The Epitaph of Gllavenica ( sq, Epitafi I Gllavenicës) is a 14th-century

epitaph An epitaph (; ) is a short text honoring a deceased person. Strictly speaking, it refers to text that is inscribed on a tombstone or plaque, but it may also be used in a figurative sense. Some epitaphs are specified by the person themselves be ...

, written on a

shroud Shroud usually refers to an item, such as a cloth, that covers or protects some other object. The term is most often used in reference to '' burial sheets'', mound shroud, grave clothes, winding-cloths or winding-sheets, such as the famous S ...

, and embroidered by a monk named Savia from

Ballsh Ballsh ( sq-definite, Ballshi) is a town and a former municipality in Fier County, southern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision and the seat of the municipality Mallakastër. It was the seat of the former District ...

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

. Its name stems from the ancient name of

. The shroud is made of silk, linen and gold, and symbolizes the burial cloth of Jesus, used in Orthodox Good Friday's processions. Technically, stylistically and in the decorative motifs, it is one of the most perfect artifacts of this genre in the Balkans. The Epitaph represents the dead Christ lying on a linen, Saint Mary,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, other Four Evangelists, prophets and angels with spread wings. It was commissioned by the Albanian ruler

Gjergj Arianiti Gjergj Arianiti (1383–1462) was an Albanian feudal lord who led several successful campaigns against the Ottoman Empire. He was the father of Donika, Skanderbeg's wife, as well as the grand-uncle of Moisi Arianit Golemi. Gjergj Arianiti was ...

in 1373. In 1994, the shroud was stolen from the National Historical Museum of Albania in

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

.Peter Dawson, Linda White & Andrea Dawson: Albania: a guide and illustrated journal. Bradt, 1995. page 42. In 2005 an international symposium assessed that the shroud should be restored for the amount of 25-50k Euros because it risks to be irreparably deteriorated and damaged from the lights of the Albanian National Museum.Albanian director of the Restoration Section of the Institute of Folklore of Albania declared that the lights of the museum are

ultraviolet Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation ...

ones and as such they risk to damage the colors of the shroud

References

Sources

*Stamati, Frederik, Acta Studia Albanica (2/2005
The Epitaph of Gllavenica: New Data Emerging from the Technological Study
{{DEFAULTSORT:Epitaph Of Gllavenica 1373 works Albanian art Albanian language Albanian culture Embroidery