Voskopoje used to be a city of either the Aromanians
or the Vlachs, an indigenous Romans ethnic group of the Balkans. The city
flourished as the centre of culture and commerce during the 18th
Century. As the centre of Orthodox Christian faith of the region, Voskopoje
hosted 24 to 30 churches. The cultural activities thrived all around it. What is particularly noteworthy
is that the city operated a printing press, which was very rare at the time.
It mainly printed religious and academic books. It hosted an
educational institution, a hospital and an orphanage, which show the high
socio-cultural quality of the city supported by a firm economic ground.
According to historians, Voskopoje traded its wool, metal, silver and copper
products with partners as far as Austria, Hungary, Venice, Vienna and Leipzig.
Regardless of its rapid decline after the Ottoman conquest, Voskopoje continued
to play an important role among local Orthodox Christians as well as among the Aromanian
population.
Today, Voskopoje is a mountain village but
it still remembers its prosperous past. Six of the original churches have
survived to the present day. All of them are cultural monuments protected by
the Albanian government. At the centre of the village, there is St. Jon the
Baptist’s Monastery. It was built around 1632. The interior was decorated with
frescos in 1659 and they are well preserved. On the outskirts of the town, there are five
churches. They are partly destroyed due to natural disaster, war and religious
intolerance.
St Athanasius’ Church was a cemetery church
built in 1712. It may look modest from the outside, but its inside is decorated
generously with medieval frescos.
St. Nikolas’ Church was also constructed in
1721. Its interior is decorated with a number of frescos, drawn by David
Selenica, whose realistic style attracts a lot of fans until today.
St. Mary’s church built estimatedly around
the end of the 17th century. Particularly, its fresco on ceiling
tells its visitors a rich biblical story.
St Michel’s church and St. Elijah’s church
are partly destroyed but their delicate fresco still remembers the time when
people regularly visited to worship its saints.