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MONASTERY OF ARDENICA

Abbey – Monastery – Convent
3.8/5
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SH67, Ardenica, Albania
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2024
Recommended
2024

Albania's only active Orthodox monastery. Skanderbeg's wedding was celebrated here in 1451. frescoes.

It was in this prestigious 13th-century Orthodox monastery (Manastiri i Ardenicës) that the marriage of George Kastriot Skanderbeg to Donica Arianiti, the daughter of a local clan chief, took place on April 21, 1451. Today numbering around ten monks, it is the only active Orthodox monastic complex in Albania. Dedicated to the Nativity of the Theotokos ("Mother of God" in Greek), it enjoys a beautiful setting on the Ardenica hill overlooking the Myzeqa plain, 237 m above sea level. Altered several times, it was founded in 1282 by the Byzantine emperor Andronic II Palaeologus to celebrate his victory over Charles of Anjou after the siege of Berat (1280-1281). However, it still has some older features, notably the 10th-century Chapel of the Trinity (on the right as you enter). It appears to have been built on the site of an ancient temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis (from which the name Ardenica is derived).

Frescoes and first inscription in Albanian. In 1743, at the height of the Ottoman period, the complex benefited from the largesse of Aromanian merchants from Moscopole (near Korça), who financed the construction of the catholicon (main church). Well-preserved, it is dominated by a 24 m-high bell tower and incorporates materials from the site of Apollonia in Illyria (ancient columns visible on the north side). The interior is covered with frescoes painted in 1744 by the three most renowned artists of the Korça school of painting: Konstantin Shpataraku and the brothers Konstantin and Athanas Zografi (whose surname means "painters" in Greek). One fresco in particular preserves the first text written in Albanian to be inscribed in a church: " Virgjin ë Mame eperndis uro prë nee faj torëte " ("Virgin and Mother of God pray for us [poor] sinners"). In the second half of the 19th century, Ardenica became a major intellectual center, playing an active part in the Rilindja Kombëtare ("National Renaissance") movement, notably by organizing courses in the Albanian language. But in 1932, the complex was ravaged by fire, resulting in the loss of priceless manuscripts. Ardenica suffered a long decline. In 1967, Orthodox bishop Irene Banushi (1906-1973), a leading figure in the religious opposition to Enver Hoxha's regime, saved the monastery by convincing the students who had come to destroy it of its historical value, stressing in particular the memory of the wedding of national hero Skanderbeg.

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Members' reviews on MONASTERY OF ARDENICA

3.8/5
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The ratings and reviews below reflect the subjective opinions of members and not the opinion of The Little Witty.

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Visited in may 2022
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joyau caché
Il faut absolument venir en ce lieu qui mérite la visite, un peu isolé et pas facile à trouver (fléchage presque inexistant), le gardien vous demandera 100 leke et vous permettra de visiter à votre guise en éclairant le choeur et la chapelle ainsi que les nombreux icones accrochés aux murs du monastère. Jardin très bien entretenu et fleuri donnant un charme fou et un rendu très photogénique.
GP37
Visited in november 2017
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Originality
basilique avec superbes fresques notamment celles du Jugement dernier dnas le narthex

photographies interdites

seulement un petit dépliant

un guide plus important serait apprécié
spiticap
Visited in august 2017
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Arrivée compliquée car pas indiquée (mais les locaux vous aident si c'est gentiment demandé) et la pente est raide pour les voitures de location... Vendeurs locaux au pied de la colline où se situe le monastère et mendiant en plein milieu du chemin (logique de donner quelque chose pour un lieu de pèlerinage). Pour la visite en elle-même, elle est rapide, faite dans un mélange de français-italien-anglais et elle se conclut par l'achat (obligatoire?) d'un fascicule. Pas de photos (sauf deux négociées après paiement de la brochure) mais même le coup d'oeil en vaut la peine: magnifique église et fresques médiévales du léviathan crachant toute sorte de monstres marins dans la salle entre l'église et le baptistère - attention pas mises en avant par le guide du jour. Il y a donc tout intérêt à s'y connaître un peu en histoire de l'art pour décoder soi-même les lieux!
Cortofred72
Visited in june 2017
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Le monastère d'Ardenica est situé au sommet du village du même nom (Ardenicë en albanais). On se gare au pied des remparts du monastère où quelques petits vendeurs vous attendent et un mendiant polyglotte. L'entrée est toujours gratuite mais le gardien attend ostensiblement un pourboire à la sortie (200 leks sont bienvenus). L'intérieur est très sombre et les photos interdites. Les fresques (ou ce qu'on en voit) sont magnifiques. On ne peut visiter que l'église, le reste du monastère est toujours habité par 5 moines. La visite est rapide car le lieu est petit comme souvent les églises et monastères orthodoxes.

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