National Museum of Medieval Art

The National Museum of Medieval Art in Korca holds the largest collection of Byzantine and post-Byzantine art in Albania, some seven thousand objects of which around a thousand are displayed after a rebuilding completed in 2016: icons from the thirteenth century onward, including works by Onufri and the Zografi brothers, carved and gilded iconostases and doors removed from churches for safekeeping, liturgical silver, embroidered vestments and manuscripts. Much of the collection was gathered during the twentieth century when churches across the country were closed or destroyed, which is why so much is concentrated here. The display is modern and well lit, and it is the best single place in the country to understand the tradition that produced the painted churches of the south.

What you actually see

• Icons from the thirteenth century on - the largest such collection in Albania.
• Onufri and Zografi works - the painters whose churches stand across the south.
• Carved gilded iconostases - screens removed from churches and reassembled.
• Liturgical silver and vestments - the wider church collection.

When to go

Year round; it is indoors and works in any season. Two hours. Closed on some Mondays. Korca is cold in winter and the museum is a good option then.

Honest expectations

Only a fraction of the collection is displayed. English labelling is limited. Photography is restricted. It is a specialist subject and visitors without an interest in icons will find two hours long.

Nearby

The Korca old bazaar is a short walk; the cathedral is nearby.