Ardenica Monastery

Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Ardenica
Manastiri i Ardenices
Monastery information
Order	Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania
Established	1282
Dedicated to	Byzantine victory on the Angevins in Berat during the siege of Berat (1280–1281)
People
Founder(s)	Andronikos II Palaiologos
Site
Location	Fier District, Albania
Coordinates	40°49′7″N 19°35′33″E / 40.81861°N 19.59250°E
Public access	yes

The Monastery of the Nativity of the Theotokos in Ardenica^[1] (Albanian: Manastiri Lindja e Hyjlindëses Mari,;^[2]^[3] or simply Ardenica Monastery (Albanian: Manastiri i Ardenices) is an Eastern Orthodox monastery, located 18 kilometers south of Lushnjë, Albania, along the national road that links Lushnjë to Fier.^[4]

Built by Byzantine Emperor, Andronikos II Palaiologos in 1282 after the victory against the Angevins in the siege of Berat, the 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 that got completely burned by a fire in 1932. The Church of Saint Mary within the monastery contains frescos from brothers Kostandin and Athanas Zografi, notably one of saint John Kukuzelis, born in Durrës, Albania.

^ Eastern Churches Journal: A Journal of Eastern Christendom. Society of Saint John Chrysostom. 1997. p. 222.
^ "Manastiri "Lindja e Hyjlindëses Mari", Ardenicë (i restauruar)". orthodoxalbania.org. Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
^ "The Monastery of Theotokos Mary, Ardenica (restored)". orthodoxalbania.org. Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
^ Andoni, Ben. "Manastiri i Ardenices: Ku shqiptaret piskasin ne vend te lutjes" (in Albanian). Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2010.

[1] Eastern Churches Journal: A Journal of Eastern Christendom. Society of Saint John Chrysostom. 1997. p. 222.

[2] "Manastiri "Lindja e Hyjlindëses Mari", Ardenicë (i restauruar)". orthodoxalbania.org. Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2011.

[orthodoxalbania.org-3] "The Monastery of Theotokos Mary, Ardenica (restored)". orthodoxalbania.org. Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2011.

[Andoni-4] Andoni, Ben. "Manastiri i Ardenices: Ku shqiptaret piskasin ne vend te lutjes" (in Albanian). Archived from the original on 4 February 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2010.

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