The church of the Transfiguration of the Saviour of Gjirokast\u00ebr, located in the center of the historical quarter of the Old Bazaar, was part of a more complex architectural system, which developed as a continuation of the eastern side of the Castle. It was a hilltop fortress dominating the western part of the Drinos valley, architectural parts of which date back to before the 12th century. Narrow roads, \u201ccobbled streets\u201d, give access to the site, one of them descending almost vertically from the Castle and the other starting from the central square.
\nVisible until today, the ruins of the wider building complex, to which the temple belonged, give us a picture of the original layout and function. The complex of buildings reveals the concentration of a multifaceted activity, which probably covered the wider administrative, educational, etc. needs, not only of the headquarters of the Metropolis, but also the needs of the entire local community. Thus, the remains of a large stone water tank of impressive size is another piece of evidence in favor of the above. In addition, written texts, both ecclesiastical and secular, contain numerous references to the importance and the intense spiritual, educational and social life of the village. These include the surviving Codes of Dryinopolis and Gjirokast\u00ebr and the reports of famous travelers, such as that of the French journalist Ren\u00e9 Pyot, who was hosted in the church during the Balkan Wars.
\nParticularly important for the further documentation of the church, but also for general historical research, are the inscriptions that exist both inside the temple and on inscribed plaques on the outer walls. According to a wall inscription on the inner side of the western wall, we are informed of the year of the construction of the church, which is 1776, on the initiative of Dositheos, the then Bishop of Dryinopolis and Gjirokast\u00ebr, a reference that makes the building almost contemporary with another church of the city, the church of the Taxiarchs.
\nThe existence of a place of worship at this particular spot, however, does not begin in the 18th century. During work on the courtyard, graves were found, which, together with the written historical sources, indicate the previous presence of a chapel in the area, which was also dedicated to the Saviour. Moreover, it should be noted at this point that there used to be a bell tower, which, however, was demolished in the late 60’s – early 70’s due to the special political conditions that prevailed in the country during these decades. After the political change in the 1990s, private initiatives were taken to restore the bell tower, according to photographs that had survived, but this attempt was not particularly successful, neither in terms of the materials, nor in terms of the technique used.<\/p>\n