The Church of Marmiroi

The church of Marmiro rises on a small picturesque hill, about 3 km south-west of the town of Orikum, in the place called Rrëza e Kanalit. According to C. Patsch a part of the material that was used for its construction was taken from the ancient city of Orik. It is located in the southeast corner of a courtyard, where its own walls have been used as surrounding walls. Inside the courtyard, which is entered through an entrance on the south side, there are ruined walls with a chimney, a niche and a window. The church consists of a nave (5.70×6.38 m), with a free cross plan, and a narthex, ruined on its western side. From the outside it has a cube shape with a dome and a drum. Above the four pilasters formed between the wings of the cross and ending with a frame stone, arches are erected, which cover the wings of the cross and serve as supporting arches for the dome drum and spherical triangles. The arms of the cross end in pediments and have different lengths. The east wing is longer, the north and south are shorter. The arms of the cross and the dome are covered with a double tiled roof. The church has three entrances from the north and west, which are linked with the courtyard and one from the south to enter the faithful and visitors. The high dome and the lack of narthex give the church architecture a completely vertical look. The technique of the walls is with irregular stones and with pieces of bricks and tiles placed between them.