Church of Saint Mary in Malçan, Finiq

Saint Mary's Church is located in Malçan, Finiq. It is thought that the church belongs to the post-Byzantine period, judging by its morphological, architectural characteristics, but also by its decorative elements. It is a temple with special structural characteristics, built at the end of the XVI century and the beginning of the XVII century.

The church consists of the main nave and the narthex. The nave is cross-shaped with a dome, with internal dimensions of 6.60 x 5.90 m and four columns inside. The asymmetrical openings of the cross are covered with cylindrical vaults. The altar is lit by three small windows and has frescoes. On the west side, the nave is connected to the narthex, which is simple, covered with a wooden roof, without a ceiling. The different construction technique and the dividing joint in the masonry prove that the narthex was built later.

The church is built of stone and covered with a thin layer of plaster, leaving the corners of the building exposed, made of large, hewn stones. At the top, the wall ends with a brick frame in the shape of saw teeth. Unlike the bare masonry, the drum is highly decorated. Having twelve windows with brick arches, above which there is another level of decoration with pieces of tiles.

The interior structure is also reflected in the exterior views. A dynamic and scaled composition was thus created, which makes it impossible to feel the extremely wide extent of the roof, which sums up the nave and the narthex in a single volume.