The Church of Saint Mary of the Zvernec Monastery is a church in the village of Zvernec, Vlora, Albania.
There are several opinions regarding the date of construction of this Christian shrine. One of them, Albanian researcher A. Meksi, argues that the church belongs to the 13th-14th centuries. Meanwhile, the Austrian researcher couple Helmut and Herta Buschhausen believe that the time of construction dates back to the 10th century.
Another researcher, Krautheimer, thinks that this type adopted the architectural style from Roman mausoleums and was built far from urban centers between the 10th and 11th centuries. This idea seems interesting because, intriguingly, inside the church in the nave, there is also a tombstone on its floor. Written in Byzantine Greek, it served as the cover of a sarcophagus, which was either there from the beginning or was taken by the builders to be placed on the church hall floor. Author Theofan Popa, referring to the notes of the Byzantine historian Anna Komnene, believes that the tomb must have belonged to Duke Argjiro KANXHAS, who was sent to this region in the 11th century by the Byzantine Emperor Alexios Komnenos. The only inscription in this church, as we mentioned earlier, is on the floor of the nave on a limestone slab. It measures 1.87 m x 0.67 m and is decorated on the sides with a frame of Ionic capitals. Inside it is the inscription in the form of a book, which was translated by Professor Karl Pač of the University of Vienna, who visited this monastery in 1902 and managed to translate this text. In this church, an icon of Saint Mary was also found, the work of the iconographer painter Terpo Zografi, who began his activity in 1782, working, among other places, in Saint Naum, Voskopoje, Libofsha, and Mount Athos. (Th. Popa. Medieval Albanian Painters, Tirana 1961).
