St Marena Monastery in Llëngë

The monastery lies right beside the village of Llëngë, in the Upper Mokra area. It comprises a complex of sites belonging to it: the Church of St Marena, the konaks (guest lodgings), the Ayazma (holy spring) and the Cave of St Marena. The church and the konaks occupy the central place in the complex.

1 – The Church of St Marena is a small single-nave building consisting of a naos, a two-storey narthex, an open arcaded porch on the south side and a bell tower with two bells. Its interior is entirely decorated with frescoes. The altar area is separated from the naos by a wooden iconostasis 6.5 m long and 4 m high, whose decorative style is the same as that of the iconostases in the churches of Voskopoja and Vithkuq. The church ceiling is made of decorative painted wood. The frescoes are arranged in five horizontal bands painted by the master Kostandin Shpataraku. He also painted several icons of the iconostasis, the cross above it, the Beautiful Gates and a frieze with 15 figures and 17 small icons. The painted themes are the typical church subjects of the time, such as scenes from the life of Christ, the Virgin Mary and St Marena herself, to whom the church is dedicated. All of them date from the time the church was built, in 1754.

2 – The konaks lie to the north-west of the church and were built at the same time. They housed not only the monastery staff but also the many pilgrims who visited the church. During the communist years the konaks served for a time first as a military unit and later as offices of the Forestry Enterprise. After 1990 they were returned to the service of the faithful.

3 – The Ayazma lies to the west of the Church of St Marena, about 20 minutes away and right beside the Shkumbin river. It consists of a fountain from which flows a never-ending stream of very pure water, which the faithful regard as blessed.

4 – The Cave of St Marena lies to the south-east of the path leading from the church to the place called Kryqi (the Cross). It is a karst cave 180 m long, made up of a series of wider and narrower sections that form small chambers. The rock is limestone, and in contact with water it has formed stones with shining crystals that the faithful consider lucky, so no one leaves without taking a small piece with them. According to legend, St Marena took shelter in this cave while hiding from persecutors who wanted to kill her for her faith.