By building a case of the peculiar architecture of belfries in the late Ottoman and early post-Ottoman Balkans, in this paper we demonstrate that, at critical times of transience, socio-political pressures from within and from without, contestation over ‘sacred’ space pushes for changes in sacred space, whether urban or non-urban. Such changes are aimed as visual statements of an enhanced role and space claimed by a religious community in the frame of the new politico-religious establishment, thereby challenging old normativity. In particular, we are showing how, the post-Tanzimat moderate emancipation of the Ottoman Empire combined with its inability to maintain firm control over its provincial affairs and the strong drive of Christian communities to break away from previous restrictions in the construction of bell towers and the use of bells, led to the establishment of multi-storeyed belfries which in replacement of their humble ancestors. Our departure point was how the combination of Ottoman domination and popular Islamic fears of bells led to the extinction or curtailing of Byzantine belfries in Ottoman-dominated regions. We then explored how, upon the Ottoman state’s weakness to impose firm central authority over its provinces and, most notably, after independence through secession from the Ottoman Empire, memory of and reaction against these restrictions led to the peculiar phenomenon of ‘liberation churches’ or belfries, in the Balkans, i.e., churches of monumental dimensions with vast bell towers distantly reminiscent of early Christian models, as a reaction to the church-building restrictions of the Ottoman Empire. We further investigated that the regions of modern-day Albania, though last to gain independence, were no exception thereof and we studied a total of eleven bell towers of the sort in this first part of the article, with monumental dimensions – mostly from the Orthodox communities. We demonstrated that, especially in urban centres, prominent bell towers in their contestation of urban skyscape provoked the communist regime, which consequently knocked them down. In this article we studied and published a number of older, no longer existent churches and belfries in their historical background. The list of monuments studied is provided below; extant belfries are highlighted in grey. It should be noted that a number of other belfies should be added to this list, which were not included in this first part of the study: # Church or Monastery Belfries Date 1. Dormition of the Virgin at Niçë 1874 2. Dormition of the Virgin at Voskopojë (Gk. Moschopolis) 1887 3. Prophet Elias at Voskopojë 1890 4. Dormition of the Virgin at Derviçan, Dropull, Gjirokastër Late-19th – early 20th c. 5. Dormition of the Virgin, Sopik, Pogon, Gjirokastër Late-19th – early 20th c. 6. Nativity of the Virgin, Skore, Pogon, Gjirokastër Late-19th – early 20th c. 7. St. Nicholas at Topovë, Gjirokastër Late-19th – early 20th c. 8. St. Nicholas at Dhrovjan, Sarandë Late-19th – early 20th c. 9. St. Spyridon, Vuno, Himarë Early 20th c. 10. All Saints, Himarë Early 20th c. 11. St. Nicholas at Voskopojë 1936 The prevalence of Orthodox monuments in the study was dictated by the availability of archival materials in our disposition. We have no doubt that similar church-construction patterns were also observed in Albania’s Catholic communities, such as the church of Saint Roch at Shirokë, Shkodra indicates. We are also convinced that, in the communist regime’s contestation over the urban skyscape for its own, ideologically charged landmarks, minarets, more often than not alongside the mosques they were attached to, were also knocked down in the name of what then called to be modernity. It would, however, be a significant advancement of our knowledge of the phenomena described in this study if future scholarship utilized photographic archival materials for the purpose of surveying these phenomena systematically in catholic churches, mosques and tekkes.
Contestation over ‘Sacred’ Space, Normativity and Belfry Architecture in the Late Ottoman – Early Post-Ottoman Balkans
Dasara Pula
2022
Abstract
By building a case of the peculiar architecture of belfries in the late Ottoman and early post-Ottoman Balkans, in this paper we demonstrate that, at critical times of transience, socio-political pressures from within and from without, contestation over ‘sacred’ space pushes for changes in sacred space, whether urban or non-urban. Such changes are aimed as visual statements of an enhanced role and space claimed by a religious community in the frame of the new politico-religious establishment, thereby challenging old normativity. In particular, we are showing how, the post-Tanzimat moderate emancipation of the Ottoman Empire combined with its inability to maintain firm control over its provincial affairs and the strong drive of Christian communities to break away from previous restrictions in the construction of bell towers and the use of bells, led to the establishment of multi-storeyed belfries which in replacement of their humble ancestors. Our departure point was how the combination of Ottoman domination and popular Islamic fears of bells led to the extinction or curtailing of Byzantine belfries in Ottoman-dominated regions. We then explored how, upon the Ottoman state’s weakness to impose firm central authority over its provinces and, most notably, after independence through secession from the Ottoman Empire, memory of and reaction against these restrictions led to the peculiar phenomenon of ‘liberation churches’ or belfries, in the Balkans, i.e., churches of monumental dimensions with vast bell towers distantly reminiscent of early Christian models, as a reaction to the church-building restrictions of the Ottoman Empire. We further investigated that the regions of modern-day Albania, though last to gain independence, were no exception thereof and we studied a total of eleven bell towers of the sort in this first part of the article, with monumental dimensions – mostly from the Orthodox communities. We demonstrated that, especially in urban centres, prominent bell towers in their contestation of urban skyscape provoked the communist regime, which consequently knocked them down. In this article we studied and published a number of older, no longer existent churches and belfries in their historical background. The list of monuments studied is provided below; extant belfries are highlighted in grey. It should be noted that a number of other belfies should be added to this list, which were not included in this first part of the study: # Church or Monastery Belfries Date 1. Dormition of the Virgin at Niçë 1874 2. Dormition of the Virgin at Voskopojë (Gk. Moschopolis) 1887 3. Prophet Elias at Voskopojë 1890 4. Dormition of the Virgin at Derviçan, Dropull, Gjirokastër Late-19th – early 20th c. 5. Dormition of the Virgin, Sopik, Pogon, Gjirokastër Late-19th – early 20th c. 6. Nativity of the Virgin, Skore, Pogon, Gjirokastër Late-19th – early 20th c. 7. St. Nicholas at Topovë, Gjirokastër Late-19th – early 20th c. 8. St. Nicholas at Dhrovjan, Sarandë Late-19th – early 20th c. 9. St. Spyridon, Vuno, Himarë Early 20th c. 10. All Saints, Himarë Early 20th c. 11. St. Nicholas at Voskopojë 1936 The prevalence of Orthodox monuments in the study was dictated by the availability of archival materials in our disposition. We have no doubt that similar church-construction patterns were also observed in Albania’s Catholic communities, such as the church of Saint Roch at Shirokë, Shkodra indicates. We are also convinced that, in the communist regime’s contestation over the urban skyscape for its own, ideologically charged landmarks, minarets, more often than not alongside the mosques they were attached to, were also knocked down in the name of what then called to be modernity. It would, however, be a significant advancement of our knowledge of the phenomena described in this study if future scholarship utilized photographic archival materials for the purpose of surveying these phenomena systematically in catholic churches, mosques and tekkes.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
