Church Saint Demetrius in village Gradeshnica XIV - XV century
The church St. Demetrius in the village Gradeshnica is a type of a single-nave building with a rectangular base. It is built of chopped and semi-chopped stone which was also used for the semicircular arch. On the entrance of the western side in the indentedalcove the patron of the church, St. Demetrius is painted.
Some authors think that the church originates from the XIV or the XV century, yet the research of other authors state that part of the fresco-painting and the iconostasis on the walls date from the beginning of the XVI century.
The massive stone iconostasis which divides the cella from the altar space takes a special place in the church. The iconostasis of the church belongs to the type of built walls which appear at their earliest in the XIII century on the territories under the Byzantium dominance. Instead of the painted frescos on wood, the iconostasis is decorated with frescos painted on the walls, representing Jesus Christ the Saviour, St. Demetrius, and the most astounding representation of Eleusa or Mother Mary Merciful with the little Jesus and St. Nicholas.
The church of St. Demetrius is a witness of one medieval cultural heritage, especially according to the architectural aspect, the built iconostasis, the rare iconographic fresco-painted compositions. An interesting data for this church is that it is the only object from the village which remained untouched during the First World War. The church was directly hit by a grenade, which, fortunately, did not explode, but it made a hole in the roof with a diameter of around 60 cm, which was visible until recently.
