Shen Premte Church, Valesh

Shen Premte Church in the village of Valësh, Elbasan district, is a rich cultural and artistic treasure that stands out for its excellent wall paintings and for its association with an important master of iconographic art, Onufri, in the 16th century. This cultural heritage monument is a small building, but with a rich artistic interior.

Inside the church, the wall paintings are a real artistic treasure. Onufri, a distinguished master of iconography, has created a series of paintings that combine the local pictorial tradition with elements from the Eastern (Paleogene) and Western (Italian) traditions. This combination of techniques and influences has created outstanding, realistic and natural paintings. The color representation and details of the paintings testify to his extraordinary artistic skills.

The church is built as a chapel with a nave and a small vestibule, making it the same architectural and artistic unit. Inside, the nave and the porch are perfect with Onuf's mural paintings, which make the church an important place in the history of Albanian art and cultural heritage.

Onufri, who appeared in central Albania and northern Greece and neighboring areas, has left his indelible traces in iconographic art. The dating of the church, recorded in Onufri's inscriptions in 1554, indicates the historical importance of this building.

Shen Premte Church was declared a cultural monument of the first category in 1963, emphasizing its importance in the protection and promotion of cultural heritage. For Albanians and the artistic community, it represents a bright testimony of the talent and skills of one of the outstanding masters of iconographic art, Onufri, and a rich contribution to the culture of the homeland.