Uploaded August 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
Maligrad (Albanian: Maligrad, also Qytet i Vogël "small city"; Macedonian: Мал Град, Mal Grad "small city/town") is an island situated deep within the Albanian part of Lake Prespa, with many caves suitable for wildlife and a circular cliff. Shaped like a tadpole, it contains some trees and an area of sand. The island contains a famous Saint Mary Church, built by Kesar Novak (Qesar Novaku), a local noble, in 1369. It has an area of almost 5 hectares.
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The St. Mary's Church or Virgin Mary's Church (Albanian: Shpella e Maligradit) is an Eastern Orthodox cave church on the island of Maligrad, in the Albanian part of Lake Prespa. It is a Cultural Monument of Albania.[3] The church is dedicated to Saint Mary and was built by Serbian nobleman Kesar Novak (alb. Qesar Novaku), in 1369.
The church has frescoes and Greek inscriptions dated to 1369. Frescoes exist of the family of Novak, with his Greek wife Kalia.
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The Lake Prespa is located on the tripoint of North Macedonia, Albania, and Greece. It is a system of two lakes separated by an isthmus, the Great Prespa Lake, divided between the three countries, and the Little Prespa Lake, mostly within Greece. They are the highest tectonic lakes in the Balkans, standing at an elevation of 853 metres (2,799 ft).
The area contains three national parks: Prespa in Albania, Galičica in North Macedonia and Prespa in Greece. The largest town in the region is Resen in North Macedonia. In 2014, the Ohrid-Prespa Transboundary Reserve between Albania and North Macedonia was added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
Maligrad (Albanian: Maligrad, also Qytet i Vogël "small city"; Macedonian: Мал Град, Mal Grad "small city/town") is an island situated deep within the Albanian part of Lake Prespa, with many caves suitable for wildlife and a circular cliff. Shaped like a tadpole, it contains some trees and an area of sand. The island contains a famous Saint Mary Church, built by Kesar Novak (Qesar Novaku), a local noble, in 1369. It has an area of almost 5 hectares.
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The St. Mary's Church or Virgin Mary's Church (Albanian: Shpella e Maligradit) is an Eastern Orthodox cave church on the island of Maligrad, in the Albanian part of Lake Prespa. It is a Cultural Monument of Albania.[3] The church is dedicated to Saint Mary and was built by Serbian nobleman Kesar Novak (alb. Qesar Novaku), in 1369.
The church has frescoes and Greek inscriptions dated to 1369. Frescoes exist of the family of Novak, with his Greek wife Kalia.
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The Lake Prespa is located on the tripoint of North Macedonia, Albania, and Greece. It is a system of two lakes separated by an isthmus, the Great Prespa Lake, divided between the three countries, and the Little Prespa Lake, mostly within Greece. They are the highest tectonic lakes in the Balkans, standing at an elevation of 853 metres (2,799 ft).
The area contains three national parks: Prespa in Albania, Galičica in North Macedonia and Prespa in Greece. The largest town in the region is Resen in North Macedonia. In 2014, the Ohrid-Prespa Transboundary Reserve between Albania and North Macedonia was added to UNESCO's World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
