National Iconographic Museum Onufri

National Iconographic Museum Onufri

National Iconographic Museum Onufri
4.5
Speciality MuseumsArt MuseumsHistory Museums
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Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • T-SGlobetrotters
    Preston, United Kingdom3,654 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Good museum of icons
    The museum is housed in a former historic church situated within the castle boundary with additional extensions on two floors. It is well presented although there is only very limited information available next to each icon. There is an audio guide available for those requiring more information on the history of each object but we’re happy simply to admire the artistry of the works. A visit takes about an hour.
    Visited September 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 30 September 2023
  • GaryBrazel
    Brooklyn, New York1,281 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Iconography in an old Orthodox Church
    A good chance to see what an old Orthodox church looks like including the altar area which normally can only be accessed by priests. Onufri was a famous icon painter beginning in the middle of the 16th century AD. Many of his paintings are displayed here along with others by anonymous artists.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 3 February 2024
  • carpediem2019
    New York City, New York104 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Exquisite Icon Collection
    Last-minute visit from Tiranë to Berat and what a pleasure to walk through the Onufri collection. A small and yet exceptional taste of the Albanian iconic tradition. Powerful reds and surreal-looking renditions of John the Baptist. I am still thinking of the different representations of the Virgin's Nativity and the angel choirs. So grateful to have witnessed the artistic marvels of Onufri. Thank you.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written 7 September 2024
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles267 reviews
Excellent
158
Very good
84
Average
24
Poor
1
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0

Klein
Tirana, Albania1 contribution
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Friends
The museum is located in an old Byzantine church which is located inside the city's castle. There are multiple kinds of tickets for different categories of visitors but the most common ones are the basic one which costs 400 L and the audio guide one which costs 100 L more (500 L) and offers guiding in 4 different languages, including Albanian.

Me and my friend took the basic one and were offered a printed guiding paper. We were offered a secure shelf to put our backpacks if we so wished and we were told there were no photos allowed inside. This would actually be reaffirmed a couple of times by the guard staying at the door.

The museum can be broken down into 3 sections:

The main part is the actual church part which offers an interesting view of a typical byzantine era church with a large iconostasis, it's thronos and the usual church benches. Some of the dome frescoes are damaged but the floor mosaics are in very good conditions.

The second part is located in the sanctuary place of the church and is the place where Codex Purpureus Beratinus, one of the most important liturgical works in Albania, was found.

The third part is the collection of icons and some other liturgical items which are located mostly on the second floor. Most, if not all, of them are made by Onufri and his era contemporaries and some of them have some Albanian-English papers close to them giving further details.

When we got out we were informed by the guard that we had to return the printed information guide. I utilised this moment to ask some historical questions to the museum staff which were more than helpful to answer each of them and even provide extra information.

All in all I can say that the museum does offer a great potential given its architectural, historical, liturgical and artistic values that it has intertwined in itself. Unfortunately though I believe that potential has yet to be fully utilised. The overall experience may appear rather poor to art history uninformed people, its main points of interests could benefit from some good layed out information or different artistic enhancements (such as short movies, etc.) and the overall visit flow could be improved (some of the items did have QR codes close to them but we felt uneasy bringing our phones out for scanning because of all the verbal warnings that were constantly given to not make photos, the printed guide didn't mention anything about the second floor which we could have fully missed if not for the walking noise we heard upstairs and returning it in the end wasn't mentioned in the beginning - "the whole get it and return it" experience may feel rather unnatural).

Written 11 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Michael W
Redding, CT1,733 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2022 • Couples
I suppose you could spend one to two hours here if you’re really into Ottoman and post Ottoman history and icons. The audio guide certainly helps and the icons are quite interesting but we didn’t need anything like this amount of time to see all the rooms. I’m not sure what the point of having no photography is, as long as no flash is used, but that would certainly have made a difference for us.
Written 29 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

mariekg
Tournissan, France41 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023
I am not an expert on icons: I got interested visiting the islands of Greece years ago and meeting some contemporary artists there. The Iconographic Museum Onufri was stepping back into history and better appreciating the more modern work. You can really get into the depth of things or just have a pleasant browse about ...
Written 18 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Terry M
Hamilton, Canada4,897 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2022
This treasure can be found inside the Church of the Dormition of St Mary within the confines of Berat Castle. No photographs are allowed of the less than 200 objects, mostly icon. It was named in honour of Onufri, a painting headmaster from the 16th century. He had a trademark orange red [or is it reddish orange?] colour. It is a splendid place to view these icons and liturgical items.
Written 27 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

GaryBrazel
Brooklyn, NY1,281 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Friends
A good chance to see what an old Orthodox church looks like including the altar area which normally can only be accessed by priests.
Onufri was a famous icon painter beginning in the middle of the 16th century AD. Many of his paintings are displayed here along with others by anonymous artists.
Written 3 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

carpediem2019
New York City, NY104 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Solo
Last-minute visit from Tiranë to Berat and what a pleasure to walk through the Onufri collection. A small and yet exceptional taste of the Albanian iconic tradition. Powerful reds and surreal-looking renditions of John the Baptist. I am still thinking of the different representations of the Virgin's Nativity and the angel choirs. So grateful to have witnessed the artistic marvels of Onufri. Thank you.
Written 7 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Retired_Miami
Miami, FL347 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2018 • Couples
to be here the one time each year that a service is conducted, think about buying a lottery ticket. The church was built on the foundations of a 10th century church. The icons and artwork are spectacular. When we paid the admission, we were given a card to use in English explaining everything. Explanations on all icons and art work were also in English. Great to visit when you are in the castle area.
Written 26 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AlanofLondon
Greater London, UK318 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2019
I enjoyed this museum more than the one in Korce - even though the one there had more icons on show. The environment was more sympathetic. Worth spending some time and using the detailed audio explanation if you are interested in this traditional Orthodox art. (If not - probably better to view from outside and enjoy the views from the castle.)
Written 5 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

655ERMES
Durres, Albania208 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2017 • Friends
This church has a beautiful wooden iconastas and a small museum of the most famous Church Iconic painters like Onufri. You must visit it and see these beautiful art
Written 6 December 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Virginia S
Ogdensburg, NY288 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2015 • Couples
This was educational & historical. Sites to see once in a lifetime.
Artifacts, icon are amazing. So old!! Hard to believe. Stories well described. Cheap entrance fee. Other wonderful photos to be taken outside museum
Written 17 December 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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National Iconographic Museum Onufri - All You MUST Know Before You Go (2024)

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