TIRANA, April 22 /ATA/ – The Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sports, Blendi Gonxhja, announced on Wednesday that the Archangels Monastery in Derviçan, a 18th-century post-Byzantine site in the southern Albanian region of Gjirokastra, has been officially designated a “Cultural Monument,” Category I, and that restoration work will soon begin to make the monastery habitable.
In collaboration with the Regional Directorate of Cultural Heritage in Gjirokastra, Gonxhja confirmed the monastery’s classification and defined a protected zone around the associated konaks, ensuring full legal protection of the ensemble.
The approved project will restore the monastery’s function and usability, turning it into a vibrant space for the local community and cultural heritage while enhancing the country’s tourist routes.
The intervention will be the first comprehensive restoration of the monastery quarters (konaks), currently in a degraded state, including cleaning, masonry reinforcement, and reconstruction of traditional elements such as roofs, floors, and wooden structures.
The Archangels Monastery is one of Derviçan’s most important spiritual and architectural complexes, with significant historical and cultural value. The site, comprising the church and konaks, reflects centuries of stone construction and monastic life.
Gonxhja said that, together with Dropull Mayor Dhimitraq Toli and partner organizations, efforts are underway to preserve, revitalize, and promote historic sites while leveraging protective status to secure project funding and sustainable local economic recovery.
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