ST. NICHOLAS' CHURCH IN MOSCOW

Erected in 1726, this Orthodox church (Kisha e Shën Kollit) preserves frescoes by three masters of the Korça school of painting. Now the parish church of Moscopole, it has a separate bell tower (added in the ^19th century) and is flanked by a large portico with Spanish-Italian-influenced columns. It is dedicated to St. Nicholas of Myra, bishop and martyr in Lycia (Turkey) in the ^4th century, a very popular figure among the Aroumains. The exonarthex is decorated with frescoes - deteriorated by recent graffiti - executed by Kostandin and Athanas Zografi in the ^18th century. Admire the colorful portrait of Saint Ignatius of Antioch (Ignatius the Theophore), devoured by two wild beasts during his martyrdom in Rome in 107. The interior walls are covered with well-preserved frescoes by David Selenica. Considered the founder of the "Korça school" in the early ^18th century, he also worked in Greece (Mount Athos, Kastoria and Thessalonica). Note the Christ Pantocrator in the dome, depicted as a beardless young man. The church also houses a carved wooden iconostasis dating from 1758, which was damaged during the Second World War. Some of the original icons are preserved in the National Museum of Medieval Art in Korça. The priest can also give you the contact details of the local people who keep the keys to Moscopole's various churches.