Wooden churches

13. Šemetkovce

The wooden Greek Catholic church of St. Michael the Archangel, 1752, NKP 

    On a hill behind the village was built a wooden Greek Catholic church in 1752. It was dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel. During WWII the church was damaged. It was renovated after 1945.
    The church has three parts, three spaces, three towers and three crosses. It is built on a low foundation from rubble stone. The entrance is on the western side, leading into narthex. The structure of the church is rustic. The tower has a columned structure. An interesting point on the church is the relatively tight main tower. The roof of the church and the tower is covered with shingles. Renovation of the exterior took place around 1999.
    The dominant feature of the interior is the iconostasis, which has architecture of five rows with icons displayed on five levels. It is dated to the middle of the 18th century, except the row of feasts and apostolic rows, which are from the end of the 17th century. The royal doors have two leaves, containing six medallions of four Evangelists and Annunciation. The first row contains the icons of St. Nicholas, Theotokos (Hodigitria), Christ the Teacher, and St. Michael the Archangel. The second row of feasts contains altogether eleven icons with the icon of the Last (Mystical) Supper in the middle. The third, apostolic row contains the icons of apostles with the Christ the High Priest in the middle. The fourth row of prophets consists of eleven medallions. In the middle is the Crucifixion on the three-barred cross. Even the fifth row is preserved; below the icon of Christ the Teacher is the icon of Ss. Peter and Paul with a church building between them. Renovation of the interior was done around 2001.
    Northwest from the church stands a massive wooden belfry on an elevated foundation made of stone. It is a National cultural monument (NKP). It has a columned structure. On the top is a simple three-barred cross. In the belfry are three bells, from the years 1971, 1948 and 1970.

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