St. Mary of Blachernae Church, Berat

St. Mary of Blachernae Church Native name: Albanian: Kisha e Shën Mëri Vllahernës
Location:	Berat
Coordinates:	40°42′33″N 19°56′39″E / 40.7092°N 19.9443°E / 40.7092; 19.9443Coordinates: 40°42′33″N 19°56′39″E / 40.7092°N 19.9443°E / 40.7092; 19.9443
Cultural Monument of Albania

St. Mary of Blachernae Church (Albanian: Kisha e Shën Mëri Vllahernës) is a church inside Berat Castle, in Berat, Albania, named after the famous Church of St. Mary of Blachernae, near the Palace of Blachernae in Constantinople. It dates from the 13th century and contains 16th-century murals. It became a protected cultural monument in 1948.^[1]

It is believed that a 5th or 6th century monastery existed at the place of the church. Nikolla Onufri, son of the more famous Onufri, decorated in the church in 1578 with prophets and bibles' scenes. The ground is decorated with a mosaic. ^[2]

References

1. ^ "Religious buildings with the "Culture Monument" status". Republic of Albania National Committee for Cult. http://kshk.gov.al/index.php?fq=brenda&gj=gj2&kid=19. Retrieved October 28, 2010. 
2. ^ "Kisha e Shën Mëri Vllahernës" (in Albanian). http://beratkulture.com/ShenMeriVllaherna.aspx. Retrieved 6 November 2010.