Now, you might wonder, who’s Onufri? Picture a 16th-century Albanian painting master with a wild imagination and, rumor has it, the best beard in the Balkans. He loved his reds so much that painters still call his unique, fiery color “Onufri Red.” You’ll spot his icons shining inside, among 173 treasures picked out of a whopping 1500 collected from Albanian churches and monasteries. That’s a bit like searching for the tastiest olives in a giant barrel.
These masterpieces include works from Onufri’s own son Nikola, the mysterious Onouphrios Cypriotes, and whole families like the Çetiri tribe, who probably had more paint on their fingers than on their canvases. Each icon tells a story across centuries, created between the 14th and 20th centuries, and as you wander inside, you’ll find saints, angels, and scenes that once comforted-and sometimes puzzled-villagers long ago.
So, go ahead, step inside, and get ready to brush up on some real Albanian magic. Just remember-no touching the icons! They’re watching you closely, and I hear Onufri himself had a pretty sharp eye for details.
