Ardenica Monastery

Top choice in Albania

This rarely visited yet magnificent little monastery is remotely located on a hilltop between the towns of Lushjë and Fier. With your own transport it's worth dropping by to see the fantastic interiors – particularly the iconostasis of saints and sinners, dragons and angels – of the 18th-century Church of St Mary. Equally impressive is the golden pulpit, which positively heaves with adornments, not to mention the frescoes of the Zografi brothers that can be seen on display upstairs.

The monastery isn't really set up for visitors, but there's usually a custodian inside who can let you in and escort you around; consider tipping 200 lekë.

Contact

Address

Kolonjë

Suggest an edit to this attraction

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Apollonia
9.25 MILES
The evocative ruins of the ancient Illyiran city of Apollonia sit on a windswept hilltop some 12km west of the city of Fier. While a large part of the…
Kalaja
20.03 MILES
Hidden behind the crumbling walls of the fortress that crowns the hill above Berat is the whitewashed, village-like neighbourhood of Kala; if you walk…
Onufri Museum
19.99 MILES
The Onufri Museum is situated in the Kala quarter's biggest church, the Church of the Dormition of St Mary (Kisha Fjetja e Shën Mërisë). The church itself…
Mangalem Quarter
20.31 MILES
Down in the traditionally Muslim Mangalem quarter, there are three grand mosques: the Sultan's Mosque, the Lead Mosque and the Bachelors' Mosque. All are…
Sazan Island
27.73 MILES
Floating off the coast of the remote Karaburun Peninsula, 5.7 sq km Sazan Island is little known to even most Albanians. Once used as a submarine and…
Ethnographic Museum
20.26 MILES
Just off the steep hillside that leads up to Berat's castle is this excellent museum, which is housed in a beautiful 18th-century Ottoman house that's as…
Sultan's Mosque
20.4 MILES
The 16th-century Sultan's Mosque is one of the oldest in Albania. The Helveti teqe (a place of worship for those practising the Bektashi branch of Islam)…
Chapel of St Michael
20.14 MILES
Perched on a cliff ledge below the castle is the artfully positioned 14th-century chapel of St Michael, best viewed from the Gorica quarter across the…

View more attractions

Nearby Albania attractions

1. Apollonia

9.25 MILES

The evocative ruins of the ancient Illyiran city of Apollonia sit on a windswept hilltop some 12km west of the city of Fier. While a large part of the…

2. Chapel of St Nicholas

19.93 MILES

The small Byzantine-era Chapel of St Nicholas is normally kept locked.

3. Chapel of St Mary Blachernae

19.93 MILES

The small chapel of St Mary Blachernae, which dates from the 13th century and contains some 16th-century wall murals, is unfortunately normally kept…

4. Church of the Holy Trinity

19.95 MILES

The substantial and picturesque Church of the Holy Trinity sits below the upper fortress. Of all the churches within the fortress walls, it's the best…

5. Church of St Theodore

19.98 MILES

The Orthodox church of St Theodore, close to the fortress gates, is normally closed, but if you are granted access, you'll discover some wonderful wall…

6. Onufri Museum

19.99 MILES

The Onufri Museum is situated in the Kala quarter's biggest church, the Church of the Dormition of St Mary (Kisha Fjetja e Shën Mërisë). The church itself…

7. Kalaja

20.03 MILES

Hidden behind the crumbling walls of the fortress that crowns the hill above Berat is the whitewashed, village-like neighbourhood of Kala; if you walk…

8. Red Mosque

20.08 MILES

The Red Mosque, by the southern Kala walls, was the first mosque in Berat and dates back to the 15th century.

View more attractions

placement: superzone
path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],

targeting:

{
  "url": "albania/attractions/ardenica-monastery/a/poi-sig/1545979/358538",
  "destination": "Albania",
  "continent": "Europe",
  "country": "Albania",
  "position": "superzone"
}