Monastery of St. Mary in Ardenica

The monastery of St. Mary in Ardenica Albania Berat, located on a steep slope in the valley of the Bojana River, was founded at the end of the XV century and was a small monastery with two stone churches and a house for the brethren. In 1531, the monastery was given to the Order of the Dominicans, as evidenced by the inscription on the stone slab, which now stands in one of the temples of the monastery. Due to a strong earthquake, the church was badly damaged: the roof collapsed, part of the walls collapsed. In the XVII century, the church was restored again according to the project of the famous architect Andrea di Vicenzo.

Today is St. John's. Maria is included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The monastery also contains the oldest document in Albanian - "Book of Oaths", which describes the oath of allegiance to the community of monks. On its pages are engraved about three hundred vows, which were brought by the first monastic brothers. Among the other relics of the monastery are the reliquary with the relics of St. Athanasius, who was the founder of the Dominican Order. This is the only document that mentions the saint in the list of saints.

The easiest way to get to the monastery is by car, as it is located in the city center. If you still prefer a public form of transportation, then first you need to get to the bus station Berat, and then by bus No115, which goes to the monastery.

By car, it is most convenient to get through the city of Bar, where the gate to the monastery is located, from there you can already turn right and go through the tunnel to the city center.