Ardenica Monastery

Ardenica Monastery tickets: which one to buy

Ardenica Monastery stands on a hill between Fier and Lushnjë in central Albania, about ten kilometres from the ancient city of Apollonia, and a small admission fee is charged. It is one of the most important Orthodox monasteries in Albania and a symbol of national history. Most visitors combine Ardenica with the archaeological park of Apollonia, a Greek and Roman city with a well-preserved monument and an Orthodox monastery with a museum, on a day trip from Tirana, Durrës or Berat.

A car or tour is the easiest way to reach it, as public transport is limited. The monastery is surrounded by olive groves and offers views over the Myzeqe plain. It is active, with a small community, and visitors should dress modestly. The monastery also has a small hotel and restaurant. Guides at Apollonia can arrange a visit to Ardenica on the same trip.

Visiting Ardenica Monastery: what to see

The monastery was founded in 1282 by the Byzantine emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos, after a victory over the Angevins at the siege of Berat, and it was built on the site of an ancient temple of Artemis, from which its name may come. The present church, dedicated to the Virgin, was rebuilt in the eighteenth century, in 1743, and it is decorated with frescoes painted by the brothers Kostandin and Athanas Zografi, famous Albanian icon painters. The church has a carved wooden iconostasis. According to tradition, the national hero of Albania, Skanderbeg, married Donika Kastrioti, daughter of an Albanian prince, in the monastery chapel in 1451. During the communist period, when religion was banned, the monastery was closed and used for other purposes, and it was reopened for worship in the 1990s.

The monastery's courtyard includes an eighteenth-century library building. The church's frescoes include scenes of the life of the Virgin and portraits of saints. A bell tower stands beside the church. The monastery's courtyard is shaded by olive and cypress trees. The ancient temple's foundations, according to local tradition, lie beneath the church. The iconostasis was made in the eighteenth century by craftsmen from southern Albania. The monastery's hotel offers simple rooms in a peaceful setting. Visitors can see traces of the communist period's damage in some parts of the complex. The views from the hill include the plains and, on clear days, the Adriatic Sea.

Ardenica Monastery opening hours and the best time to go

The monastery is open daily. Albania's summers are hot, especially in the plains, and spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons for sightseeing. The feast of the Assumption of the Virgin on 15 August is celebrated with a religious festival and pilgrims. Orthodox Easter also brings services and celebrations. Weekends bring Albanian families to the monastery. Allow about forty-five minutes for the monastery, and combine it with Apollonia, about twenty minutes away. Apollonia's archaeological park includes a theatre, the Agonothetes monument and a museum in the monastery of Saint Mary.