Mborja Church

The church of the Resurrection of Christ at Mborja stands on the slope above Korca, a small single-nave building of stone and brick built in 1389, the date given by an inscription, which makes it among the more securely dated medieval churches in Albania. Inside, wall paintings of the same period cover the nave, in a provincial Byzantine manner with saints in ranks, a Dormition and scenes from the life of Christ, darkened by smoke and damaged in places but substantially present. The building is plain outside, low and buttressed, with a small cemetery around it. It survived the religion ban of the twentieth century because it was declared a cultural monument, which saved a number of churches that would otherwise have gone.

What you actually see

• An inscription dating it to 1389 - one of the securely dated medieval churches.
• Fourteenth-century wall paintings - saints and scenes covering the nave.
• Plain buttressed stone and brick - the exterior of a provincial church.
• The hillside cemetery - the churchyard above Korca.

When to go

April to October. One hour. The church is usually locked and access depends on finding the keeper in the village, so ask at the Korca tourist office first. Mornings are best.

Honest expectations

It is frequently locked and the keeper is not always found. The interior is dark and a torch helps. Frescoes are damaged and sooted in places. There is no interpretation. The building is small and the visit short.

Nearby

Korca is west; Voskopoja lies further west in the hills.