St. Elijah, Parčići

Description

The church of St. Elijah is in Parčići, a small village in the rugged Bukovica region, to the east of Medviđa on the road from Obrovac to Knin. It is about a kilometer off-road. You won't miss it because there is a signpost that warns you about it. As you approach it you can enjoy the picturesque scenery of a small mound with the church and a tiny pond below it (with an occasional cow). St. Elijah is a humble, 8.5 by 5.4 meter single nave church with a rather ample round apse. The walls are reinforced with three strong pilasters supporting round arches on each side of the interior. It has the features of the pre-Romanesque style, but because of its masonry, it is classified in the Benkovac area Romanesque group of similar churches. It has a simple "preslica" type belfry on the facade, a portal with a lunette and a lintel decorated with an embossed cross in a circle. There are a number of old headstones around the church.

Water

Apse

History

The church of St. Elijah is a 12th century Romanesque building. It was originally dedicated to St. Marguerite. There is is a stone inscription on the facade that records its restoration in the 18th century. A Benedictine monastery is believed to have existed in its vicinity. After the arrival of the Orthodox settlers there was a dispute about the church between them and the original villagers.