The Onufri Museum is situated in the Kala quarter’s biggest church, the Church of the Dormition of St Mary (Kisha Fjetja e Shën Mërisë). The church itself dates from 1797 and was built on the foundations of an earlier 10th-century chapel. Today Onufri’s spectacular 16th-century religious paintings are displayed along with the church’s beautifully gilded 19th-century iconostasis. Don’t miss the chapel behind the iconostasis, or its painted cupola, whose frescoes are now faded almost to invisibility.
The church can get horribly busy with tour groups, but if you’re lucky and get it to yourself, the play of shadow and light on the iconostasis, and the deep silence of the place, is utterly enchanting.
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