Holiday apartment in Goranxi: monasteries, gorge and Ravena trail

Immediately north of the village of Goranxi lies the Goranxi Gorge, which cuts dramatically into the mountainside.

Culture

At Saint Mary's Monastery in Goranxi, the church was built in 1600 by the hieromonk Christopher. An inscription above the western gate inside the narthex confirms that it was built in 1600. The church was also painted in 1600; it consists of a nave, a narthex and an exonarthex. Four columns with capitals decorated with plant motifs form a square central space beneath a dome on a tall drum.

Saint Mary's Monastery has served for centuries as a pilgrimage site for believers from the surrounding area and bears witness to the continuity of the Orthodox faith and Orthodox tradition in this region. It is a Category I cultural monument. Goranxi is one of the important villages of Dropull and Pogon that preserve traditional architectural features, with characteristic churches and residential buildings of the southern region. A well is also located in a rock cave near Saint Mary's Monastery and is likewise classified as a Category I cultural monument. The main church of Goranxi is Saint Mary of Ravenjë, built around 1600.

Landscape and Prehistory

Near the mouth of the Goranxi Gorge, a small late Byzantine church with frescoes stands on a hill. The rock shelters in the gorge were used during the Upper Palaeolithic and Mesolithic periods to make flint tools. Many thousands of flint flakes have been found in the Goranxi Gorge; the prehistoric flint mines are visible on the northern wall of the gorge. Among the remains of the old flint-processing sites near the gorge are stone dwellings dating from the Hellenistic and Roman periods.

Hiking

The hiking activity “Ravena Monastery: A Hike Through History & Nature” begins with vehicle transport towards the village of Goranxi. The hike to Ravena Monastery follows a low-difficulty trail into a dry streambed surrounded by two massive rocks. The ascent gains about 300 metres in elevation and reaches a small plateau overlooking the Drino Valley.

The ascent to Ravena Monastery passes through Mediterranean shrubland and an area with mountain tea, sage, oregano, lemon balm, lavender and wild rose. The route passes a karst massif that closes off the gorge to the north and is considered one of the rarest natural attractions in the Drino Valley. The church of Ravena Monastery lies 300 metres above the village of Goranxi in the Dropull area. The Ravena Monastery complex was surrounded by stone walls.

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More location pages: Peshtan, Gjirokastër, Sheper, Përmet.

Back to the overarching travel overview: Gjirokastra County.