The Rubik Monastery Church () is a monastery church in Rubik,

Lezhë County Lezhë County () is one of the 12 counties of Albania. The population as of 2021 was 120,678, in an area of 1,620 km².Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

. It is a

Cultural Monument of Albania In Albania, a cultural monument () is a construction or work of cultural, historical and artistic value that is built in a visible space, made in memory of important events or prominent people. Cultural monuments are usually under state protection ...

. It was built in 1166 AD.

History and background

The Church of Rubik, is one of the icons of Albanian

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

with an important historical background. The

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery is located in a very strategic location, on a prominent rocky plot of a natural bend of the

Fan (river) The Fan is a river in northern Albania. It is formed by the confluence of two source rivers: the Great Fan () and the Lesser Fan (), that join a few kilometers west of the town Rrëshen. The Great Fan rises near the village Kryezi, Qafë-Mali ...

, above the small Albanian town of Rubik. The water route that, using the river, connected the coast with Arbanon up to the heights of Oroshi, and the land route that is referred to as l'Itinerarium Lissus-Naissus. The monastery was built as one of four Benedictine Conventions in

Mirdita Mirdita is a region of northern Albania whose territory is synonymous with the historic Albanian tribe of the same name. Etymology The name Mirdita derives from a legendary ancestor named Mir Diti from whom the tribe claims descent. Other a ...

, a city in Albania.https://eu4culture.al/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/WEB_EN_leaflet_Rubik.pdf Historiography has recognised the monastery’s abbey as well as the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

church with the same name. Formerly

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

, in the city of Rubik and in the district of Lezha, as well as historically part of this diocese, today it is included in the bishopric of Rrëshen. The Church of Redemption, from 1166 to 1972, is mentioned 34 times. From the end of the 19th century to the first years of this millennium, renovations have completely changed the original appearance of the building. On the other hand, these transformations allow the distinction of the few surviving medieval phases integrated into the new building. The

frescoes Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

unfold in the interior only in this surviving part which is the eastern face and which dates back to 1272 with an inscription. But before that year, other events had defined the history of the building. The bishop of Lezha wrote in 1629 in the report of his visit, where he cited an inscription on the church door from the year 1267. The monastery was declared as a cultural monument of Albania on the 23rd September 1971.

References

{{Catholic Church in Albania Cultural Monuments of Albania Buildings and structures in Mirditë Roman Catholic churches in Albania