The St. Mary's Church ( sq, Kisha e Shën Mërisë) is an Eastern Orthodox church and monastery in Elbasan, Albania. It became a Cultural Monument of Albania in 1963. The church's building started in 1483 in the Vlach neighborhood, but it ended almost a century later: the church had its first religious services only in 1556. It was built entirely in stone in a completely particular way, with stones carved in the shape of a cross, which can still be seen today.Kisha e Shën Marisë: ndërtimi dhe rindërtimi dibran 28 October2008
/ref> The church was frescoed by Onufri and restored by David Selenica. In the 18th century it was entirely burned by a fire, so it was rebuilt in the beginning of the 19th century. Some of the most famous preachers in the church have been

Fan Noli Theofan Stilian Noli, known as Fan Noli (6 January 1882 – 13 March 1965), was an Albanian writer, scholar, diplomat, politician, historian, orator, Archbishop, Metropolitan and founder of the Albanian Orthodox Church and the Albanian Orthodox ...

and Visarion Xhuvani. In the 1990s the church became the seat of a split fraction of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania. In 2008 the Albanian government financed reconstruction of the church.Kisha rebele e Elbasanit, rikthim në identitet 2008-10-19

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Marys Church, Elbasan Cultural Monuments of Albania Buildings and structures in Elbasan Churches in Albania Christian monasteries in Albania Christian monasteries established in the 16th century Churches completed in 1556 1556 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Tourist attractions in Elbasan County