The Onufri Iconographic Museum in Berat celebrated its 40th anniversary in the presence of church and state representatives, marking an important milestone for one of Albania’s most significant cultural and religious institutions.
Among those attending the celebration were Metropolitan Astios of Berat, Albania’s Minister of State Ervin Demo, and the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports Blendi Gonxhja. The event highlighted the museum’s cultural importance and its growing role as a major destination for visitors.
The museum, which welcomed more than 100,000 visitors in 2025, is housed in the restored Cathedral of St. Nicholas in the historic city of Berat. The former church has been transformed into a museum dedicated to the renowned Orthodox iconographer Onufri, one of the most important figures in post-Byzantine iconography in the Balkans.
The museum displays numerous works created for churches throughout Albania by Onufri and other iconographers influenced by his artistic style. Among the most notable exhibits are thirteen original icons known collectively as the “Angry Treasures”, attributed to painters of the so-called Berat School of iconography.
This school was strongly influenced by the technique and artistic legacy of Onufri. It included his son Nicholas, the painter John, a collaborator of Nicholas, later Onufri the Cypriot, as well as other anonymous iconographers who decorated churches across various regions of Albania.
Today, the Onufri Museum stands as an important center for the preservation and study of Orthodox iconography, while also serving as a bridge between Albania’s religious heritage and its cultural tourism.
