It was in this prestigious ^13th-century Orthodox monastery (Manastiri i Ardenicës) that the marriage of George Kastriot Skanderbeg to Donica Arianiti, the daughter of a local clan chief, took place on April 21, 1451. Today numbering around ten monks, it is the only active Orthodox monastic complex in Albania. Dedicated to the Nativity of the Theotokos ("Mother of God" in Greek), it enjoys a beautiful setting on the Ardenica hill overlooking the Myzeqa plain, 237 m above sea level. Altered several times, it was founded in 1282 by the Byzantine emperor Andronic II Palaeologus to celebrate his victory over Charles of Anjou after the siege of Berat (1280-1281). However, it still has some older features, notably the ^10th-century Chapel of the Trinity (on the right as you enter). It appears to have been built on the site of an ancient temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis (from which the name Ardenica is derived).

Frescoes and first inscription in Albanian. In 1743, at the height of the Ottoman period, the complex benefited from the largesse of Aromanian merchants from Moscopole (near Korça), who financed the construction of the catholicon (main church). Well-preserved, it is dominated by a 24 m-high bell tower and incorporates materials from the site of Apollonia in Illyria (ancient columns visible on the north side). The interior is covered with frescoes painted in 1744 by the three most renowned artists of the Korça school of painting: Konstantin Shpataraku and the brothers Konstantin and Athanas Zografi (whose surname means "painters" in Greek). One fresco in particular preserves the first text written in Albanian to be inscribed in a church: " Virgjin ë Mame eperndis uro prë nee faj torëte " ("Virgin and Mother of God pray for us [poor] sinners"). In the second half of the ^19th century, Ardenica became a major intellectual center, playing an active part in the Rilindja Kombëtare ("National Renaissance") movement, notably by organizing courses in the Albanian language. But in 1932, the complex was ravaged by fire, resulting in the loss of priceless manuscripts. Ardenica suffered a long decline. In 1967, Orthodox bishop Irene Banushi (1906-1973), a leading figure in the religious opposition to Enver Hoxha's regime, saved the monastery by convincing the students who had come to destroy it of its historical value, stressing in particular the memory of the wedding of national hero Skanderbeg.