“Kambanarja e Kishës së Shëndëlliut” (The Bell Tower of the Church of St Elijah) – by the poet Lasgush Poradeci

Shown above is a sketch by the author and poet Lasgush Poradeci, depicting the bell tower of the Church of Shëndëlli in Voskopojë, and how it ought to look today.

The Church of Shëndëlli, also known as the Church of St Elijah (Shën Ilia), was built in 1751. It is of the basilica type and is divided into three naves by two rows of columns. It is about 11.5 metres high, 20 metres long and 13 metres wide.

Its columns are made of stone and are linked by longitudinal arcades, above which rise the walls that separate the central nave from the side aisles.

The central nave is lit by windows opening at the level of the side-aisle roofs. The portico, the narthex and the churchyard, which was once enclosed by walls above which the bell tower rose, no longer exist.