoclasm in 730. These mosaics depict St. Demetrius with officials responsible for the restoration of the church (called the founders, ktetors) and with children. An inscription below one of the images glorifies heaven for saving the people of Thessalonica from a pagan Slavic raid in 615.

Thessaloniki became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1430. About 60 years later, during the reign of Bayezid II, the church was converted into a mosque, known as the Kasımiye Camii after the local Ottoman mayor, Cezeri Kasım Pasha. The symbolic tomb however was kept open for Christian veneration. Other magnificent mosaics, recorded as covering the church interior, were lost either during the four centuries when it functioned as a mosque (1493–1912) or in the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917 that destroyed much of the city. It also destroyed the roof and upper walls of the church. Black-and-white photographs and good watercolour versions give an idea of the early Byzantine craftsmanship lost during the fire.

Following the Great Fire of 1917, it took decades to restore the church. Tombstones from the city"s Jewish cemetery - destroyed by the Greek and Nazi German authorities - were used as building materials in these restoration efforts in the 1940s. Archeological excavations conducted in the 1930s and 1940s revealed interesting artifacts that may be seen in a museum situated inside the church"s crypt. The excavations also uncovered the ruins of a Roman bath, where St. Demetrius was said to have been held prisoner and executed. A Roman well was also discovered. Scholars believe this is where soldiers dropped the body of St. Demetrius after his execution. After restoration, the church was reconsecrated in 1949.

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