Religious sites in Albania
Et'hem Bey Mosque
The Et'hem Bey Mosque construction was started in 1791 or 1794 by Molla Bey and it was finished in 1819 or 1821 by his son Haxhi Ethem Bey, grand-grandson of Sulejman Pasha. At the time it was built it was part of complex buildings that compose the historical center of Tirana. In front of mosque was the old Bazaar, in east the Sulejman Pasha Mosque, which was built on 1614 and destroyed during World War II, and in the no ...
Founded: 1791 |
Location:
Tirana, Albania
Holy Trinity Church
The Holy Trinity Church has a cross shaped plan with a dome. It is composed of the nave, narthex (entrance area) and the altar alcove. In the church many Byzantine architecture features have been skilfully used such as the inner organization of the space and the decorative and illuminative systems. These features, together with the pyramidal shape, forms and proportions give the church a picturesque appearance. The Byzan ...
Founded: 13th century |
Location:
Berat, Albania
Great Basilica
The so-called Great Basilica was the principal church in late antique Butrint and sections of a 6th century mosaic floor are still preserved. The church was erected on the site of a cistern belonging to the Roman city’s aqueduct and is over 30m long. It followed the characteristic plan and architectural devices prevalent throughout Epirus, employing a central nave flanked by aisles that were screened from the nave by cl ...
Founded: 6th century AD |
Location:
Sarandë, Albania
Ardenica Monastery
Built by Byzantine Emperor, Andronikos II Palaiologos in 1282 after the victory against the Angevins in the Siege of Berat, the Ardenica Monastery is famous as the place where, in 1451, was celebrated the marriage of Skanderbeg, the national hero of Albania, with Andronika Arianiti. In 1780 the Monastery started a theological school to prepare clerics in Greek Orthodoxy. It had an important library with 32,000 volumes tha ...
Founded: 1282 |
Location:
Qarku i Fierit, Albania
St. Mary's Church
The St. Mary"s Church is an Eastern Orthodox church and monastery in Elbasan, Albania. The church"s building started in 1483, but it ended almost a century later: the church had its first religious services only in 1556. It was built entirely in stone in a completely particular way, with stones carved in the shape of a cross, which can still be seen today. The church was frescoed by Onufri and restaured by David ...
Founded: 1483 |
Location:
Elbasan, Albania
Saint Nicholas Church
The Church of Saint Nicholas, former Selimije Mosque, is a ruined historic church and mosque where the remains of Skanderbeg are said to be preserved in Lezhë, Albania. It is now used as Skanderbeg"s Mausoleum. Originally, the building was a church, named after Saint Nicholas. Until this day, a fresco of the saint is still present in the remains of the church, although heavily damaged. The Church was located in the ...
Founded: 1459 |
Location:
Lezhë, Albania
Shirgj Church
The Shirgj Church was built in 1290 by Helen of Anjou, queen consort of the Serbian Kingdom, wife of Serbian king Stefan Uroš I, and mother of kings Dragutin and Milutin. Apparently the monastery was constructed on top of an existing structure: according to apocryphal documents, the original monastery is mentioned as erected by Justinian, whereas in other sources its existence is mentioned as an abbey starting from 1100. ...
Founded: 1290 |
Location:
Shkodër, Albania
St. John the Baptist's Monastery
According to the donor"s inscription, the church inside the St. John the Baptist"s Monastery was built in 1632 and painted in 1659. Today the monastery is declared a Cultural Monument of Albania. The monastery includes the church as well as two other buildings which were part of the monastery. The church has dimensions of 17m x 7.65 X 9m. The frescoes are preserved and in a good afresket and worked with componen ...
Founded: 1632 |
Location:
Moscopole, Albania
Marmiroi Church
Marmiroi church is mentioned in historical records for the first time in 1307. Since it has no narthex, and because of other similarities to other similar churches in Bulgaria and former Yugoslavia, it is thought to have been built in the 12th or 13th century AD, although some researchers have put its construction period in the 10th century. The most accredited hypothesis is that it was dedicated to Saint Mary.
Founded: 12th century |
Location:
Pashaliman, Albania
Basilica of Saint Michael Ruins
The Basilica of Saint Michael is an early Palaeo-Christian church which is believed to date to the 5th or 6th century. A mosaic unearthed in the basilica also demonstrates how ingrained Christian culture later was with the early Byzantine Empire.
Founded: 5th century AD |
Location:
Durrës, Albania
Dormition of the Theotokos Church
The Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos is one of the most representative examples of Byzantine architecture in Albania. The foundation of the church dates back to 6th century at the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian (527–565 AD). Justinian erected the church in memory of his mother. The present building dates from the 10th century or – according to another source – 13th century, during the time of the Despo ...
Founded: 10th century AD |
Location:
Labovë e Kryqit, Albania
Dhuvjan Monastery
The Dhuvjan Monastery is traditionally dated to the 6th century, however, this has been contested due to notes left by a former monk working in the monastery, who alleged that the monastery was built in 1089. The monastery is devoted to the Virgin Mary. It underwent restoration in the 1960s and was elevated to the status of cultural monument by the Albanian government in 1963. However, another restoration project is nee ...
Founded: 1089 |
Location:
Dhuvjan, Albania