Monastery of Saint Marena in Llënga

Monument category: I – First

It is located very close to the village of Llëngë, in the Upper Mokra region. The monastery consists of a complex of properties owned by it, such as the church of St. Marena, the guest houses, Najazma, and the cave of St. Marena. The main place in this complex is occupied by the church and the guest houses.

1-Church of Saint Marena is a small single-nave building consisting of a nave, a two-story narthex, an open southern porch in the form of an arcade and a bell tower with two bells. Its interior is all decorated with frescoes. The altar niche of the church is separated from the nave by a wooden iconostasis 6,5 m long and 4 m high, which in terms of decoration is the same as the iconostases of the churches of Voskopoja and Vithkuq. The ceiling of the church is made of decorative painted wood. The church frescoes are divided into five horizontal bands painted by the master Kostandin Shpataraku. He also painted some icons of the iconostasis, the cross above it, the beautiful doors as well as a balcony with 15 figures and 17 small icons. The painted motifs are typical ecclesiastical motifs of the time, such as scenes from the life of Christ, Saint Mary, and Saint Marena herself, to whom the church is dedicated. They all date from the period when the church was built, i.e. 1754.

2-Konakët are located northwest of the church and were built at the same time as it. They served not only to house the monastery staff but also to house the many believers who visited the church. During the communist years, the guest houses served for some time, first as a military unit and later as offices for the Forestry Company. After 1990, they were returned to the service of believers.

3-Najazma It is located west of the church of St. Marena, about 20 minutes away and very close to the Shkumbin River. It consists of a tap from which flows inexhaustibly very clean water, which believers call blessed.

4-Saint Marena's Cave is located southeast of the road that leads from the church to the place called Kryqi. This is a karst cave with a length of 180 which consists of several expansions and narrowings that create small chambers. The geological composition of the rock is limestone and in contact with water it has created stones with bright crystals which are considered lucky by believers, therefore no one leaves here without taking a small piece of these stones with them. According to legend, Saint Marena took refuge in this cave at the time when she was hiding from her persecutors who wanted to kill her because of her faith.

Distance from the city center of Pogradec: 35 km west.
How to get there: Due to the unpaved road, it is advisable to travel to the monastery by high-rise 4 x 4 vehicles. The car goes to a place called “Kryqi”, above the village of Llëngë. From there, the journey is only on foot but does not last more than 15 minutes.