Church of St Mary
Paintings by the Zografi brothers.
Psittacuso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · ShkelzenRexha — CC BY-SA 4.0 · ShkelzenRexha — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Adert — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Adert — CC BY-SA 4.0
Ardenica Monastery is an Albanian Orthodox monastery on a wooded hill, 18 km south of Lushnjë on the road to Fier. It is known as the place where Skanderbeg, the Albanian national hero, was married, and visitors come for its history, wall paintings and calm. Sources say the Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos built it in 1282 after his victory over the Angevins at the siege of Berat, with the chapel of the Holy Trinity already standing. On 21 April 1451 it hosted the wedding of George Kastrioti and Andronika Arianiti in the presence of the country's princes. A theological school began here in 1780, and its great library of 32,000 volumes was destroyed by fire in 1932. The site is about 1 km from the old Roman Via Egnatia, and a temple of Artemis is thought to have stood here first, perhaps giving the name. Within the walls are the Church of St Mary, with wall paintings by the Zografi brothers, a courtyard with arcades and a tall bell tower. We do not show the interior out of respect for the place, but it is worth seeing if open. It is 33 km in a straight line from Berat and 33 km from Byllis, so it makes a good stop heading south. You may need to knock at the gate, as it is a working monastery. Dress modestly, keep your voice down and ask before taking pictures inside, since some parts are closed to visitors.
Paintings by the Zografi brothers.
Calm inside the walls.
Above the plain, among trees.
South of Lushnjë, on the road to Fier, central Albania
Skanderbeg married Andronika Arianiti here in 1451.
It is a working monastery. You may have to knock, and some parts stay closed.